Band Aid returns for Christmas. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its success Do you know it’s Christmas?This supergroup made up of numerous singing stars, brought together by Bob Geldof since 1984 to raise funds to benefit the children of Ethiopia, hit by a terrible famine, reforms with new voices.
Every decade since 2004, the project has been relaunched, featuring the biggest British and Irish groups of the time and this year Sting, Ed SheeranBoy George, Sugababes, Sam Smith, Bono and cris martin He will sing with Harry Styles, Rita Ora, Seal, Robbie Williams, Kool and the Gang.
The song also uses the voice, from previous recordings, of George Michael, who died in 2016, and of Sinéad O’Connordied in 2023. Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Roger Taylor (Queen), Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Damon Albarn (Blur), perform the instrumental part of the song.
“It’s very moving because there are three generations of British stars,” explains Bob Geldof, the singer and songwriter behind the project, speaking to BFMTV.
“You have a young Sting singing alongside a young Ed Sheeran, a young Boy George with a young Harry Styles, a young Bono with an older Bono, it’s crazy. (…) When people sing it and they listen to it, “They are very moved (…) I think it is the best version of all,” he continues.
“This little pop song started something.”
Bob Geldof launched the Band Aid project in 1984 in response to terrible images of famine in Ethiopia. At that time, George Michael (Wham!), Boy George (Culture Club), Paul Young, Sting (The Police), Banarama, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Bono (U2) and Phil Collins (Genesis) answered the call. .
In 2014, Ed Sheeran, an addressRita Ora, Sam Smith, Chris Martin, Seal, Ellie Goulding and Sinéad O’Connor joined Bono, one of the rare Band Aid veterans of 1984, for a new version of the song.
Bob Geldof later explained that he had changed the lyrics to reflect the evils of the time, such as the epidemic caused by the Ebola virus. Critics have also criticized the song for its condescending and insulting tone towards Ethiopians and Africa, presented in a cartoonish manner.
However, in four decades, Band Aid has raised, between singles and concerts, 140 million pounds, that is, about 168 million euros. “This little pop song started something that would change political and social structures,” rejoices Bob Geldof.
The success of Do you know it’s Christmas? He had also given American singer and actor Harry Belafonte the idea of launching a similar project in the United States, giving rise to the title we are the worldwritten by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones.
Source: BFM TV
