Introspect: Band Aid: A Personal Remembrance*

By Debbie Kreuser
2004.12

I have many memories of 1984. It was the year my daughter turned 3. It was the year Geraldine Ferraro was chosen the first female vice presidential candidate by a major U.S. political party (Democrat). It would turn out to be a year of famine and despair in the Horn of Africa, especially for Ethiopia. But 1984 would also turn out to be a year of concern and action worldwide to help the millions of people caught up in this tragedy, that collective response spearheaded by the release of "Do They Know It’s Christmas?"

Band Aid was conceived when Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats called Ultravox’s Midge Ure and suggested that they write and record a song to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia after Geldof had seen the BBC report by Michael Buerck on Oct. 23 1984 on the growing crisis in Ethiopia. Within a month’s time, the song "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" was written. On Nov. 21, 1984, 36 of Britain’s top popular music performers assembled at Sarm Studios in London to record the song.

The song and the accompanying video were an immediate success. The song, decorated by chiming seasonal bells in the background and replete with thought-provoking lyrics, had plenty of sincerely sung vocals framed around a definite rock ‘n’ roll beat. It was just what we needed to motivate us around the world to action to help those caught up in the Ethiopian famine.

Over 3.5 million copies of the single were sold, raising over 8 million British pounds (about $12 million at the time) for famine relief in Ethiopia. The song would become the second best-selling single of all time in Great Britain and went to No. 1 in 12 other countries.

Twenty years later, in 2004, with a humanitarian crisis developing in the Darfur region of Sudan, a country where at least 1.6 million people are displaced from their villages and on the verge of massive hunger, Geldof and Ure conspired to craft a new Band Aid, called Band Aid 20, along with a slightly revamped and updated version of "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" a song including the lyrics of rapper Dizzee Rascal: “You ain’t gotta feel guilt, just selfless. Give a little help to the helpless.”

On Nov. 14 2004, many of today’s top British pop performers, including neo-soul songstress Joss Stone and The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins, came together to record the newest version of "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" with Bono reprising his famous line from the original song “Tonight thank God it’s them instead of you”. The record and accompanying video were released on Nov. 29, 2004. So far, Band Aid 20′s effort has brought the song once again to the top of the international music charts, even capturing the coveted Christmas No. 1 in Great Britain, hopefully surpassing the original amount of money made by the first Band Aid.

Some have criticized Band Aid 20 singers for their "uninspired performances" on this latest version of "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" but I think that is an unfair criticism. As someone who was motivated by the first Band Aid to "feed the world,” I welcome any attempt to inform others of the enormity of the problem of global famine and to raise money to help some of the 10 million people who will otherwise die this year somewhere in the world from hunger.

If Band Aid 20 can renew our interest and our commitment to help the truly needy in our world, then 2004 will become another year that I will remember for all the right reasons.

For more info on Band Aid 20, visit: http://www.bandaid20.com