If you grew up in the 1980s, you must remember Band Aid. It was a supergroup made up of some of the most popular rock and pop acts of the time which recorded the song ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ and dedicated record sales to raising money for famine relief in Ethiopia.
The whole thing was put together by Bob Geldof, the lead singer of the Irish rock group the Boomtown Rats and Midge Ure of Ultravox. They somehow managed to write the song, invite lots of other musicians to sing and play it, and then get it to market in record time.
Participants included Boy George, Bono, Sting, George Michael, Phil Collins, members of Kool & the Gang, Duran Duran, and dozens of others. MTV played its part by putting the video into heavy rotation and the record sold millions of copies. In other words, celebrities used talent and capitalism to help solve a problem. It was a different time.
The song is great. To this day, it’s one of those songs that I turn way up if it comes on the radio in the car.
According to multiple reports that have come out over the years, Bono was hesitant to sing his big line “Well, tonight, thank God it’s them instead of you” because he feared it came off as condescending.
This came up in a CNN special about the song a few years ago and American Songwriter wrote about it:
Bono and Geldof Share Recollections of Recording the SongAn exclusive preview clip from the episode features Bono and Geldof reflecting on the memorable and emotional lyrical line the U2 singer belted out in the song.The segment begins with Bono watching footage of him in the studio before he sang his part.“I was a little uncomfortable,” he comments. “You can tell that ’cause I’m doing the shy thing [puts one hand to the side of his face], which is a dead giveaway.” He adds, sarcastically, “And then, of course, [I was] really relaxed by the line Bob gives me.The scene then cuts to Geldof, who, paraphrasing the line in question, says, “Thank God it’s them instead of you, mate.” Bob adds that Bono responded to the lyric by asking him, “Are you sure this is what you mean?”We then see another clip from the recording session showing Bono listening to one of the verses with Geldof. He comments, “It’s a hymn, really. Far out, Bob.”The segment then returns to present-day Geldof, who explains what he was trying to convey with that line.“The war, the horror of the famine, just be aware of it,” he notes. “There’s nothing sentimental about what I’m saying or trying to say. I’m being very f—ing blunt.”
If celebrities really want to help with social solutions, they would be better off doing something like this instead of lazily echoing the Bernie Sanders message of taxing the rich.
Hope you’re having a great holiday season this year. Merry Christmas!
Featured image via YouTube.
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