1984 was the year that Band Aid released ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ On Thursday, Christmas, Legal Insurrection posted an article reminding us of the impact and meaning of the song.
The article notes:
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.
The article quotes from a CNN special and American Songwriter:
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.”
The article at Legal Insurrection observes:
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.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.
