"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in reaction to the 1983-85 famine television report in Ethiopia. It was first recorded in one day on November 25, 1984 by Band Aid, a supergroup united by Geldof and Ure and consisted mainly of Britain's biggest music show and Irish at the time. The single was released in the UK on December 3, 1984 and aided by considerable publicity coming into the UK Singles Chart at number one and staying there for five weeks, becoming Christmas number one in 1984. This record became the UK's best-selling single chart history , sold a million copies in its first week alone and passed 3 million on the last day of 1984, en route to replace Wings's "Mull of Kintyre" as the highest-selling single of all time in the UK. It held this title until 1997 when it was overtaken by Elton John "Candle in the Wind 1997", was released as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales after her death. The original version "Did They Know It's Christmas?" has sold 3.8 million copies in the UK to date.
The song is also a huge success worldwide, reaching number one in thirteen other countries outside the UK. In the US, the single is less than the top ten on Hot 100's Billboard for lack of airplay, but has sold about 2.5 million copies in the US in January 1985. Worldwide the singles have sold 11.7 million copies in 1989. Geldof's cautious hope is that the single will garner Ã, Â £ 70,000 for Ethiopia, but "Do They Know It's Christmas?" collecting Ã, Â £ 8 million within twelve months after its release. The world's only success in raising awareness and financial aid for Ethiopian famine victims has made recordings of several other charities in Britain and in other countries, such as "We Are the World" by the US for Africa. The song also led to various charity events, such as Comic Relief, and Live Aid concerts that will take place seven months later in July 1985.
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" re-recorded three times: in 1989, 2004, and 2014. All recording is also a record of charity; versions 1989 and 2004 also provide money for relief against hunger, while the 2014 version is used to raise funds for the Ebola crisis in West Africa. The three versions also reached number one in the UK, and the 2004 version of the song is also a million seller in the UK, with 1.8 million copies sold.
Video Do They Know It's Christmas?
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The song was inspired by a series of reports made by Michael Buerk for the BBC television news program in 1984, which highlighted the famine in Ethiopia that occurred at the time. The BBC News crew is the first to document the famine, with Buerk's report on October 23 describing it as "the biblical hunger of the 20th century" and "the closest thing to hell on Earth". The report shocked the UK, motivating British people to flood aid agencies, such as Save the Children, with donations, and also to bring the world's attention to the crisis in Ethiopia. Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof and his partner, television presenter Paula Yates, watched the October 23 report and were also heavily influenced by it. On November 2, Yates traveled from the couple's home in London to Tyne Tees studio in Newcastle on Tyne where she presents the weekly weekly music show The Tube . Among the actions taken on that week's program are Ultravox, promoting their biggest hits album The Collection . Ultravox's front man Midge Ure happened to be chatting with Andrea in the dressing room after the show when Geldof called him. Upon learning that he was with Ure, an old friend of Geldof, he asked to speak with Ure and told him that he wanted to do something to reduce the suffering in Ethiopia. Ure immediately agreed to help and the couple arranged to meet and discuss ideas over lunch on the following Monday, November 5, quickly came to the conclusion that the best option was to make a record of charity.
After their meeting, Geldof immediately set about recruiting other famous musicians to participate in the recording. Geldof said, "I then called Sting and he said, yes, count me, and then [Simon] Le Bon, he instantly told me the date and we will delete the diary.On the same day I passed this antique shop and who who stood there but Gary Kemp, was just about to go on tour to Japan He said he was also crazy for that and waited 10 days until they [Spandau Ballet] returned to the country... suddenly it hit me I think, 'Christ, we have a real top boy here', all the big names in pop are suddenly ready and willing to do this... I knew then that we were away, and I just decided to go for all the rest of the face and start calling everyone, asking them to do it. "Further phone calls from Geldof also guarantee the promises of everyone involved in making notes to provide their services for free, including most majala English music that donated advertising space in their publications to promote single, record label Geldof, Phonogram releasing singles, their parent company Polygram that distributed it, and artist Peter Blake who created the single arm.
Maps Do They Know It's Christmas?
Composition
The biggest problem Geldof and Ure is able to create songs that can be recorded and released on time for Christmas. They both realize that they have to write it themselves and not record the cover version, otherwise they have to pay royalties that must be deducted from the amount raised for charity. On Monday afternoon, Ure came up with an outline of what he felt like a Christmas melody on a portable keyboard, which he recorded onto a cassette and sent to Geldof, who sarcastically told him that the tone sounded like a theme for Z- Cars . Geldof came to Ure's house the next day and together they worked with Geldof on his acoustic guitar. Geldof added lyrics based on a song originally written for the Boomtown Mouse, as he later recalled:
It's lucky, because I've written this song, which I call 'It's My World', and I know it would be appropriate if I change the words a bit and call it 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' 'Midge, as reliable as ever, sent a song somewhat similar to Christmassy at the end and we married both together.
Ure recorded Geldof and his guitar and used the recording to develop Geldof ideas then back in his home studio, adding his own melodies to the end as a choir. He then states that he can not fix the lyrics of Geldof and leave most of them as is, with the exception of the line "And there will be no snow in Africa at this Christmas" - the original lyrics replaced "Africa" ​​with "Ethiopia" but Ure decided that this not scan.
Geldof's original idea was to ask Trevor Horn to produce the song. At that time Horn was an in-demand producer, having produced three number one singles in 1984 for Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Although Horn accepted the idea, he told Geldof that he would need at least six weeks to produce the song, which made it impossible to be ready by Christmas. He did, however, offer the use of Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill in west London (owned by Horn and his wife Jill Sinclair) for free for twenty-four hours on Sunday 25 November. Horn will later remix and co-produce a 12 "version of the single, as well as remixing single for a 1985 anniversary release. In the absence of Horn, Ure is assigned to work as a producer and he spends several days in his home studio with engineer Rik Walton to create a support song songs, programmed keyboards and drum machines and used drum samples from the title track of Tears for Fears The Hurting for the intro song John Taylor of Duran Duran and Paul Weller visited Ure's studio the day before the recording at Sarm West to add bass guitar and lead guitar, though Ure and Weller later agreed that the lead guitar did not match the synthesizer-based song and then decided not to use the contribution of Weller.Ure sang the original guided vocals, though Simon Le Bon and Sting both came to Ure's studio to add vocals for their line.
Recording
When Ure was busy making song support songs in the studio, Geldof was busy contacting various British artists to ask them to perform in recording sessions. The plan is to have the greatest names in British music upon appearing in the record, and some refuse: Geldof then reveals that only three people have rejected him, though he refuses to reveal who they are. The people he asked but who could not appear instead sent messages recorded from support that appeared on a single B side, including David Bowie and Paul McCartney. Another successful British act in 1984, Thompson Twins, could not appear in Band Aid notes when they were abroad and was made aware of the recording being late to return and engage in it, but they donated a share of the proceeds from their current single this "Lay Your Hands on Me" for Action for Ethiopian charity.
Geldof keeps November's appointment with BBC Radio 1 DJ Richard Skinner to appear on his show, but instead of discussing his new album (the original reason for ordering it), he uses the airtime to publish ideas for charity singles, so that by the time the musicians are recruited there is a media interest intense on the subject.
Geldof and Ure arrived at Sarm West at about 8 o'clock, Ã, on Sunday 25 November with the media present outside. With the recording scheduled starting at 10:30 Ã, the artists started to arrive. Geldof has arranged for the British newspaper The Daily Mirror to have exclusive access inside the studio, and ensure that the 'team photo' is taken by newspaper photographer Brian Aris before any recording takes place, knowing that it will be ready on it's time to appear in the newspaper edition the next day and help publish it. The photo also appears on the back cover of the single.
Ure plays the backing track and guides the vocals to the artist and then decides, as a way to engage everything directly, to record the climax first. The artists put in a big group and sang 'Feed the world, let them know it was Christmas time' refrain repeatedly until it is over. After recording the group, Ure chose Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet to become the first singer in the studio to record his solo parts. Hadley acknowledged that this was very stressful, knowing that all his contemporaries were watching him. One by one the other singers assigned then did the same, with Ure recording their efforts and then making notes on which segments would be cut into the final recording. Le Bon, despite recording his share at Ure's house, was re-recorded so he could be part of the moment. Sting also recorded his words again, this time to provide a harmonious vocal. Despite being the lead singer himself, both Geldof and Ure have decided that they will not sing a solo song, although both take part in the end of 'feed the world'. Ure later stated in his autobiography that he constantly fights with Geldof, and tells him to leave when he will go into the production booth and wrongly tells the artist behind the microphone what to sing.
Phil Collins arrived with all his drums to record drum tracks directly over a pre-programmed drum machine. He arranged the equipment and then waited patiently until late afternoon until all the vocals were recorded. Ure was satisfied with Collins's first take, but Perfectionist Collins was not happy with him and asked for a second tape to record, which he was satisfied with.
Although most of the artists who took part were the biggest music stars in the UK at the time, there were some unusual participants. Members of the US Kool & amp; The gang appeared in the notes as they signed with the same record label as the Boomtown Mouse, and happened to visit offices at Phonogram's office in London on the day Geldof came in to convey his ideas for a charity single to the label. Singer Marilyn, who had scored several hits of the previous year but whose star had faded throughout 1984, saw an opportunity to recapture the spotlight and appeared on the record despite being invited to take part, a fact ignored by Geldof and Ure Yang feeling any publicity is a good publicity and the more stars that can appear on the record, the better. The actor Nigel Planer, who reached number two earlier in the year with a cover version of "Hole in My Shoe" in the guise of his character Neil from The Young Ones TV comedy series, also appeared uninvited and in character as Neil for playing to the camera, and after being tolerated for a while sent by Ure.
Geldof also asked Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, two frontmen of the Status Quo rock band, to take part, knowing that even though the group is from an entirely different era of music and background, their consistent success and fame will bring a certain amount of credibility. for the project of the rock fraternity and ensuring that the group's loyal followers ("Quo Army") will buy large recordings. Ure's original idea was for Rossi and Parfitt to sing harmony "here for you" on the track bridge, but he had to put aside the idea because Parfitt could not hit the high notes. This section was eventually taken by Weller, Sting and Glenn Gregory. Rossi personally told Ure that in the studio he sang most of the vocal parts of Status Quo and Parfitt usually just sang on stage, and that Ure should keep Parfitt out of the microphone. Parfitt admitted in a 2004 documentary that he and Rossi were very dizzy to party the night before, and were not fit to try to record their vocals. However, according to journalist Robin Eggar, who at the time was a music correspondent for The Daily Mirror and who was the only reporter present during the recording of the song, the couple can contribute in other ways. :
After Status Quo produced a bag of cocaine and liquor began to flow - I brought six bottles of wine from my flat, which vanished in a minute - it became a feast.
Geldof has been attracted to include Boy George of the Culture Club on a single, at one of the world's biggest music stars, and has called him in New York the day before the recording to force George to appear. By midday, when George was still missing, an angry Geldof called him again to ask where he was. After just sleeping a few hours earlier, sleepy George was awakened by Geldof and insisted that he would board a transnational Concorde plane the next morning. However, George went back to sleep after a phone call, and only managed to get into the last Concorde flight that day that afternoon. George finally arrived at Sarm West at 6 am and went straight into the recording booth to deliver his lines, the last solo artist of the day. Once George's contribution has been noted, Ure began working in the mix as the participants started partying in the studio. A B-side was also produced by Trevor Horn in his own studio, using the same instrumental track and displaying messages from recording artists, as well as those who could not attend, including David Bowie, Paul McCartney, members of Big Country and Holly Johnson from Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Style and content
The song consists of two parts: a verse and a bridge allowing individual singers to perform different lines; and choir in the form of two repeating phrases with ensembles. The first line of recording was sung by Paul Young in 1984, Kylie Minogue in 1989, Chris Martin from Coldplay in 2004 and One Direction in 2014. The line was originally written for David Bowie who finally sang it at Live Aid concert in 1985.
Release and promotion
The next morning Geldof appeared on BBC show BBC Radio Breakfast Show to promote the record and promised that every penny would go to the cause. Most record retailers agree to sell the tape at a cost of £ 1.35 including VAT: but some refuse, citing cost pressures. Geldof is also angry that the British Government refuses to rule out VAT on a single sale. Geldof made headlines by publicly defending Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In the end, the British government relented and donated a sum of money to charity equal to the amount of taxes they collect on singles.
Radio 1 starts playing songs every hour - usually a single A-list gets seven or eight plays per day. The number one single at the time of release was "I Need to Get Better" by Jim Diamond, and Diamond was quoted as saying, "I'm happy to be number one, but next week I do not want people to buy my notes, I want them to buy Band Aid As a replacement ".
The song has orders of more than 250,000 a week from its recordings, and orders from record dealers have reached a million by December 8th. To meet demand, Phonogram told the five European factories they were working on singles.
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" was released on Monday 3 December 1984. It received further publication of the launch party on December 7th at the Royal Albert Hall during the "Dinner at Albert's" charity event, music night to raise money for Save the Children and Ethiopia Fund Famine Fund. The single entered the UK Singles Chart the following week at number one, beating all other notes in a unified chart, with 7 singles alone selling 200,000 copies in the first two days of release.
In the United States, videos are played on MTV frequently throughout the Christmas season. Released in the US on December 10, 1984 at Columbia Records, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" sold 1.9 million copies in the first eleven days on release but did not reach number 1 there, due to the more complex nature of the chart system, which counts played as well as sales. Although it outperformed the official number 1 by four against one, it did not make the top ten for lack of playing, eventually peaking at number 13 on Billboard Hot 100.
Due to the limited time to release the single as soon as possible, the promotional video for the song only shows the recording of the recording sessions. David Bowie, who was Geldof's original choice to sing the opening song but was unable to attend the recording, flew to Britain from Switzerland to record a brief introduction to the video to be screened on BBC's major TV music show. > Top of the Pops . However, Geldof was unhappy when he discovered that the rules of the show meant that his songs and videos could not be played until they actually mapped. Undeterred, he contacted BBC1 controller Michael Grade directly and successfully persuaded Grade to order that any program that precedes the Top of the Pops week episode should begin five minutes early to make room for broadcast a video of the song ( complete with Bowie Introduction) just before the show.
Every week living at number one, the video is featured on Top of the Pops . However, for the special Christmas edition of the program, most of the artists on the tape appear in the studio to pantomime the song as it flows through the speaker system. The two most absentees are George Michael and Bono: during Michael's line, the camera focused on the studio audience, while Paul Weller mimicked Bono's line to the camera.
Amal received further encouragement during the five week tenure of Band Aid at the top of the UK charts with Wham! at number 2 with A-side double "Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants". Hit! singer George Michael has appeared in Band Aid singles and he and fellow band member Andrew Ridgeley donated all the royalties from their single to the Band Aid Trust. "Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" also ended up selling over a million copies and became a best-selling single that never reached number 1 in the UK.
The 30 minute video titled 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' - The Official Band Video Relief Story was released in the UK on December 15, 1984 and in the US on December 18, 1984 on VHS and Betamax formats. This video features documentary footage in the recording sessions and interviews with Geldof and Ure, as well as a completed promotional video. At the 1986 Grammy Awards, the song's video was nominated for Best Music Video, Short Shapes award, eventually losing to the US partner's song "We Are the World".
Reception and criticism
The reception in December 1984 to the original singles from the British music press was mixed. Under the heading "TURKEY" (a double meaning that refers to traditional British food and artistic failure), the biggest selling music paper NME dismisses the song with one line, "Millions of Dead Stars write and do a rotten recording to the right reason ". Two other major music papers saw the note better, admitting that although the song's music was flawed, his intentions were amazing. Heard said, "This is far from brilliant (if not enough Bland Help has been predicted) but you can have fun playing Spot the Star on vocals , and deserve to be sold by truck ". Melody Maker states, "Inevitably, after a massive publicity, the tape itself is something of an anti-climax, though Geldof's universal melodrama sense is perfect for this type of epic music manifesto.Midge Ure's Production of large screens and the delivery of emotional vocals from various celebrities matches the demonstrative sweep of the Geldof lyrics, which occasionally veer toward uncomfortable sentimentalities that threaten to invoke truth into arrogant anger.On the other hand, I'm sure it's impossible to write recklessly about something that is basically horrible like hunger in Ethiopia. "
The song is criticized for what is portrayed as a colonial western-centric standpoint and a degrading description of African stereotypes. Fuse ODG musicians rejected the request to sing "Do They Know It Christmas" with the group during the Ebola 2014 outbreak, stating that the song's lyrics do not reflect what Africa really is. He cites lyrics like "There is no peace and joy in West Africa this Christmas"; says he goes to Ghana every year for the sole purpose of peace and joy, so singing such lyrics would be a blatant lie.
A parody version titled "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" created to make fun of the lyrics in the original version.
In the 2014 version, some of the previously criticized lyrics were rewritten, and the song was changed to focus on Ebola rather than the original version of hunger. New lyrics have also been criticized for stereotypes and degrading attitudes.
Geldof and Ure themselves later acknowledged the limitations of the music "Did They Know It was Christmas?": In his mediocre way, Geldof told Australia Daily Telegraph in 2010, "I am responsible for the two worst songs in history.The other is 'We Are the World'. "Ure's judgment in his autobiography is that" it is a song that has nothing to do with music It's all about making money... It does not matter: the song is secondary, almost irrelevant. "
1985 republish
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" reissued the following year on November 29, 1985, reaching number 3 on the UK Singles Chart the week after Christmas. The 1985 single was remixed by Trevor Horn, a producer intended for the original version, and that includes an updated B side entitled "One Year On (Feed the World)", beginning and ending with a recording of a phone message from Geldof and among Ure reading displays list what has been purchased with the money raised over the previous 12 months.
Personnel
(Adapted from credit on back cover of recording arm)
Note:
Graphics and certification
Band Aid II
The second version "Do They Know It's Christmas?" recorded under the name Band Aid II in 1989, supervised by the most successful British production team in the late 1980s, Stock Aitken Waterman. Geldof has telephoned Pete Waterman to ask him to produce a new version of the song to help the ongoing situation in Ethiopia, and within 24 hours of recording sessions has been arranged at Stock Aitken Waterman studio in London South Bank. The recording took place over the weekend of December 2nd and 3rd, and featured several artists already produced by SAW, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Bananarama, Sonia and Cliff Richard, as well as other artists who had big hits in 1989, like Lisa Stansfield, Jimmy Somerville, Wet Wet and Bros. Bananarama's Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward became the only artists to appear in both the 1984 and 1989 versions of the recording. Siobhan Fahey, who had been part of the Bananarama line-up when the first record of the song was released, had left the group in 1988.
The lyrics are rearranged for a more traditional 'verse and choir' structure, with the opening verse divided into two with a short repetition of the final chorus being played at the end of both, followed by the "this is for you" section and the final extension version of the closing chorus (with comment by Michael Buerk played during outro in music video).
Released on December 11, 1989, the band's version of Aid II spent three weeks at number one in the UK, becoming number one Christmas single and number one last from the 1980s, and ended the year as the ninth-largest selling of 1989.
Personnel
(Diadaptasi dari kredit di sampul belakang lengan rekaman)
- Bananarama
- Kesenangan Besar
- Bros
- Cathy Dennis
- D Mob
- Jason Donovan
- Kevin Godley
- Glen Goldsmith
- Kylie Minogue
- Pasadenas
- Chris Rea
- Cliff Richard
- Jimmy Somerville
- Sonia
- Lisa Stansfield
- Technotronic (salah dicantumkan sebagai "Technotronics" pada lengan rekaman)
- Wet Wet Wet
Musisi :
- Matt Aitken - keyboard, gitar
- Luke Goss - drum
- Chris Rea - gitar
- Mike Stock - keyboard
The arm also gave credit "A Linn" by playing drums on recordings, references joking on a programmed Linn drum machine.
Graphics and certification
Band Assistance 20
Band Aid 20 recorded the third version of the song in November 2004 for the twentieth anniversary of the original recording, and returned to number one. Recordings and releases from singles tied up with Live Aid live concerts on DVD for the first time. The idea was sparked by Chris Martin of Coldplay, though Geldof and Ure were quickly involved. Geldof did publicity and educated young artists on issues (some of them were not born, or very young, when the original was recorded) while Ure helped producer Nigel Godrich and filmed the show for the appropriate documentary.
The collection of artists to record the choir took place at AIR Studios in Hampstead in North London on Sunday 14 November 2004, although the support lines and many of the solo lines had been recorded over the previous two days. Damon Albarn did not take part in the recording but appeared to present the tea to the participants.
This version of the song features an extra - rap segment by Dizzee Rascal in the middle of the "this is for you" section. Bono flew mainly from Ireland on Sunday night to sing the same lines he had done two decades earlier, making him the sixth artist to appear in two versions, alongside Geldof, Ure, Paul McCartney, Sarah Dallin and Keren Woodward (Bananarama).
Personnel
Graphics and certification
Band Help 30
At a press conference on November 10, 2014, Geldof and Ure announced that another group of artists would gather to re-record the song, this time under the banner of Band Aid 30 and the Ebola crisis relief. It was released on Monday, November 17, 11 days shorter than the 30th anniversary of the release of the original version of the song.
Background
Tracey Emin provides artwork and Paul Epworth produces tracks. The vocal contributions come from artists including Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Paloma Faith, Ellie Goulding, Seal, Sam Smith, SinÃÆ' Ad O'Connor, Rita Ora, Emeli Sandà ©, Bastille, and Olly Murs. Returning guest musicians from previous versions of the song include Chris Martin (who recorded the opening line of the 2004 version) and Bono (who sang the tenth line in both versions 1984 and 2004). The line "Well, there will be no snow in Africa this Christmas" is converted into "Bringing the peace and joy of this Christmas to West Africa".
Personnel
Versi Jerman
German version "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was released on November 21, 2014. It was produced by Vincent Sorg and Tobias Kuhn and featured vocals from the artist including 2raumohn, Andreas Bourani, Die Toten Hosen, Jan Delay, Joy Denalane, Max Raabe, Milky Chance, Peter Maffay, Silbermond, Thees Uhlmann, and Wolfgang Niedecken.
Track list
Graphics and certification
Release history
Other versions
- The ITV television show Spit Image resulted in a song titled "We Fear Bob" with various artists who stated that they only made notes because they were too scared to say no when Bob Geldof asked them.
Slade released a version of the song on their 1985 Christmas album Crackers: The Christmas Party Album, with vocals by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea and the results of the track, along with a further Slade release "Do You Believe in Miracles" ( who told the story of Geldof's resurrection and death in the pop scene and then his determination to raise money for the famine victims), donated to the Band Aid Trust.
See also
- "Tears Are Not Enough", 1985 single charity recorded by Canadian supergroup supergroup, under the name Northern Lights
- "We Are the World", single 1985 charity recorded by USA supergroup for Africa
- "What More Can I Give", a song written by Michael Jackson and recorded by a singer supergroup after the September 11, 2001 attacks
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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