December 15, 2022 – Theme Week Day 4

This is the 4th day of our Christmas Songs theme week! Today we’re talking about the 1984 charity song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” recorded by the supergroup Band Aid. The song was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Geldof had seen BBC reports on the famine and was so touched that he decided to try and raise money using his many contacts in the music world. He called many of the biggest British and Irish performers at the time, ultimately assembling a supergroup that included Sting, the members of Duran Duran, Boy George, George Michael, Bono, and Phil Collins, among others. The song was recorded in just one day in November 1984, and debuted on BBC radio 4 days later. It shot to the top of the charts and sold a million copies in its first week. All in all, the song raised $28 million. Learn more here.