'Do They Know It's Christmas?' turns 40, watch the documentary about single that raised money and awareness

On Nov. 25, 1984, Bob Geldof of The Boom Town Rats and Midge Ure of Ultravox brought together a group of British and Irish musicians to comprise Band Aid. This supergroup came together to raise money and awareness of the famine in Ethiopia.

The song "Do They Know It's Christmas" was released in December 1984 and became an anthem for the Christmas season in the 80s and beyond. The single shot to No. 1 in the UK but failed to reach the top in the US due to lack of radio airplay. But throughout the years to come, the song would become a staple to Christmastime listening.

Below is the Band Aid - The Making Of The Original 'Do They Know It's Christmas?’ documentary released in 2024. This behind-the-scenes look features events held in 1984 during the recording of the single that proved to all that music can change the world. The footage seen was compiled 40 years ago, some of it never seen until now.

Geldof and Ure brought together some wildly popular musicians of the time, including Tony Hadley, Paul Young, George Michael, Bono, Phil Collins, Sting, Boy George, members of Duran Duran, Bananarama, Kool & the Gang, and many more.

"Do They Know It's Christmas" is often picked apart for its lyrical content instead of focusing on the positive message...to remember others who need help and do something about it. When the songwriters used African instead of specifying Ethiopia, this wasn't to lump the entire content into the scenario; it was just easier to use lyrically.

Mentioning the lack of snow in Africa might seem obvious but it was a metaphor for the joy many feel during the Christmas season as the snow falls and the fact the Ethiopians don't experience this. The question of "Do they know it's Christmas?" isn't meant to be literal, it is reminding listeners that the residents of the country have more significant issues than whether or not it's a holiday, like what or when their next meal will be or worse.

When the song talks about the desolate conditions of Ethiopia, this is meant to paint a picture to others of how bad things are in parts of the country. Remember, this song was first recorded before the internet, where news, images, and more are at one's fingertips; many didn't know about the famine in this far-off country until BBC journalist Michael Buerk showed the world. The lyric "Where the only water flowing Is the bitter sting of tears" is designed to pull at the heartstrings of others to encourage them to give money to help those in need.

Geldof & Ure made a recent appearance on This Morning, check it out below.

Geldof had this to say to The Conversation regarding the song.

"Haha … It’s a pop song ffs."

"There IS endemic hunger due to the unforgiving soil conditions. Water IS scarce save for a scattering of unreliable wells. Rain IS increasingly unreliable. Climate change affects the poorest first and worst. War exacerbates these conditions. Xmas IS celebrated throughout Ethiopia according to their own calendar i.e. two weeks after our holiday. Religious and other traditional ceremonies were abandoned throughout 1984-1986 and more recently in the same areas for more or less the same awful reasons. These are not “colonial tropes” they are empirical facts. It is in fact your correspondent’s piece that is the cliched trope. The same argument has been made many times over the years and elicits the same wearisome response. Are you certain it isn’t some ChatGPT scam thing??

"This little pop song has kept hundreds of thousands if not millions of people alive. In fact just today Band Aid has given hundreds of thousands of pounds to help those running from the mass slaughter in Sudan and enough cash to feed a further 8,000 children in the same affected areas of Ethiopia as 1984. Those exhausted women who weren’t raped and killed and their panicked children and any male over 10 who survived the massacres and those 8,000 Tigrayan children will sleep safer, warmer and cared for tonight because of that miraculous little record. We wish that it were other but it isn’t. “Colonial tropes” my arse."

It has been 40 years, and "Do They Know It's Christmas" continues to be a topic of conversation. Band Aid paved the way for hosting charity fundraising in a much different fashion. This would lead to the Live Aid concerts in 1985, which raised more funds for the famine. This also showed the world what an impact music has and encouraged musicians to use their fame for good.