Do You Know What Christmas Is
The Story of... 'Practice They Know Information technology's Christmas?' by Band Assistance
ix Dec 2021, 14:45
'Do They Know Information technology'south Christmas?' is undoubtedly one of the most iconic Christmas songs of all fourth dimension.
And the all-star bandage of Ring Aid had some seriously iconic musicians themselves.
It sends shivers down spines beyond the earth every time the perennial Christmas hit 'Practise They Know Information technology's Christmas?' is played each festive season.
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Released on 3rd December 1984, information technology was arguably the first benefit song of its kind and was certainly one of the most impactful, reaching No.one in the Britain charts that Christmas and staying at the summit for v weeks.
But why was it made, how did it come up together, and what is the song's legacy? Here's all you need to know:
What inspired 'Do They Know It's Christmas Time'?
A serial of idiot box reports highlighting the famine in Ethiopia which began in 1983 shocked the Uk one time they aired. Charities such as Save The Children were inundated with requests from the public to help the millions of stricken children.
Bob Geldof and his and so-married woman Paula Yates too were securely affected past what they saw, and were driven to assistance the crunch in whatsoever style they could.
Coming together backside the scenes whilst shooting a television performance for his band Ultravox, singer Midge Ure met Geldof where they agreed to work together on a charity tape.
Geldof then called every contact he had, and pulled enough of strings to assemble the impressive listing of musicians that featured on the rails.
Who wrote the song?
Subsequently like-minded it would've taken too long to agree the rights to releasing a cover version of a song, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure decided to write the song themselves.
Both were successful musicians in their own right and knew how to put a hit together, and then Geldof re-wrote an unused song he'd written with his band The Boomtown Rats to make it relevant to their cause.
Midge Ure would as well produce the song, given the short turnaround time they had to put the track together ready to release in time for the upcoming Christmas.
Who featured on the song?
It's almost a question of who didn't feature on the song, as the rails became a 'who's who' of every major musician at the fourth dimension.
A slew of glory musicians from United kingdom and Ireland turned upwardly to the recording studio including Sting, George Michael, U2'southward Bono, Duran Duran'south Simon Le Bon, Paul Weller, Boy George, Status Quo, Phil Collins, Marilyn, Paul Young, members of Spandau Ballet, Kool & The Gang, Large Country, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and fifty-fifty The Young Ones role player Nigel Planer.
David Bowie was supposedly meant to sing the opening lines, only after he couldn't make the date of recording, Paul Young took his place.
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The makeshift ring of musicians was one of the greatest assemblies of stars in music history to engagement. Geldof after recalled that it "suddenly it hit me. I idea, 'Christ, we have got the real top boys here'".
Was information technology ever performed alive?
Aye, the post-obit year at Live Aid, the world's greatest charity issue that was inspired by the success of 'Exercise They Know It's Christmas?'.
Bowie got his risk to lend his voice to the opening lines, with Geldof himself too taking him singing duties.
Slightly foreign they sang the Christmas hit to conclude the concert at Wembley Stadium which took place in July, but they had the global audition to make a bespeak of it.
Was it a success?
Considering that Geldof hoped to raise a maximum of £70,000, it was a resounding success.
'Do They Know It's Christmas?' reached No.1 and stayed at that place for 5 weeks over the 1984 Christmas holidays, raising a total of £8 million within twelve months of its release.
Information technology likewise became the fastest-selling unmarried in UK nautical chart history at the time, and was the biggest selling song of the decade in the UK.
Has anyone covered the vocal?
'Practice They Know It's Christmas?' has been re-recorded a total of three times since information technology's initial release - in 1989, 2004, and once again in 2014.
The likes of Paul McCartney, Wet Moisture Wet, Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran, Cliff Richard, Coldplay's Chris Martin, 1 Direction, Seal, Sam Smith, Sinead O'Connor, and Robbie Williams have all appeared in later versions, with Bono contributing a full of three times.
All gain were donated to dearth relief, with the exception of 2014's version which went towards aid for the Ebola Crisis in W Africa.
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Source: https://www.smoothradio.com/features/the-story-of/do-they-know-its-christmas-band-aid-lyrics-artists/
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