1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:11,640 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: a show that shines a light on the highs and 4 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: lows of everyday history. I'm Gabelusier and in this episode 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: we're talking about one of the most polarizing songs of 6 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: the holiday season, the celebrity supergroup charity single that dared 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: to ask the patronizing question do they Know It's Christmas? 8 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:44,919 Speaker 1: The day was November, a group of celebrity musicians recorded 9 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: the Benefits song do They Know It's Christmas? The project, 10 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: known as band Aid, was organized by musician Bob Geldoff 11 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: as a way to help alleviate famine in Ethiopia. He 12 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: convinced dozens of famous singers to lend their voices and 13 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: star power to the track, with all proceeds from sales 14 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: of the single going to those in need. With that 15 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: noble goal in mind, gelled Off in the song's co 16 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: writer and producer, Midge your held a marathon recording session 17 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: at psarm West Studios in London. When the finished song 18 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,040 Speaker 1: hit British airwaves less than one week later, it's soared 19 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: to the top of the charts. Just as everyone involved 20 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: had hoped. The single remained the number one track for 21 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: five weeks, racking up millions of pounds for a good cause. 22 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: It sounds like a clear cut success story, and going 23 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: strictly by the numbers, it certainly was, and yet do 24 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: they know It's Christmas? Has since become one of the 25 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: most divisive songs in the entire Christmas cannon, and not 26 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: just because it's been played to death either, which reminds 27 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: me for the two people out there who've managed to 28 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: avoid hearing the song. Before your time is up, take 29 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: a listen. Bob Geldoff got the idea for a charity 30 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: single in October of four when he was watching a 31 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: BBC report about the severe famine that had plagued Ethiopia 32 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 1: for more than a year. The images of suffering stuck 33 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: with him, and Geldof began brainstorming ideas for how to 34 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: raise money through music. About a week later, he reconnected 35 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: with an old friend and colleague named Midge Your, the 36 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: frontman of the British new wave band Ultravox. Your had 37 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: seen the troubling reports as well and agreed to help 38 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: Geldof write a benefit song in time for Christmas in 39 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: order to take advantage of the communal spirit of generosity 40 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 1: and goodwill, Geldof proceeded to call every industry contact he 41 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: had and even a few he didn't. He knew he 42 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: would need quote the cream of pop music talent in 43 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: order to raise as much money as possible during the 44 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: holiday season, but rather than go through the proper channels, 45 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: Geldof skipped the record labels and agents and just track 46 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: down the phone number so the most popular singers of 47 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: the day. That back channel approach paid off big time, 48 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: with a slew of British and Irish celebrities signing on 49 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: to the project. Geldof got amitments from Sting George, Michael, 50 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: Phil Collins, Boy George, plus members of YouTube Duran, Duran, 51 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Cool In the Gang, and many 52 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: many others. David Bowie and Paul McCartney were invited to 53 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: contribute as well, but both had to decline due to 54 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: scheduling conflicts. However, they did contribute spoken word versus to 55 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: the tracks B side single Feed the World, which was 56 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: an instrumental version of the main song. Once all the 57 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: artists were on board, the next step was to find 58 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: a song for them to sing geld Off and Your 59 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 1: considered having the group sing an old standard or a 60 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: classic Christmas song, but they worried the cost of royalties 61 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,919 Speaker 1: might cut into the proceeds, so instead, geld Off dusted 62 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 1: off a half finished tune he had written for his band, 63 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: The Boomtown Rats. It wasn't a Christmas song at first, 64 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: but after some tinkering from him and Your, it became one, 65 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: a Yule Tide ballad designed to, as Your put it, 66 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 1: touch people his heart strings and loosen their purse strings. 67 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: On the production side, Geldof tried calling in another favor 68 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:10,599 Speaker 1: from producer Trevor Horn, but he was unavailable to produce 69 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: the song. He still helped out in a major way, though, 70 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: by offering the use of his studio in London free 71 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 1: of charge to make sure the single was ready in 72 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,600 Speaker 1: time for the holidays. Your agreed to take on production 73 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:28,600 Speaker 1: duties himself, and Geldof began making arrangements with their many collaborators. 74 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: On November, the all day and all night recording session began. 75 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: The singers hadn't heard the track before they arrived and 76 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: had to learn their lines in the studio with the 77 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: help of a demo tape prepared by Your Sting and Duran. 78 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: Duran's Simon Lebone recorded guide vocals to help the other artists, 79 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: and after they had all sung through the song together, 80 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 1: the singers were recorded individually so that your could select 81 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,279 Speaker 1: the best clips for the final edit. Wrangling that much 82 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: talent was an exercise and controlled chaos, but for the 83 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: most part the session went smoothly. The only hiccups were 84 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: a late arrival by boy George and a concern about 85 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: the lyrics raised by You Two's Bano. He thought one 86 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: of his lines was in poor taste, and he was right. 87 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: More on that later, but for the sake of the project, 88 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 1: he withdrew his objection and sang the words as written. 89 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:26,840 Speaker 1: Do they Know It's Christmas was conceived, recorded, edited, and 90 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 1: dispatched to the pressing plants at a blistering speed. Just 91 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,160 Speaker 1: four days after the recording session, You're dropped off a 92 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: tape at the BBC, and the song made its radio 93 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:41,480 Speaker 1: debut that same day. The vinyl single hit store shelves 94 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 1: a few days later in a sleeve designed by Peter Blake, 95 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 1: half of the husband and wife duo behind the Beatles 96 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: iconic Sergeant Pepper album cover, sporting a who's who of 97 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: talent and a charitable message well attuned to the season, 98 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: the single shot to the top of the sales charts 99 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: and stayed there all through Ristmas and into the new year. 100 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: In total, three point eight million copies were sold in 101 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: the UK and twelve million worldwide. Geldof had expected to 102 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 1: raise seventy thousand pounds at most, but instead the single 103 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 1: brought in more than eight million pounds within the first 104 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: year of its release, the equivalent of well over thirty 105 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: million dollars today. That was enough to make it the 106 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: highest selling single in UK chart history, a title which 107 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: it held until when it was overtaken by Elton John's 108 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: Candle in the Wind, A tribute to the late Princess Diana. 109 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: From a financial standpoint, Do They Know It's Christmas? Was 110 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: a resounding success. It provided millions of pounds in aid 111 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: and brought a new level of global awareness to the 112 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: plight of an often overlooked country. So why then, is 113 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: the song so unpopular today, often ranking near the top 114 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: of the list of most hated Christmas songs. It's partly 115 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: down to personal taste. The song is clearly a product 116 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,760 Speaker 1: of the nineteen eighties and all that that entails, and 117 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: that's just not everyone's idea of Christmas, no matter how 118 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: many jingling bells are thrown in there. The optics of 119 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: the song are another hurdle. Anytime a group of highly 120 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: paid celebrities joined forces to earnestly plead for someone else 121 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 1: to spend their money, it's gonna rub some folks the 122 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: wrong way, and all the more so when that plea 123 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: is caked in the cloying sentimentality of a Christmas song. Still, 124 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: the most likely reason for the backlash is the songs 125 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:39,199 Speaker 1: often condescending and cringe inducing lyrics. Although likely unintentional, many 126 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: of the lines treat the song's aid recipients as alien, 127 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: referring to the people of Ethiopia as quote the other ones, 128 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 1: those who live in a world of dread and fear, 129 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 1: where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears. 130 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 1: And then there's the line that Bono didn't want to sing, 131 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 1: the part that encouraged listeners to quote thank God it's 132 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:06,439 Speaker 1: them instead of you. But mothering the people the track 133 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,080 Speaker 1: was meant to help is just the start of the 134 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: song's lyrical shortcomings. Another stanza reveals oh woefully inaccurate understanding 135 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: of Africa's geography, describing the entire continent as a place 136 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:24,040 Speaker 1: quote where nothing ever grows and no rain or rivers flow. 137 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: The songs read on African culture is misinformed as well, 138 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: and the surest evidence is right there in its title, 139 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 1: do they Know It's Christmas? Ethiopia is one of the 140 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: oldest Christian nations on Earth and has a majority Christian population, 141 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:43,400 Speaker 1: so yeah, it's safe to assume they've heard of Christmas. 142 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: But perhaps most troubling of all are the song's implications 143 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 1: about the true cause of Ethiopia's famine. Like most Western media, 144 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: it attributed the famine to natural forces such as drought, 145 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: and while that's certainly exacerbated the problem, the root cause 146 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: was actually man made. Ethiopia's famine was the result of 147 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: a decade of corrupt government policies, ones that had misused 148 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: international aid to strengthen the country's military while neglecting its 149 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:16,560 Speaker 1: agriculture and its people. The sad irony is that once 150 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: famine assistants began pouring in, provided mostly by Western governments 151 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:25,200 Speaker 1: and by various humanitarian efforts, it actually contributed to the 152 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: suffering it was meant to help relieve, instead of using 153 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,719 Speaker 1: the money to address the famine head on, the Ethiopian 154 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:35,079 Speaker 1: government put it towards strengthening the policies that had reduced 155 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:39,439 Speaker 1: food production in the first place. Unfortunately, according to a 156 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:43,319 Speaker 1: ninety six report and Spin magazine, that's what happened to 157 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: at least some proceeds from Do They Know It's Christmas, 158 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: as well as from Geldoff's follow up charity projects We 159 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: Are the World and Live Aid. That's not to say 160 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: that band Aid didn't help at all. It did, but 161 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: it is a reminder that good intentions alone aren't a 162 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: strong foundation for an effective relief program, and in the 163 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:07,440 Speaker 1: worst scenarios, an attempt to help can cause more harm 164 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:11,880 Speaker 1: than good. So does Do They Know It's Christmas? Deserve 165 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,559 Speaker 1: all the flak it gets? Well, there was a time 166 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:18,360 Speaker 1: when even Bob Geldoff would have told you that it did. 167 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: In he told the Hollywood Reporter quote, I am responsible 168 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 1: for two of the worst songs in history. One is 169 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:29,679 Speaker 1: We Are the World? The other one is do they 170 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: Know It's Christmas? Any day soon I will go to 171 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,199 Speaker 1: the supermarket, head to the meat counter, and it will 172 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:41,720 Speaker 1: be playing every effing Christmas. That said, Geldoff did change 173 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 1: his tune. Just four years later, when asked about the 174 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 1: ongoing criticism of the song in an interview with The Telegraph, 175 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:53,439 Speaker 1: the musician replied, quote, please, it's a pop song. Relax, 176 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: it's not a doctoral thesis. Medjor expressed a similar feeling 177 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: in his two thousand and four autobiography, arguing that the 178 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 1: song's impact was what mattered, rather than its content. It 179 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 1: is a song that has nothing to do with music, 180 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: he wrote. It was all about generating money. The song 181 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:17,679 Speaker 1: didn't matter. The song was secondary, almost irrelevant. That may 182 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: be true, but it's worth noting that in geld Off 183 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 1: in your Re recorded the song to raise money for 184 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,079 Speaker 1: the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, and they rewrote most 185 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 1: of the lyrics in the process, So I guess the 186 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:36,960 Speaker 1: song itself mattered at least a little. I'm Gabe Louzier 187 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 188 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. You can learn even more 189 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 1: about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram 190 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 1: at t d I HC Show, and if you have 191 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions, you can always send them my 192 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: way at this day at I heeart media dot com. 193 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for produce in the show, and 194 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:03,319 Speaker 1: thank you for listening. I'll see you back here again 195 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,199 Speaker 1: soon for another day in history class.