Sir Paul McCartney, Harry Styles, George Michael, Chris Martin, Ed Sheeran, Thom Yorke and Phil Collins are among the artists who will feature in a 40th anniversary mix of Band Aid’s single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
To mark 40 years since the first version of the song, masterminded in 1984 by Bob Geldof, an all-star version will be mixed to include the voices and performances from the original along with the 2004 and 2014 renditions.
Announcing the release, Geldof said the mix “tells the story not just of unbelievably great generational British talent, but still stands as a rebuke to that period in which it was first heard”.
“The Eighties proclaimed that ‘greed is good’,” he said. “This song says it isn’t. It says it’s stupid.”
Proceeds will go towards the Band Aid Charitable Trust, which supports health and anti-poverty initiatives across Africa.
Contributors to the new version of the song include Robbie Williams, Sheeran, Guy Garvey, One Direction, Simon Le Bon, Boy George, Sting, Chris Martin, Seal and the late George Michael and Sinead O’Connor.
The backing band, compiled from the original and 2004 versions, features McCartney and Duran Duran’s John Taylor on bass, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke on piano, Phil Collins on drums, and The Darkness’s Justin and Dan Hawkins on guitar.
“Do They Know It’s Christmas” has been the subject of controversy over the years due to what many have dubbed a “white saviour” theme. In 2014, singer Emeli Sandé said she disagreed with the latest reworking and revealed her suggested edits had been rejected from the final version.
At the time, the song had attracted a fresh storm of criticism after being re-recorded to raise money for the Ebola crisis, with Blur frontman Damon Albarn suggesting it was patronising and Lily Allen branding the effort “smug”.
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Geldof has previously hit back at claims he has a “white saviour complex” over his charity singles as well as his 1985 Live Aid concert.
During an appearance on Times Radio in February this year, he dismissed the critique as “the greatest load of b****cks ever”.
“If there was a famine in Italy and someone reacts and they’re white, are they a white saviour?” he asked. “Are the only people allowed to react to an African famine Black?”
He added: “This is a nonsensical, absolutely dismissive argument. It is. I think it’s rubbish.”
Overseeing the “Do They Know It’s Christmas – 2024 Ultimate Mix” is Trevor Horn, the producer known for creating hits with Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Grace Jones, among others.
The song will be accompanied by a new music video – directed by Oliver Murray who created the visuals for The Beatles’ final single, “Now and Then” – that splices performance footage from over the years.
The track will premiere on UK breakfast radio and streaming platforms on 25 November, and also be released on CD and vinyl on 29 November; Sir Peter Blake, who created the original 1984 sleeve, has returned to design new cover art.
“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” went straight to No 1 in the UK when it was first released and became the fastest-selling single of all time in the UK, selling a million copies in the first week alone.
It remained at No 1 for the next five weeks, going on to sell more than three million copies.
The BBC recently announced a new documentary, The Making of Do They Know Its Christmas, which details how the song was recorded over the course of a single day at a studio in London. It will air at 9pm on BBC Four on 29 November.