How have I only just spotted this?!

[AngeloMysterioso]

Weird time of year I know but whatever channel DH put on the telly just played the video of the original band aid song, and it was while watching it that I realised… there are no female soloists!! It is all men until you get to the big chorus at the end. The woman featured the most in the video is Paula Yates!

I’ve heard that song probably thousands of time at this point. How did I never notice the lack of female voices in the verses?!

I'd never noticed that either. What does that say about Bob 🤔

Which female artistes of the time do you feel are missing?

I have never seen Paula Yates in the video ......... I think it just featured the most populat / or available famous singers of the time

I think women from Bananarama were the only females to sing on the track. There were many more men. It was all put together hastily and I am guessing they had to just go with whoever was available and who they knew. I don't think they had any idea that it was going to be so huge. They just wanted to raise money.

Yes, I think the music industry was very sexist back then. Hopefully it's a bit better now.

I don’t think it was a conspiracy- the recording had to be done in one day at a specific recording studio who donated the studio free for that one day. It really depended upon who was free on the day. David Bowie was supposed to sing Paul Young’s line but couldn’t make it, so wasn’t on it. It was a British/Irish band so obviously ruled out the biggest female stars of the time - Whitney/Madonna but arguably Annie Lennox and Alison Moyet (who I’d say were the best female vocalists of the time) would’ve been great additions - but maybe they weren’t available or Bob/Midge didn’t know them well enough to call them up?

I never noticed this either OP.

I do always make a tally of how many male Actors and Extras are employed on the average Hollywood film/series and it's generally 150-1 🤨

Many traditional films and old series', the only females are mothers/wives/prostitutes to the important male leads.

Hopefully it's getting better..

I think this interpretation is a little too kind tbh. Kool and the Gang are on the original version (although I've no idea where) and they're American.

When you look at the list, it's all male except Bananarama. If you accept the random nature of just taking who was available, it's hard to believe it was only the men.

"Geldof called many of the most popular British and Irish performers of the time, persuading them to donate their time. His one criterion for selection was how famous they were, to maximise sales of the record."

1984 was a bit before my time (born 1988) but I do have loose family connections to the music industry around then and Geldof was not well liked by women It wouldn't surprise me if he either didn't ask what was essentially a favour of people likely to say no, or he'd mentally dismissed them as not famous enough.

Not really kind - just how it was. I was around. And bought it. Essentially at that time, if you wanted to sell records quickly you needed teenage girls to buy them. And for that you needed the biggest bands at the time - Wham, Duran Duran and Spandau. They were all there. Then add in the others like Paul Young, Boy George, U2 etc and you had something for everyone which would sell on both sides of the Atlantic. They also needed musicians not just singers.

Bob Geldof wasn’t popular here at that time in terms of music sales tho. You could be uncharitable and say Band Aid made him relevant again. He was however very well connected - you only have to look at his wedding pics to Paula Yates to see.

I don’t recall anyone commenting at the time about the lack of female vocalists but it was well known and reported on that it was a one day, one time only gig. Marilyn turned up and he wasn’t invited. Queen didn’t. Some bands/artists didn’t want to participate (Morrissey) or didn’t support the idea.

I think it is probably more nuanced than Bob Geldof was a misogynist - it was a different time and yes, it was incredibly sexist.

I imagine it's less a conspiracy and more that the people Bob Geldof (who was literally on his uppers by 1984- Paula Yates at the time by being on TV was arguably far more well known) was ringing frantically were "wtf?"

Stories abound about singers who were contacted and refused/weren't available. Compared to the super slick US song, the UK one was a rushed job organised within days.

The singers on the UK one were the ones around at the time. Remember Bono was furious (apparently) at only being given one line and Duran Duran flew in from somewhere thinking they were going to have far more prominence than they actually did. (I think I'm remembering that correctly- there's a very interesting book on the whole thing but I read it years ago)

So what? 😆

I seem to remember The Human League were invited but turned it down

Coincidentally band aid was on BBC 4 top of the pops last night. I haven't really thought about it before, I assume it's because the big name female artists weren't available on that day, it had to be put together very quickly.
One thing I find annoying is that whenever it comes up in the media its always about Bob Geldof. People seem to forget about Midge Ures contribution.
I'm not a fan of Geldof, a 70s 2 hit wonder whose been dining out on Band aid for the past 40 years.
He loudly announced he was leaving the country if the Brexit vote won. Many people declare they would contribute to his air fare 🤣🤣 sadly he doesn't seem to have made good his promise 😡

There weren't many female vocalists that were big names then. Sign of the times. It was all put together hastily too si it would have been a call yourrr mates situation

Bob the knob.

I'm trying to think of the big British and Irish female stars at the time and can't really think of anyone notably absent. I don't think it was a sexist thing per se but more a reflection of a whole industry at the time. I think a good point is made by @Netaporter , sales were relying on teenage girls. Also if it was so ad hoc it was a case of Bob/Midge calling their personal contacts so inevitably it would be more male.

Isn't one of Bananarama smoking during the recording? That makes me laugh, it's another way of showing how times have changed.

Sadly if it was today it would be all negotiated contracts and girls would be styled and waxed within an inch of their lives, men would have outfits chosen by stylists with perfectly groomed stubble or whatever. I love how ordinary they are. Just a group of talented vocalists in a room.