Band Aid - Do They Know It's Xmas

[Avondklok]

Everyone loves to hate this now, but it's not so far off 40 years old!!!! And everyone meant well. I was a teenager back then and to see everyone join together in a way never seen before at that point was just marvellous. Ditto Bandaid that followed. I hate that it gets so slagged off these days, though I do understand the arguments.

The song is not without flaws but what exactly did you do to combat the issue of poverty in Africa that was so much better? Let me guess, fuck all.

True dat!

"Several anomalies and smacks a bit of The Great White Hope."

I'm as averse to white saviourism as much as the next hand wringing liberal but what lyrics in particular strike you as having that vibe? Because I really didn't get that at all.

It sometimes seems you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Help out and you're a white saviour, do nothing and millions of people die.

@Shaniac

Raising money does not give a free pass to basically imply that these starving people are ignorant idiots with no knowledge of christian customs.

What?! That is not what that line means!

“Do they know it’s Xmas time at all” simply contrasts this period of excess that we have, with the lack of the most basic, critical for life need for food.

Now you can criticise the line for ignoring the fact that many in Africa are not Christians. You can say it’s simply nonsensical.

But it’s obviously a rhetorical question supposed to make the wealthy listener think about how lucky they are, and how far removed their privileged situation is from that of the starving.

It is absolutely not implying that the starving don’t know it’s Xmas because they’re idiots! I’m amazed that’s what you’ve taken from that line.

@Shaniac

Raising money does not give a free pass to basically imply that these starving people are ignorant idiots with no knowledge of christian customs.

Well, given that many of them wouldn't have been christians, having no knowledge of christian customs would not somehow make them 'ignorant idiots'.

@Shaniac

There wont be snow in africa... Well yes, typically it wont snow that means fuck all.

Getting so many famous people on board also really doesnt help it. Each one of them has enough money they could fund a lot of things in a small african village yet never did.

Band aid was 1984, the majority of the bands/singers involved had only been famous for a couple of years, culture club's first hit was in 1982, Duran Duran's Rio was 1982 so they weren't exactly long established millionaires, who had millions to chuck around.

It was well intentioned and none of the singers were doing it for publicity, like many do now, they genuinely hoped they were helping.

And let's face it, it's not Christmas till you've heard band aid on the radio 😁

@pigsDOfly I agree with you - and I don’t think for a moment that the line (or song) implies that they should know and are stupid for not doing so!

@Shaniac seems to have interpreted the line more like, “Don’t they even know it’s Xmas? Like, how stupid are they?” Which is just bizarre!

"Well tonight thank god it's them instead of you" not offensive it's a classic still but depressing when you think about it.

I thought people didn't like it because it fed into the idea that Africa was only starving children and people living in poverty which dealt a huge blow to its tourism industry and has held it back 'on the world stage' due to it having this image attached to it

It’s shit but also the only Bob Geldof song I know.

I think it’s heart was in the right place and obviously there were (are) a lot of areas in Africa which needed help, but I also think it does reduce an entire continent to just poverty and huts who need western intervention (even though that wasn’t the intention) when it’s so much more than that. Poverty porn in general makes me feel uncomfortable as it often feels disingenuous in a lot of ways.

@Sparklesocks at the time, the focus was very much on Ethiopia rather than Africa as a whole

Fingers crossed “Africa” (yes, the whole continent) will do a song for us this year due to covid. I’m sure the people who don’t find Band Aid ridiculous and patronising will love that!

@Shaniac

Its offensive because "do they know its Christmas time at all?"... Well for part of the continent they dont celebrate it at all, and also being from a country in africa does not make you ignorant to dates. If they celebrate Christmas then they bloody know when its celebrated.

Even if you were a Christian, I expect that by the point that you are literally about to starve to death, I rather suspect you might have lost any awareness that it was the 25th December. How much mental capacity do you think someone has, before they die of starvation?

It’s not a great line, for several reasons, but in these circumstances it would be unsurprising for starving people to lose awareness. Which is the challenge to the listener. You’re having a great time celebrating - but do you think these people can think about anything now, except death and the desperation to stay alive?

@FunkBus understood, but the song itself is a bit more generalised though isn’t it? Which is what I think people don’t like.

But like I said, I don’t think it was made with bad intentions - people wanted to help and were shocked by what they saw. I think the passing of time has maybe highlighted a few different perspectives.

@Sparklesocks but at the time, no one thought it was about Africa as a whole, they knew it was about Ethiopia because it was such a big story.

Presumably "there won't be snow in Ethiopia this Christmastime" didn't scan.

It’s damned if do damned if don’t.

The song was for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is majority Christian (Orthodox mainly) so referencing Christianity was not offensive as some say.

Ethiopia wasn’t colonised apart from briefly in the 30s by Italy so all its problems in the 80s can’t have been blamed on the West like most of Africa.

By today’s standards the West had two choices:

1. Do nothing and be criticised.

1. Help and be accused of being white saviours.

By today’s woke-standards there is nothing we could have done to be doing the right thing.

I love the song as it reminds us that not everywhere has our western cozy view of a white Christmas.

@FunkBus I understand that, I’m just sharing my own personal perspective about why I’m not 100% comfortable with it.

I personally prefer the 2014 version. A few years ago I was in a remote area of a country which has a lot of poverty & starvation, was seeing quite similar things first hand and it was also Christmas. Did somewhat “feel” the song at that point

In the place of "do they know it's Christmas time at all?", "Why would they care there's a tradition that while originally celebrated only by Christians, is now associated across the world with gift giving and extortionate spending when those things are neither possible or helpful to them in their circumstance and their list of priorities?" would have been a more accurate representation of the point of the song but also a bit harder to make catchy.

It's very much of its time and it engaged the public in something they previously didn't feel a person connection with to the extent they did subsequently.

I often feel torn on it as it does jar now but I can see why it was a tactic that made sense at the time when it came to engaging the public.

@WoolieLiberal

It’s damned if do damned if don’t.

The song was for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is majority Christian (Orthodox mainly) so referencing Christianity was not offensive as some say.

Ethiopia wasn’t colonised apart from briefly in the 30s by Italy so all its problems in the 80s can’t have been blamed on the West like most of Africa.

By today’s standards the West had two choices:

1. Do nothing and be criticised.

1. Help and be accused of being white saviours.

By today’s woke-standards there is nothing we could have done to be doing the right thing.

I love the song as it reminds us that not everywhere has our western cozy view of a white Christmas.

Agree with this.

Makes me chuckle that Bob Geldof, is now being accused (by association) of being offensive 🤣

I'm starting to realise the pretty much everything produced more than 5 years ago will, in fact, offend someone somewhere!! (Sigh).

It’s shit but also the only Bob Geldof song I know.

Haha same, i dont even really know who bob geldof is except father of peaches.

I hate the message and lyrics, why're so dated, but I love to belt it out regardless a la Gavin and Smithy

Meh, it was made to raise money, it did raise money and fulfilled the reason it was originally written for. There are a bazillion song's that may or may not be more 'sociably palatable' lyrics wise, but as those songs are mostly written and performed to line the pockets of the performing artists and/or the music biz that churns out whatever drivel they believe will generate them cash. Then I honestly can't say I get too het up about any song or anything else that creates funds for charity. It did what it was supposed to do, job done. Nobody is going to be scrambling to donate to something that doesn't at least attempt to portray that there's a reason for handing over some cash out of your own pocket.

I remember the Spitting Image album (remember those) taking the piss out of it back then. It was always a bit stupid but well-intentioned.