I never look for offense, but "Do They Know its Christmas Tume" lyrics...

[SecondUsername4me]

I mean, it's a bit iffy right?

And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time,The greatest gift they'll get this year is life

The whole of Africa?

Where the only water flowing, Is the bitter sting of tears

On the whole continent?

Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you

Err.....

There won’t be snow in Africa, meaning there won’t be any festivity that we at home are hoping for , I.e snow as they are trying to survive.

It’s obviously problematic for many reasons, and I don’t really think it needs to be played in public, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to playing it at home when I’m on my own and enjoying the actual medley. It would be good if the lyrics could be changed for the modern era to make it a nice inclusive Christmas track that maybe encouraged charitable giving or something.

There was a bit in the Spitting Image Christmas album about how stupid it was at the time.

I do wish people would stop pretending that knowing things are shit and racist was invented by 18 yos in the last 5 years.

I just think that at least someone did something about it, even if the lyrics are dodgy. I remember watching the heartbreaking footage of people starving to death and I am glad that people who were in a position to raise greater awareness and provide aid came together to do something about it.

I'm guessing you're not in your 40s or 50s OP?

What happened at the time seemed massive. I'm not sure anybody really disected words in songs - see Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

The lyrics are wrong and shit. Don't forget it was only based on the Ethiopian news reports. No internet, probably no understanding of where it was, or the government, or the economy.

I was 8 I think. My friend and I raised 20 pounds skating round the block 20 times. 20 pounds was a lot of money then.

Tbf tonight thank god it's them is Bono all over. All the talk of charity and climate and whatever to him at the time. All words no action 🙄

“Tonight thank God it’s them instead of you” is deliberately provocative. Bono didn’t want it at first as he thought, WTF? But Midge Ure pushed it back on him and said, when we’re all enjoying a nice time in our homes with family and lots of food and we’re all cosy and safe, and an awful story comes on the news, isn’t there a little dark part of your soul which is just glad that’s not you? You feel sad for five minutes then it’s back to the party? It’s meant to be challenging and uncomfortable.

The lines about snow are awful and cringey. But I think Bono’s line is really powerful when you see the intent.

There was a very similar war poem, with a deliberately provocative line about making sure the writer was safe.

I do think that line is supposed to give you pause.

It's been redone at least twice. No more please!

It was written to raise for the famine in Ethiopia - not the whole of Africa, no one believes that. I'm no lyricist but sliding Ethiopia into a catchy song would take some skill. It was 40 years ago.

Is the ‘tonight thank god it’s them instead of you’ not meant to be taken in a slightly ‘there but for the grace of god go I’ sort of way? Bono makes the lyric sound very dramatic and overwrought - best line in the song IMO (but yes also wtf? How about no one has famine? Also is not finite amount of famine, we could all end up fucked).

I was around at the time and thought these and other lines odd and inappropriate... It certainly wasn't me buying it.

Agree with @Sk8erboi

Just had a Google

Four different versions

Zero royalties

Millions raised.

I totally get that it's "of its time" and I'm not one to push for us to change history to make it more palatable.

Just had a lot of festive songs playing in the car this year, singing along and just thought "wtf"

I've also always thought that the tune was dirgy and it just wasn't appealing musically. Songs with so many different singers can't play to their strengths.

It is reductive and patronising. Africa is made up of 54 countries, with many different religions and cultures. Not “knowing” it is Christmas is not indicative of being poverty stricken or having a life of less value, or one requiring the pity of white people.

It’s a bit like how parents don’t tell their children to finish their dinners because “there’s starving children in Africa” anymore. That was also common enough at the time this song was released.

Well I've never thanked God for anything let alone a famine killing thousands.

FFS

"Geldof hoped that it would raise £70,000 for Ethiopia; within a year, it raised £8 million."

Which is 24 million today. I have issues with charity giving and what it does to economies. But I haven't raised 24 million quid for anything lately.

over analysing the lyrics of any song is fraught with danger

But without it there would be no which brightened up Christmas 2020 no end.

'Where nothing ever grows' is fucking ridiculous. As if we don't get most of our coffee, chocolate etc from there.

And don't get me started on 'the clanging chimes of doom'. I mean it's patronising and stupid but it's also really funny

Lol it's become an Xmas tradition for my (very proud) Nigerian mother to rant about patronising this song is every year 😂

I genuinely don’t really know what offends people about ‘thank god it’s them instead of you.’

I can understand the snow in Africa being iffy but not that.