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Original poster

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

427 replies

SecondUsername4me · 23/12/2023 20:41

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.....

OP posts:
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7
BIossomtoes · 23/12/2023 21:49

DuesToTheDirt · 23/12/2023 21:02

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

Show quote history

So was I. And you were extremely unusual if you thought anything of the sort.

Growlybear83 · 23/12/2023 21:49

Is there nothing that people won't look to be offended about nowadays? The song was very well intentioned and raised far more money than was ever expected for famine relief, followed by Live Aid and the other charity songs. The idea of so many high profile musicians giving their time without any payment was something really novel at the time. Perhaps if Midge Ure and Bob Geldof had spent longer writing the lyrics people might not find as much to be offended by now, but the song was written nearly 40 years ago, long before people were so obsessed with all the political correctness of today.

DonnaDonna0 · 23/12/2023 21:50

There is a hundred and one more important and relevant things to worry and make a point about than a song put together years ago to raise money for charity that doesn’t fit into todays criteria for politically correct!

43ontherocksporfavor · 23/12/2023 21:50

@DuesToTheDirt everybody I knew bought it!

DriftingDrifter · 23/12/2023 21:54

It raised a lot of awareness of the Ethiopian famine and a lot of money too (£8m). The re release raised money for the ebola crisis in western Africa, so it did help the lives of a lot of people. It also inspired other charity singles and comic relief.

I'd argue that the song has changed the lives of a lot of people. It might not be the best song in the world, but it served a purpose and that purpose was helping raise money for people who were starving to death.

I think there are loads of songs with far more offensive lyrics that haven't done a jot for charity.

AShiningThongOfAngels · 23/12/2023 21:56

I absolutely loved it and had the 7" and 12" versions.
It was incredible at the time that Duran were in the same room as Spandau and Boy George, never mind actually being matey with them.
We used to sing it on the last day of term at school when we were taking things down from the classroom walls.
Happy days!
(The cover versions are shite, but that has nothing to do with woke fretting and everything to do with them just being shite).

TheaBrandt · 23/12/2023 21:57

He wrote it in a hurry as a fundraiser. They were trying to do a good thing at the time.

IncompleteSenten · 23/12/2023 21:57

Yes it's patronising.

I sometimes wonder what the combined wealth of all the band aid singers was. They could probably have clubbed together and fed the world themselves.

ANightmareBeforeChristmas · 23/12/2023 22:01

What you have to remember is that the news had been full of heart-rending picture of Ethiopian famine victims and people wanted to do something. In the days before direct debits or any form of giving that didn't involve queuing up in the bank, chancing on someone with a bucket or posting off a cheque, buying a record was a good way to give to the cause even if you didn't particularly like the record.

MadeOfAllWork · 23/12/2023 22:01

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It was written nearly 40 years ago in an afternoon. The Black and White Minstrels had only been canned 5 years before. It was a different time.

Yes there are dodgy lyrics but there we go.

itsmylife7 · 23/12/2023 22:02

MistyCoco · 23/12/2023 21:43

Well-intentioned but ultimately damaging appears to be the assessment 40 years on. There’s a good summary here
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/30-years-on-ethiopia-and-business-of-hunger/

People should read this and see if you change your mind !

Macaroni46 · 23/12/2023 22:02

BethDuttonsTwin · 23/12/2023 21:13

It raised millions at the time and raised awareness of what was going on in a way that had never been done before.

I find these kinds of judgments of historical relatively harmless social norms, by modern day standards really tiresome I have to say.

I agree. It was massive in its time and felt like history in the making.

cakeorwine · 23/12/2023 22:03

MadeOfAllWork · 23/12/2023 22:01

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It was written nearly 40 years ago in an afternoon. The Black and White Minstrels had only been canned 5 years before. It was a different time.

Yes there are dodgy lyrics but there we go.

It was no doubt realised at the time by some people.

But the cause was good. People remember the BBC report on Ethiopia. And what followed, especially with Live Aid was amazing.

Yamatoosogani · 23/12/2023 22:04

I think pop singers were very shallow then

Plmnki · 23/12/2023 22:05

to the chorister - What’s the issue with War is Over … The Lennon / Ono song. Off the set list for next year, why? Inaccurate forecasting?

Really, what is the problem???

Angrymum22 · 23/12/2023 22:06

The media coverage of the Ethiopian drought and subsequent famine had a profound effect on my generation in the 80s. In the 70s we had been fed the sanitised version of the Vietnam war, but by the 80s the censorship of the media had been lifted.
I often sit and wonder how the same world events would impact the current 18-25 generation who spend their time handwringing at the misgendering of attention seeking individuals who can’t decide who they are.
I suppose we only have to look at their reaction to the current Israeli/Palestinian problem where taking a side seems to be more important than raising money for the children orphaned regardless of which side they are on.

The song may not be to your taste but it brought the attention of the world to a natural disaster that resulted in the death of many. Whether their government was corrupt or not we have now all experienced a global natural disaster ( Covid) that has brought all governments to their knees.

I often hear the term snowflake applied to a certain generation. I really think you need to toughen up if you take offence to this song.

BIossomtoes · 23/12/2023 22:06

Yamatoosogani · 23/12/2023 22:04

I think pop singers were very shallow then

Whereas today they’re all deeply philosophical. 🙄

Theinnocenteyeballsinthesky · 23/12/2023 22:07

Yamatoosogani · 23/12/2023 22:04

I think pop singers were very shallow then

Eh? Pop singers ‘then’ were so shallow they got together to write & record a song for people starving in Ethiopia because they felt helpless and needed to do something?

as opposed to todays pop stars singing about wet ass pussy and whose contribution in similar circumstances today would likely be to go on Instagram to post a sad faced video with #feedtheworld

CoatOfArms · 23/12/2023 22:08

This thread again?

Yes the lyrics are a bit crap but Midge Ure and Bob Geldof wrote it in about 30 minutes in response to the worst famine in living memory. Anyone who was alive in 1984 and saw that Michael Buerk report on BBC1 (I was 12) cannot criticise Geldof and Ure wanting to do something - and they made an absolute packet.

Hotchocolateand5marshmellows · 23/12/2023 22:13

There's a good scene in Gavin and Stacey which illustrates this point. It is a strange song.

Suchardchoccy · 23/12/2023 22:13

Tell you what. Why don't we ban all Christmas songs and live in silence? Because I'm sure there's something in every one of them to offend someone 🙄 humbug

MrsTerryPratchett · 23/12/2023 22:17

@itsmylife7 a bit patronising. I studied sustainable development, I know how damaging dumping poorly thought out aid dollars into majority world countries is.

But Geldof didn't have a degree in African Politics or International Relations or Economics. Looking at his actions with 40 more years of time and much more information and judging him is weird. He did something amazing. Hindsight is wonderful but at the time, what he pulled together had never been done.

And gain, I hope all the people complaining are doing something themselves. Not just judging other people. IME the people who actually try to change things don't point and judge others.

TerrysNeapolitan · 23/12/2023 22:17

baileybrosbuildingandloan · 23/12/2023 21:25

It was written, recorded and released in a week to raise money for Ethiopia when Bob had seen the news of the awful famine. He and Midge Ure pulled off an amazing feat.
Just be quiet. It's 40 years old for goodness sake.

THIS. At the time the footage coming out of Ethiopia was absolutely shocking to the world and people were suffering hell on Earth there. It raised a lot of money. People just wanted to help. The single literally was put together with phone calls at the time. Stop over analysing everything.

43ontherocksporfavor · 23/12/2023 22:18

It wasn’t a Christmas song as such, it was a charity song that happens to come out at Christmas so they capitalised on that to sell more. I doubt they thought people would play it in the future while enjoying a Baileys.

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