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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:
Thread gallery
7
Lolaandbehold · 23/12/2023 22:18

Suggest you avoid almost all rap music, OP, especially if you're a woman.

Suchardchoccy · 23/12/2023 22:19

TrinityTinselToes · 23/12/2023 21:47

Well Said

Show quote history

Well said

Tiredalwaystired · 23/12/2023 22:20

It was written on a fag packet in about 45 minutes for the very urgent reason of raising much needed money starving populations. Which it did in buckets.

I’m sure there are other things to get offended about.

Squirrelsbite · 23/12/2023 22:21

It raised a shit load of money
but
what has changed in Africa ?
they are still in the same dire straits

BIossomtoes · 23/12/2023 22:23

Squirrelsbite · 23/12/2023 22:21

It raised a shit load of money
but
what has changed in Africa ?
they are still in the same dire straits

What would it have been like without the £150 million Bandaid and its various spin offs raised?

HolllyHobby · 23/12/2023 22:23

Have a listen to 'Africa for Norway' which was quite funny

ChimbarasiKotapaxi · 23/12/2023 22:23

I just remember Bob 'went and 'did it'- others talked, he and the other artists actually did something It was glorious

StepAwayFromGoogling · 23/12/2023 22:24

I always took "Tonight thank god it's them..." to mean 'Tonight (Band Aid) thank god we're focusing on them instead of you'...

CrazyMare70 · 23/12/2023 22:25

@SecondUsername4me I cannot stand it for exactly those reason’s (again very little offends me normally) gets turned off every time it’s on the sodding radio!

MrsTerryPratchett · 23/12/2023 22:25

Squirrelsbite · 23/12/2023 22:21

It raised a shit load of money
but
what has changed in Africa ?
they are still in the same dire straits

Go and visit. "Africa" is just about as diverse a place as a continent can be. Some places are doing extremely well, some are very divided, there's poverty, riches and very middle class. There's social issues and social cohesion. There are good and bad governments.

Look at Ukraine. "Pfft Europe's doing no better than during WWII."

Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. So is it the same? Not really.

AlecTrevelyan006 · 23/12/2023 22:28

Squirrelsbite · 23/12/2023 22:21

It raised a shit load of money
but
what has changed in Africa ?
they are still in the same dire straits

we still have Children in Need every year

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 23/12/2023 22:28

I've been saying this myself but I must not be the only one that's thought it. Like they're starving but they need to at least know it's Christmas. I mean how patronising

Tiredalwaystired · 23/12/2023 22:28

itsmylife7 · 23/12/2023 22:02

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

Show quote history

Why would it change minds? It wouldnt have stopped the money being raised at the time. It was a spur of the moment decision to get off their arses as pop stars and use their profiles to do something - anything. I see nothing at all wrong in what they did, and what they achieved at the time. If you went back to that time it would always have raised what it did as ITS ALL HINDSIGHT.

NooNakedJacuzziness · 23/12/2023 22:30

Sometimeswinning · 23/12/2023 20:51

I think the problem is people love the song and the video. I imagine for every one of you offended there are 20 people at least enjoying this song for the next couple of days. (2 of them being me and dd8)

And me!

Tiredalwaystired · 23/12/2023 22:31

Squirrelsbite · 23/12/2023 22:21

It raised a shit load of money
but
what has changed in Africa ?
they are still in the same dire straits

Cancer research has also raised a shit lot of money. We still have cancer. What do you suggest? Not bothering at all? Or try and make a gap in some of the many and varied issues a charity can support, even it doesn’t cure the lot?

Isitsixoclockalready · 23/12/2023 22:32

We can all be knowingly wise with the benefit of hindsight but as others have said, it was done in a rush - there was no time to sit there pontificating over lyrics when there were starving people that needed urgent help. They raised a lot of money and saved a lot of lives. There are still plenty of problems in parts of Africa as there are in other parts of the world but people went out at the time and did something that made a difference at that time.

MrsTwatInAHat · 23/12/2023 22:32

Not read every post but I agree OP! It’s a load of embarrassing nonsense - and I can say that while also understanding they did a great thing and the lyrics were meant well obviously. But I do think there’s still a massive misrepresentation of Africa as a whole in a lot of non-African people’s minds and it’s things like this that perpetuate it. Even at the time I used to wonder how/why the fuck anyone lived there at all if there were no rivers or rain and nothing ever grows!

I always make sure to rant humourlessly along these lines to the DC when it comes on and tell them Africa has a lot of rain and rivers and famines are not just about that.

i also sometimes sing along in the supermarket. Nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow, except maybe the Congo, and the Okavango, there there’s the Limpopo…. (quietly to myself not regaling the whole of Asda)

WhimsicalMoth · 23/12/2023 22:32

Fine for its time, and now a classic Christmas song. Can't read too much into it now, it's not new.

Leela100 · 23/12/2023 22:33

Oh god another moan about something that happened in the past that now offends, it happened just deal with it and move on with your life. Is it personally affecting you in any way? Or do you just need something to be offended by?

YouJustDoYou · 23/12/2023 22:34

I remember being 8 years old waaay back in the day and thinking what theheck do "Africans" care if it's snowing or Christmas? Stupid song.

HardcoreLadyType · 23/12/2023 22:34

theduchessofspork · 23/12/2023 20:46

I think it always was, but obviously it was a fast turnaround with purpose

It’s weird it still gets played much

Show quote history

This is what I think.

The song was written because of a particular reason, and the lyrics are probably justifiable in that context, but it really seems weird for it to be played every year as if it were a jolly Christmas song. And the re-recordings of it are particularly weird.

43ontherocksporfavor · 23/12/2023 22:34

@teaandtoastwithmarmite whwre does it say they just need to know it’s Christmas? The lyric is ‘ do they know it’s Christmas ?’ Can you not infer the meaning??

NoStarsTonight · 23/12/2023 22:35

The Band Aid 2 version was beyond awful.

NonPlayerCharacter · 23/12/2023 22:36

YouJustDoYou · 23/12/2023 22:34

I remember being 8 years old waaay back in the day and thinking what theheck do "Africans" care if it's snowing or Christmas? Stupid song.

Well a lot of them are Christian.