Do they know it's Christmas? Awful song

[lottieandmia22]

'Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you'

Every year, every time I hear this line it makes me cringe. Although I see how it can be argued that nobody would actually swap places with someone in that adversity. It's still ok not to want anybody to suffer! I hate the song anyway and can't even put my finger on why.

BUT. It was the first time lots of famous people came together so publicly to raise money for charity. Hard to believe now with endless telethons, ads with actors existing us to text a 5 digit number and give £3 etc. And in that, thus crap song was revolutionary.

Here's an article about how Live Aid may have done harm too

Thing is, traditional aid programmes do harm all the time in exactly the same ways. Money always ends up in the wrong hands, because of corruption and naivety - and the syphoned-off money is often used to buy arms because areas that need emergency aid tend to be areas where wars are occurring. Before you criticise Geldof, you might want to Google how much other aid - including a huge chunk of the UK government's overseas aid - ends up being used to prop up oppressive regimes.

I'm not a particular fan of Geldof as a person - he's certainly no saint. But he raised millions, saved many lives and got off his arse instead of sitting around bitching.

Good point Keira also remember they got the whole thing done with no social media. In addition to writing, blagging a studio, drafting in what were at the time total pop A listers, getting radio stations and the press to pick it up was a massive ask. No mass texts, no Facebook, no instant digi image. On top of that people actually had to choose to go out to the shops and buy the record. No downloads.

Yes, some of the lyrics and many of the hairdos were dicey, but surely OP you can see that this was really quite phenomenal?

I believe it was written recorded and released in three days which in 1984 was phenomenal
No social media just phone calls to all those pop stars singing on the record - it shows too on the video where theyve got scruffy hair and no make up on - unthinkable today
I hate this song with a passion but it was the first time something like this was done

I think the scruffy hair was deliberate tbh