Band Aid 30
Band Aid 30 | |
---|---|
Origin | UK |
Genres | Christmas |
Years active | 2014 |
Band Aid 30 is the 2014 incarnation of the
The song was recorded by some of the biggest-selling current British and Irish pop acts, including
For the first time, different language versions were recorded, a French one titled "Noël est là" and a German one titled "Do They Know It's Christmas? (2014) [Deutsche Version]" with respective artists.
Recording
The song was recorded on 15 November 2014, with all contributions going towards battling the
Footage of the recording of the session was streamed live on an official app, with the footage forming the basis for the music video.[6] The record was produced by Paul Epworth, who has worked with the likes of Adele and One Direction.[6]
Release
The official music video for Band Aid 30 was first shown on the results show of The X Factor on 16 November 2014,[7] with Geldof suggesting that the song and video shown on The X Factor may not be the finished versions. "We'll have a rough edit on The X Factor and we'll have a rough edit of the film," he said.[5] The video was introduced by Geldof, who described the new recording as a "bit of pop history". He said the video—which began with shots of victims of Ebola—was "harrowing and not meant for an entertainment show" but was something The X Factor audience should see.[5]
Following this, the song was available for digital download on 17 November 2014, just 11 days short of the 30th anniversary of the release of the original version of the track. The physical version of the song will be released three weeks later on 8 December, and will feature cover artwork designed by artist Tracey Emin.[4] The download costs 99p, while the CD single will retail for £4. The song will not be made available on Spotify and other music streaming services until January 2015.[4]
On 15 November 2014, it was confirmed by Geldof that the
On 18 November 2014, the BBC reported that the song was the fastest selling single of the year so far, with 206,000 copies sold since its release the day before. Martin Talbot, Chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said: "Everyone expected a strong start from Bob Geldof and his team, but they have outperformed expectations with a truly exceptional first day's sales."[9] This makes it the fastest selling single since the Military Wives track "Wherever You Are" in December 2011.
Participants
The line up for Band Aid 30:[10][11]
Organisers and producers
- Bob Geldof – organiser
- Midge Ure – organiser
- Paul Epworth – producer
Instruments
- Roger Taylor (from Queen) – drums, keyboards
- Milan Neil Amin-Smith (from Clean Bandit) – violin
- Grace Chatto (from Clean Bandit) – cello
Vocals
- Bono (from U2)
- Clean Bandit
- Paloma Faith
- Guy Garvey (from Elbow)
- Ellie Goulding
- Angélique Kidjo
- Chris Martin (from Coldplay)
- Sinéad O'Connor
- One Direction
- Olly Murs
- Rita Ora
- Emeli Sandé
- Seal
- Ed Sheeran
- Bastille
- Sam Smith
- Underworld
- Jessie Ware
Remixes
Lyrics
Unlike
- "Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears" replaced with "Where a kiss of love can kill you and there's death in every tear"
- "Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you" replaced with "Well tonight we're reaching out and touching you"
Artwork
British artist Tracey Emin designed the cover sleeve for the physical release of the single.[4]
Chart performance
After release for download, the single went straight to number one in the UK Official Singles Chart for week ending 29 November 2014 having sold 312,000 copies. It dropped the following week.[12] On its physical release on 8 December, it reached number three. The UK version of the song reached number 25 in France, number 2 in Germany and number 1 in Spain and Ireland.[13][14][15][16]
Critical reception
Initial response to the single was mixed. The Daily Telegraph noted how "technically impressive the current generation of British pop singers are.... [with the artists putting in] a hell of a lot into every over-stretched syllable", although noted that the "jump cut from distressing Third World scenes to smiling first world celebrities will always strike an awkward note".[17] The Guardian noted that in contrast to previous versions of the track, it was "more sombre and downbeat: it features plenty of representatives from the vogueish world of pop-house but their actual sound doesn’t impact on the track at all".[18] Finally, Digital Spy were heavily critical of the single stating that they wouldn't "be bullied into buying a mediocre record when there are plenty of other ways to donate and do your bit to help".[19] The Independent criticised the song for retaining what was described as perpetuating the patronising and condescending perspective of the original, with rapper Fuse ODG citing this as the reason he dropped out of the project.[20]
On 18 November, Liberian Robtel Neajai Pailey, a researcher at the
On 23 November, singer Lily Allen revealed that she had refused to appear on the record because she considered it "smug" and preferred to donate "actual money".[23]
In December 2014, Ebola survivor,
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Do They Know It's Christmas? (2014)" | 3:48 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid 30 (2014 version)" | |
2. | "Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid 20 (2004 version)" | |
3. | "Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid II (1989 version)" | |
4. | "Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid (1984 version)" |
Release history
The release history for the tracks is as follows:[26]
Version | Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|---|
Do They Know It's Christmas? (2014) | United Kingdom | 17 November 2014 | Digital download | |
Do They Know It's Christmas? (2014) | 8 December 2014 | CD single |
Other versions
Bob Geldof confirmed that there would be French and German versions of the track, with Carla Bruni leading the French and Die Toten Hosen lead vocalist Campino leading the German version.[27]
German
The German version "Do They Know It's Christmas? (2014) [Deutsche Version]" performed well in the charts, reaching the best-seller position in the beginning of December 2014.[28]
Involved artists and bands sorted by their appearance in the German Band Aid 30 song "Do They Know It's Christmas":[29]
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
Ö3 Top 40 Austrian Singles Chart | 10[30] |
German Singles Chart
|
1[31] |
Hitparade Swiss Singles Chart | 21[32] |
French
The French version of the song, titled "Noël est là" ("Christmas is here"), features words by
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
Ultratop Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 46[35] |
SNEP French Singles Chart
|
58[36] |
References
- ^ a b Li-mei, Hoang (10 November 2014). "Geldof to fire up charity hit 30 years on to fight Ebola". Reuters. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ "Elbow and Ed Sheeran among Band Aid 30 artists". BBC News Online. 10 November 2014.
- ^ "Band Aid 30: One Direction among celebrity line-up". The Daily Telegraph. 10 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Band Aid song Do They Know It's Christmas? re-recorded for Ebola cause". The Guardian. 10 November 2014.
- ^ a b c "Band Aid 30: X Factor unveiling for Ebola charity song". BBC News. 16 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Stars set for Band Aid 30 session". BBC News. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- ^ "Band Aid 30 to premiere on X Factor". BBC News. 13 November 2014.
- ^ "Band Aid 30: Read the new lyrics for 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'". Digital Spy. 15 November 2014.
- ^ "Band Aid 30: fastest selling single of 2014". BBC Newsbeat. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Band Aid 30: Stars unite for recording session". BBC News. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ "Artist page". bandaid30.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ "Band Aid 30 single storms to number one". BBC News. 23 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Le top de la semaine". Syndicat National de l'édition Phonographique. 17 November 2014.
- ^ "German top 40". 29 November 2014.
- ^ "Spain top 20". 21 November 2014.
- ^ "Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars claim Irish Christmas number one". Entertainment.ie. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ "Band Aid 30 single, review: 'everyone made it count'". The Daily Telegraph. 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Do They Know It's Christmas review – in tune with non-musical times". The Guardian. 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Band Aid 30: 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' (2014) – First listen". Digital Spy. 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Band Aid 30: Fuse ODG turned down Bob Geldof's song over 'negative' image of Africa". NME. 18 November 2014.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 – Today, 18/11/2014, Does BandAid reinforce stereotypes about Africa?". BBC. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ Barry Malone. "We got this, Bob Geldof, so back off". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ Haroon Siddique (23 November 2014). "Lily Allen: Band Aid is smug and I'd rather donate actual money". The Guardian.
- ^ "British Ebola survivor calls Band Aid 30 "cringeworthy"". BBC Newsbeat. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ "Bob Geldof: Don't like the Band Aid lyrics? Then f--- off". The Telegraph. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ a b "Bob Geldof tells the public to download Band Aid 30 single: 'Whether you like it or not'". NME. 15 November 2014.
- ^ "Carla Bruni to do French Band Aid song". The Daily Telegraph. 17 November 2014.
- ^ German Band Aid 30 goes #1, Rolling Stone (German), 2 December 2014
- ^ Band Aid 30 auf deutsch: Textreihenfolge und involvierte Künstler, Stern, 24. November 2014
- ^ ""Do They Know It's Christmas 2014 [Deutsche Version]" in Austrian charts". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ ""Do They Know It's Christmas 2014 [Deutsche Version]" in German charts". germancharts.com. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ ""Do They Know It's Christmas 2014 [Deutsche Version]" in Swiss charts". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ "Les coulisses de retour de Renaud". Paris Match. 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Le top de la semaine". Syndicat National de l'édition Phonographique. 1 December 2014.
- ^ ""Do They Know It's Christmas 2014 [Deutsche Version]" in Austrian charts". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ ""Noël est là" in French charts". lescharts.com. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
External links
- Official website
- "Official Music Video" on YouTube