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Fact Sheet
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The name "Band Aid" was chosen because it had a double meaning. At one level it means a band of musicians getting together to offer aid but, at another level, it is also an acknowledgement of the fact that such a gesture is like putting a sticking plaster on a gaping wound and does not address the full extent of the problem of world famine.
The name Band Aid came to be used for the whole charitable project including the work carried out in Africa which was funded by it; hence, for example Band Aid grain, Band Aid trucks. This project kick started Live Aid the following year which became a global phenomenon raising over ten times as much money as the original Band Aid single.
The group has been reformed on three occasions, each time from the most successful British and Irish pop music performers of the time to record the same song at the same time of year. Co-writer Midge Ure has commented that "Every generation should have its own version".
Releases
The original Band Aid single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (Geldof/Ure) (Mercury FEED 1) was released in the UK on December 15, 1984. It was recorded in one day on November 25. The song was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and produced by Midge Ure and Trevor Horn and became that year's Christmas Number One hit single.
The single was released as a 7" (3'55") and a 12" version (6'18").
In 1985, following the success of the original 1984 Band Aid single, Geldof organised the charity concert Live Aid. The record was then re-issued and reached Number Three on December 7, 1985. In all it raised in excess of £8 million.
In 1989, a new line-up, reflecting the musical climate at the time, formed after a second famine struck Ethiopia. Band Aid II featured a different line-up and re-recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (PWL/Polydor FEED 2), and the song was again Christmas Number One in the UK charts.
In 2004 a third line-up known as Band Aid 20, re-recorded the single for the 20th anniversary of the project. The style change between Band Aid 20 and previous incarnations of the song was greater than the change between the first two Band Aid projects. This was partly due to the length of time between the releases and because it was thought that releasing a third version too similar to the original would be less powerful than creating a new interpretation.