Band Aid 30 is the 2014 incarnation of the charity supergroup Band Aid. The group was announced on 10 November 2014 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. As in previous incarnations, the group covered the track Do They Know It's Christmas?, written in 1984 by Geldof and Ure, this time to raise money towards the Ebola crisis in Western Africa. The track has re-tweaked lyrics to reflect the current Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa with all proceeds going towards battling what Geldof described as a "particularly pernicious illness because it renders humans untouchable and that is sickening".
The song was recorded by some of the biggest-selling British pop acts, including One Direction, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sandé and Ellie Goulding. Bands Bastille and Mercury prize-winning Elbow have also confirmed they are on board, along with Coldplay and Bono – the third time the U2 frontman has contributed to a Band Aid recording.
Recording
The song was recorded on 15 November 2014, with all contributions going towards battling the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. The song was recorded in Sarm West Studiosin Notting Hill, London, the same studio used for the original track. Organiser Bob Geldof said he addressed the participants "like the headmaster" before they sang the chorus. "I explained the situation in West Africa, I explained what the UN were saying, explained what we could do, and just geed them up,".
Footage of the recording of the session was streamed live on an official app, with the footage forming the basis for the music video. The record was produced by Paul Epworth, who has masterminded hits by the likes of Adele and One Direction.
The track has re-tweaked lyrics to address the current climate within Africa, and the ongoing Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. Instead of the line "Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears", the new version will have the line "Where a kiss of love can kill you and there's death in every tear". Furthermore, the line "Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you" has been changed to "Well tonight we're reaching out and touching you".
Release
The official music video for Band Aid 30 was first shown on the results show of The X Factor on Sunday 16 November, with Geldof suggested that the song and video shown on 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. The video was introduced by Bob Geldof, who described the new recording as a "little 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.
Following this, the song was available for digital download on Monday 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. 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. There will be remixes of the track by Underworld and Disclosure.
On Saturday 15 November it was confirmed by Geldof that the Chancellor George Osborne would waive VAT on the record, with all the money raised by the track going towards the cause. He also confirmed in interviews that ITunes are not taking a cut of the 99p download cost.
Participants
The line up for Band Aid 30 confirmed so far: Organisers and producers:
- Bob Geldof – organiser
- Midge Ure – organiser
- Paul Epworth – producer
Instruments:
- Roger Taylor (from Queen) – Drums
Vocals:
- Bastille
- Bono (from U2)
- Clean Bandit
- Disclosure
- Elbow
- Paloma Faith
- Fuse ODG
- Nick Grimshaw
- Ellie Goulding
- Angelique Kidjo
- Chris Martin (from Coldplay)
- Olly Murs
- Sinead O'Connor
- One Direction
- Rita Ora
- Emeli Sande
- Seal
- Ed Sheeran
- Sam Smith
- Underworld
- Jessie Ware
Remixes:
Lyric and artists
Unlike Band Aid II and Band Aid 20, where lyrics were almost identical to the original, the lyrics to 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' for Band Aid 30 have been substantially altered to address the current situation in Western Africa, with the ongoing Ebola epidemic. The following table shows the lines of the new track, and which artist(s) sing each of the lines.
| Lyrics | Artist(s) |
|---|---|
| 'It's Christmas time, and there's no need to be afraid' | One Direction |
| 'At Christmas time, we let in light and we banish shade' | Ed Sheeran |
| 'And in our world of plenty, we can spread a smile of joy' | Rita Ora |
| 'Throw your arms around the world, at Christmas time' | Sam Smith |
| 'But say a prayer; Pray for the other ones' | Paloma Faith |
| 'At Christmas time it's hard, but when you're having fun' | Emeli Sande |
| 'There's a world outside your window, and it's a world of dread and fear' | Guy Garvey (Elbow) |
| 'Where a kiss of love can kill you' | Dan Smith (Bastille) |
| 'And there's death in every tear' | Angélique Kidjo |
| 'And the Christmas bells that ring there, are the clanging chimes of doom' | Chris Martin (Coldplay) |
| 'Well tonight we're reaching out and touching you' | Bono (U2) |
| 'Bring peace and joy this Christmas to West Africa' | Seal |
| 'A song of hope, when there's no hope tonight' | Ellie Goulding |
| 'Why is to comfort to be feared' | Sinead O'Connor |
| 'Why is to touch to be scared' | Sinead O'Connor |
| 'How can they know it's Christmas time at all?' | Bono (U2) |
| 'Here's to you' | All |
| 'Raise a glass for everyone' | Olly Murs |
| 'And Here's to them' | All |
| 'And all their years to come' | Sam Smith |
| 'Can they know it's Christmas time at all?' | Rita Ora |
| Feed the world, let them know it's Christmas time again | All |
| Feel the world, let them know it's Christmas time again | All |
| Heal the world, let them know it's Christmas time again | All |
| Feed the world, let them know it's Christmas time again | All |
| Feel the world, let them know it's Christmas time again | All |
| Heal the world, let them know it's Christmas time again | All |
| Feed the world, let them know it's Christmas time again | All |
| Feel the world, let them know it's Christmas time again | All (fading) |
| Heal the world | All (fading) |
