Band Aid 20

Band Aid 20
Origin	UK
Genres	Christmas
Years active	2004(2004)

Band Aid 20was the 2004 incarnation of the charity supergroupBand Aid.The group, which includedDaniel Bedingfield,Dido,Justin HawkinsofThe Darkness,Thom YorkeandJonny GreenwoodofRadiohead,Chris MartinofColdplay,BonoofU2,andPaul McCartney,re-recorded the 1984 song "Do They Know It's Christmas?",written by Band Aid organisersBob GeldofandMidge Ure.

Recording

The song was recorded on 14 November 2004, to benefitSudan's troubledDarfurregion, and was released that same month.The single became the UK's biggest seller of 2004 as well as the Christmas number one.

BonoandPaul McCartneywere the only artists from the original Band Aid to lend their voices to Band Aid 20.There was a reported dispute over the line 'Well tonight thank God it's them, instead of you', which Bono sang on the original version.Justin Hawkins,ofThe Darkness,laid down a version of the line, as didRobbie Williams,butBonoinsisted on re-recording his version, which was eventually used on the record.

Travislead singerFran Healy,who played guitar on the recording, said, "It's dead exciting. When [the 1984 version] was first recorded, I was 11 and I went everywhere looking for it and I couldn't find it, and now we're going to do the follow-up to it. It's going to be great, McCartney's doing it, Bono's going to sing his own line, [and] we're going to help out with some music, withNigel Godrich,who produced the single. I really wanted to getFranz Ferdinandinvolved in it -- I think they're going to do it, although I haven't spoken to Midge Ure for about a week now. "

"Midge did a thumbnail sketch of the original with new music on it," Healy continued. "He's got the Darkness doing the guitars at the end, and he's changed the arrangement of it. He shipped that over to L.A. where Nigel was working with McCartney. If it turns out absolutely shit, it does not matter. What I will say is you've got to buy the record because it's the only record that's going to save lives this side of Christmas, and you can't ask for more than that."

A special documentary titledBand Aid 20: Justice, Not Charity,which went behind-the-scenes of the new recording, was broadcast by BBC One on 6 December 2004.

Release

The Band Aid 20 single was first played simultaneously onThe Chris Moyles Show(onBBC Radio 1) and the breakfast shows onVirgin RadioandCapital Radio,at 8 am on 16 November 2004.The music video was first broadcast in the UK simultaneously over multiple channels, including the five UK analogue terrestrial channels, at 5:55 pm on 18 November 2004, with an introduction byMadonna.

One of the new ways to buy the song, by downloading it from the internet, hit a problem whenApple Computer'siTunes Music Storeinitially refused to supply it, due to their fixed-pricing policy. A partial solution was reached after a few days, enabling UK users to download the song at the standard iTunes price, with Apple donating an extra amount (equivalent to the price difference) to the Band Aid Trust.

The single sold 72,000 copies in the first 24 hours when it was released on 29 November 2004, and went straight in at No. 1 in theUK Singles Charton 5 December 2004.The CD version sold over 200,000 copies in the first weekand was the fastest-selling single of the year.It stayed at No. 1 for Christmas and the week after, a total of four weeks, one week shorter than the 1984 original. It was the last single ever to sell a million physical copies in the UKas the format largely died out other than as a niche product.

The single was supported by companies such as the mobile entertainment provider,WebTV,which allowed customers to play and purchase the song and music video on their mobile phones. It could also be purchased with a bundle of tracks including both the original 1984 version and the 2004 version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?".HMVstores opened early to give customers more time to buy the single and staff wore Band Aid 20 shirts that said, "Have you bought your copy yet?". Prime MinisterTony Blairwas seen picking up a copy of the charity single at an HMV store inEdinburgh.

Critical reception

Band Aid 20's efforts met with mixed criticism. The BBC said the new generation of singers, who differed greatly from those that appeared on the 1984 original, endeavoured to fit their talents into a 20-year-old template resulting in an "anonymous" record.The Guardiansaid the appearance of female singers was successful.

Artwork

British artistDamien Hirstdesigned an intimidating cover for the Band Aid 20 single, featuring the grim reaper and a starving African child. However, this was later dropped after fears that it might scare children.

Participants

Organisers and producers:

• Midge Ure– organiser
• Nigel Godrich(Radiohead,Travis) – producer
• Bob Geldof– producer
• Damon Albarn(Blur,Gorillaz)
• Harry Sutcliffe– sound engineer

Instruments:

• Danny Goffey(Supergrass) – (drums)
• Thom Yorke– (piano) andJonny Greenwood– (guitar) – (Radiohead)
• Paul McCartney– bass guitar
• Justin HawkinsandDan Hawkins(The Darkness) – guitar
• Phil Collins– drums (Genesis)

Vocals:

• Tim Wheeler(Ash)
• Daniel Bedingfield
• Natasha Bedingfield
• Bono(U2)
• Busted
• Cat Deeley
• Chris Martin(Coldplay)
• Dido– performed separately from a studio inMelbourne
• Dizzee Rascal– the only artist to add lyrics to the song
• Ms Dynamite
• Skye Edwards(Morcheeba)
• Estelle
• Grant Nicholas(Feeder)
• Neil Hannon(The Divine Comedy)
• Justin Hawkins(The Darkness)
• Jamelia
• Tom Chaplin(Keane)
• Tim Rice-Oxley(Keane)
• Beverley Knight
• Lemar
• Shaznay Lewis(formerly ofAll Saints)
• Katie Melua
• Róisín Murphy(formerly ofMoloko)
• Gary Lightbody(Snow Patrol)
• Rachel Stevens
• Joss Stone
• Sugababes(Mutya,KeishaandHeidi)
• The Thrills
• Turin Brakes
• Robbie Williams– performed separately from a studio in Los Angeles
• Will Young
• Fran Healy(Travis)

External links

• Official website