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Do They Know It's Christmas? is a popular Christmas song, written in 1984, by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and first recorded in 25th November 1984 by Band Aid. It was composed in response to news coverage of Ethiopia's drought from 1983 to 1985. Band Aid, a supergroup formed by Geldof and Ure and comprised mostly of the biggest British and Irish musical groups at the time, released it in a single day on November 25, 1984. The song was released in the United Kingdom on December 3, 1984, and it quickly rose to number one on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for five weeks, becoming the year's Christmas number one. The song became the fastest-selling single in UK chart history, selling a million copies in its first week and surpassing three million sales on the last day of 1984, displacing Wings' 'Mull of Kintyre' as the country's best-selling single. It retained the title until 1997, when it was surpassed by Elton John's 'Candle in the Wind 1997,' which was released as a memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales after her death. 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' has sold 3.8 million copies in the United Kingdom to date.

It came in sixth place in a UK-wide poll on the ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song in December 2012. The single was also a worldwide hit, reaching number one in thirteen countries outside of the United Kingdom. Owing to a lack of airplay in the United States, the single failed to reach the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, but it had sold an estimated 2.5 million copies by January 1985. By 1989, the song had sold 11.7 million copies worldwide. Geldof had hoped that the single would raise £70,000 for Ethiopia, but within a year of its publication, 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' had raised £8 million.

The single's worldwide success in raising recognition and funds for Ethiopian famine victims led to the recording of many other charity singles in the UK and other countries, including USA for Africa's 'We Are the Universe.' The album spawned a slew of charitable activities, including Comic Relief and the Live Aid festival, which took place seven months later in July 1985. Three times, 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' has been re-recorded: in 1989, 2004, and 2014. Both of the re-recordings were also charitable records; the 1989 and 2004 releases raised funds for drought relief, while the 2014 edition raised funds for the West African Ebola outbreak.


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Do they Know it's Christmas ~ Band Aid 1984

Band_Aid_30_-_Do_They_Know_It’s_Christmas?_(2014)

Band Aid 30 - Do They Know It’s Christmas? (2014)

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