Do they Know it’s Christmas?

Tonight thank god it’s them instead of you!

Love the song! Reminds me of being a teenager.

Same here, r2, like it much more now than did then.

No, they probably don't know it's Christmas because THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT FUCKING CHRISTIANS.

It may be a better written song than WATW, but WATW had bigger star power, so to speak.

Where was Bowie, McCartney, Freddie Mercury, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Dusty Springfield, Kate Bush, Shirley Bassey, Elton, Cliff Richard?

We need a datalounge charity single

"Do Darfur orphans know it's Christmas?"

Proceeds benefit the African Baby Catalog

[quote]Where nothing ever grows, no rain nor rivers flow

I told you all it’s a shithole.

I really love this song. It's so sweet. Great harmonies and George Michael has the best part.

One of my favorite Christmas songs ever. Thanks, OP.

I forgot about 80s hair ... Is there a video with a break down of who’s who? Sadly, aside from Boy George, Bono and a few others, I cant remember any of them ... Simon Le Bon?

Duran Duran ... D’oh

Another favorite:

Help us, datalounge!

We do not know it's Christmas

Insulting song. There are more Christians - 631 million - living in Africa than on any other continent. Yes, they fucking know it's Christmas.

You might want to tell, R4, R14.

You put together a group of British pop singers and they look so average. Put together a group of American pop singers and you know they're stars.

I just read Bananarama's book (skip it). All they recount about being part of this historic recording was that they were hungover and the only other woman there was Jody Watley.

probably the most patronizing song in history, the notion that a continent with more christians than the entire population of the uk might not know about christmas unless some wealthy london types sang about it.

this will be increasingly consigned to the dustbin of history.

R18, it's not - you hear it on the radio all the time every December

One of the shittiest songs ever. Those lyrics! "The clanging chimes of doom...well, tonight thank God it's them instead of you"....PUKE!

r19, it's on its way out.

it cannot survive modern standards.

R21, it does. Which is why you still hear it all the time.

To those who asked -

Paul Young - lead it off Boy George George Michael Simon LeBon Sting Phil Collins on drums Bono Tony Hadley - Spadau Ballet Midge Ure Kool and the Gang Bananarama organized by Bob Geldof. Jody Watley and a few I recognize but cannot remember names.

Here’s a video with the uplifting lyrics!

I’ve never been to Africa but I get the feeling it’s more than the arid burning hell’s ale this song makes it out to be.

Fun fact, Bowie was supposed to be the featured singer but he had to cancel, they got Paul Young to do his parts, which is why he got so much of the song.

This song takes me back. So many fond memories of holiday parties. Back when holiday parties for work were still fun. Before I had to act responsibly. It’s got all kinds of flaws, but I love it.

[quote]No, they probably don't know it's Christmas because THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT FUCKING CHRISTIANS.

Africans are some of the most annoyingly religious people on the planet.

Of COURSE there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas... the non-equatorial portion is in the bloody SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE. It's the middle of SUMMER in Cape Town right now, just like it is in Sydney and Buenos Aires.

For the record, Cape Town had EPIC snowstorms 6 months ago, back in July.

They are not saying they dont know its Christmas because they aren't Christian. The idea is they don't know its Christmas because of human suffering instead of joy.

I love this song. And also the Canadian version of We are the World, Tears are Not Enough. Both songs shit over the treacly, endless We Are the World.

[quote] They are not saying they dont know its Christmas because they aren't Christian. The idea is they don't know its Christmas because of human suffering instead of joy.

So many people deliberately misunderstand the song and choose to get angry about white saviour complex when ‘Christmas’ is not *just* referring to the Christian celebration of the births of Christ which most British people don’t care about, but the public holiday of overeating, over gifting presents, the Queen’s speech and family arguments.

It was a song about consumerism and compassion in Thatcherite Britain. ‘You have enough, think of others’ was the message of the song but not the government who considered itself to be practicing Christian morality:

Yes, of course they know. We taught them all about it, when we sent missionaries there to teach them about the sin of men going up into the other man and eating da poopoo.

Christmas drools.

Halloween rules.

You aren’t fit to sniff the leather pants of these guys

R33 : Islam beat you to that. They're twice as insidious.

Why did they not do a song called Do They Know It’s Ramadan? Or Do They Know It’s Ash Wednesday?

The video shows Paula Yates and one of her and Geldolf's kids so Bananarama must have meant Jodie Watley was the only female SINGER there.

Pop quiz: why is Paul Young partially responsible for the transatlantic Christmas #1 in 1992?

R39 Because every time he goes away, he takes a piece of me with him?

The making of video is great. Boy George comes into the studio off of a last minute flight from NY. When he hears George Michael's vocals, he think it's Alison Moyet!

r37, strictly speaking, the Muslim version would be, "do they know it's Eid-al-Fitr" (the one specific night at the end of Ramadan when they celebrate & party". Otherwise, you might as well have a song like, "Do they know it's Lent?". The point being, Christmas is happy & fun. The majority of Ramadan and Lent aren't fun, so nobody would feel sorry for anyone who missed them.

And, just to reiterate, the only way any inhabited part of Africa will EVER have snow on Christmas is during an ice age or the equivalent of nuclear/supervolcanic/post-asteroid winter, because in Africa, December is a SUMMER month.

Hands down, George Micheal had the best hair in the history of rock 'n roll

Kenny Loggins 2nd best :)

Is there no Alps of Africa for skiing? How will they ever compete in the Winter Olympics?

Boy George spilled some great tea about this recording in his first book - plus the fact that he was able to sing with no warm up and front of the cameras speaks to his talent as a vocalist.

Everyone slags off the PWL remake but it's STILL better than either Band Aid 20 (aside from the Sugababes) and Band Aid 30.

r45 what the actual fuck? Aside from Kylie and Sommerville I dunno anyone.

If you've got some poppers handy you might like Shirley Clamp's version too.

[quote]Pop quiz: why is Paul Young partially responsible for the transatlantic Christmas #1 in 1992?

FYI, the plan for The Bodyguard was for Whitney's big song to be What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted. Paul Young had recorded a cover of it for the Fried Green Tomatoes soundtrack and the song became a moderate hit for Young towards the end of 1992. Another song was needed so I Will Always Love You was recorded instead.

Not even Sir Cliff Richards R46? Most of the other participating artists are long forgotten, like Bros, Big Fun, Lisa Stansfield, Sonia, Jason Donovan, Wet Wet Wet and The Pasadenas

David Bowie actually did perform at the Live Aid concert in 1985

In terms of pure technical merit, this is probably one of the song's best renditions. The problem, this version is SO upbeat & happy, it ends up being almost creepy if you stop & contemplate what they're actually singing about. It almost sounds like it should be a Christmas commercial for Gap jeans.

It's also kind of weird to hear a bunch of Germans singing with perfect American accents. Oh, a few of them have German accents, but half of them sound like they could plausibly be from Cleveland or Denver. And the McCauley Caulkin-like kid is just surreal...

That Christmas song "Do You Hear What I Hear" must be very insulting to the deaf as well!!!!

“The others ones!” Are we allowed to call them that? I know “those people” is frowned upon, but this sounds wrong too?

Where the hell were Annie and Dave?

Yeah “the other ones” sounds almost sinister

Bump

It’s Christmas Eve and I can’t help but think of this terrible song 😂

Well R56, tonight you can just thank God it’s them, instead of you.

R44, there are a number of ski resorts in Africa: Tiffindell in South Africa, Oukaïmeden in Morrocco, Afriski in Lesotho. Best time to ski is around June-July.

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is CLEARLY superior to "We Are the World." This video of Bob Dylan rehearsing "We Are the World" cracks me up every time. You can tell he's regretting his choice to do this song throughout the video.

"Stevie, can you play it one time?"

i hate everything about it but the jingle is rather addictive.

We need a re-write for Covid times.

Do they know it’s New Years?

A DL-er once mentioned that George Michael looks like a hairdresser, and now it’s all I can think of when I see him.

💇🏼‍♀️