# "Do They Know It's Christmastime?" remade? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048 "2004-12-21T21:08:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/1 "2004-12-21T21:08:16Z")
What the hell? Who are these new people? ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/2 "2004-12-21T21:18:51Z")
Well, Paul McCartney was pretty big as a youngster. Bono too, but he’s a bit younger. Dido, Chris Martin I know. Robbie Williams, I’ve heard of, but that’s just because I watched American Idol, and he’s associated with Simon somehow. Don’t know any of the others though. It’s for the kids, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/3 "2004-12-21T21:20:45Z")
This isn’t the first remake. There was one about 10-12 years ago, too. I think they recorded it under the name “Music Aid.” I know Chris Rea was one of the singers in it. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/4 "2004-12-21T21:59:10Z")
They’re all British pop stars. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/5 "2004-12-21T22:11:27Z")
The original was recorded as “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid, back in 1984. The new version, by _Band Aid 20_ is intended to raise money for famine victims in Sudan (I believe); it’s also a charity single, and although execrably bad, I can’t really knock a charity effort. [Lots more information here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_Aid_%28band%29). The version **Earl** mentions was by _Band Aid II_, recorded in 1989 by a motley bunch of much less famous singers (mostly from the Stock, Aitken & Waterman stable of manufactured pop). ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/6 "2004-12-21T22:19:11Z")
[A humerous article about a radio station in Wales that banned the song simply because it’s terrible](http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0900entertainment/onthebox/tm_objectid=14880598%26method=full%26siteid=50082%26headline=welsh%2dradio%2dstation%2dbans%2d%2dbland%2daid%2d-name_page.html). ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/7 "2004-12-22T03:08:16Z")
It was bad enough the first time around! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/8 "2004-12-22T04:56:23Z")
While I definitely appreciate the spirit behind this song- I hope it is a best seller, even if people use the CDs as coasters- I must say that I’ve always had a bit of a problem with some of the lyrics that hint at the “all of Africa is one big hell hole”. For example: > [@](#): > > And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmas time Uh, ok. It probably won’t be blazing hot and humid in North America. That’s normal. Stick to the tragedy at hand, folks. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/9 "2004-12-22T05:11:16Z")
Actually, Pop-Up Video (may it rest in peace, 'cause I loved that show) pointed out that there WILL be snow in Africa on Christmas… on Mt. Kilimanjaro. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/10 "2004-12-22T05:14:01Z")
**Cat Fight** that’s exactly why I hate this song. The stupid god-awful lyrics. Blah. Dumbass christmas song… ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/11 "2004-12-22T10:22:20Z")
> [@Bill H.](#): > > Well, Paul McCartney was pretty big as a youngster. Bono too, but he’s a bit younger. Dido, Chris Martin I know. Robbie Williams, I’ve heard of, but that’s just because I watched American Idol, and he’s associated with Simon somehow. Don’t know any of the others though. > > It’s for the kids, I guess. Off the top of my head, Dizzee Rascal, Joss Stone, Travis, The Darkness, Radiohead, Moloko, Snow Patrol and George Michael have all had US releases. At least three of these are extremely well known. The single’s terrible though. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/12 "2004-12-22T12:11:25Z")
> [@Jervoise](#): > > Off the top of my head, Dizzee Rascal, Joss Stone, Travis, The Darkness, Radiohead, Moloko, Snow Patrol and George Michael have all had US releases. At least three of these are extremely well known. > > The single’s terrible though. Ah, how can you mock the truly ingenious rap that breaks into the middle of the song with the subtlety of an elephant falling off a sofa…? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-know-its-christmastime-remade/281048/13 "2004-12-22T15:28:57Z")
[An earlier thread on the topic, strangled in its crib by a pointless AtS hijack](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=288681&highlight=band)