Back in the early 80’s, I knew of Bob Geldof for only one reason – he was the lead singer of the Boomtown Rats. The one single I remember from them was “I Don’t Like Mondays,” which Geldof wrote after Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire on an elementary school in San Diego in 1979. Geldof would later organize events that would make him well known around the world.
In 1984, Geldof teamed up with Midge Ure of Ultravox to write the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” The song was written in reference to the people of Ethiopia who were going through a devastating famine. The song was recorded by Band Aid, a group of British and Irish musicians and singers that included Sting, Phil Collins, Adam Clayton and Bono of U2, Boy George, George Michael, and all of Duran Duran.
The charity single ended up being the biggest selling single in UK history. The first week alone saw one million copies sold, with it eventually selling 3.5 million domestically and raising millions for Ethiopia. It remained the best selling single in UK history until toppled by “Candle in the Wind 1997,” the tribute to Princess Diana.
A new version of the song was recorded in 1989 by Band Aid II, which consisted of artists such as Kylie Minogue, Bananarama, and Jason Donovan. The song, the last to be played on Top of the Pops for the decade, was the final #1 hit of the ‘80s.
Twenty years after the original single, Band Aid 20 produced a third version of the song in 2004. Helping Geldof and Ure this time was Coldplay front man Chris Martin. Bono, who didn’t appear on the second version, appeared on the third version, becoming the only artist other than Geldof and Ure to appear on more than one version.
Just one year after the original “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Geldof and Ure organized one of the biggest benefit concerts ever – Live Aid. The concert took place in both London (Wembley Stadium) and Philadelphia (John F. Kennedy Stadium). Phil Collins took a Concorde so he could perform at both venues. The 16 hour event was also televised. It would raise over 150 million pounds for famine relief and earn Geldof knighthood.
Geldof is now an advisor for the ONE Campaign, an international non-profit organization founded by Bono. He is also on the Africa Progress Panel to focus leaders of the world on the continent and its needs. In addition to being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, he received the Man of Peace title for his contributions.