15 Ways the Recording of ‘Do They Know It's Christmas?’ Was a Complete Mess
In 1984, everyone was expecting fascism, but they mostly got hairspray and keytars. That doesn’t mean the politics was great; there was that whole Reagan thing, and the famine in Ethiopia captured the hearts and minds of the west. It was under these conditions, and maybe only under these conditions, that the recording of the classic Christmas supergroup song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was possible, resulting in one of the most chaotic recording sessions in pop music history.
They Were on a Time Crunch
Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof was inspired to release a song to raise money for famine relief after watching a BBC news report on Ethiopia in late October 1984. It had to be a Christmas song, collaborator Midge Ure decided, explaining that “on a purely fiscal level, Christmas number ones sold more than a number one at any other time of year,” and it’s not like the Rats were booming those days. That meant he only had about a month to put it all together.
It Had to Be an Original Song
In those pre-Mariah days, pop stars didn’t usually write their own Christmas songs, but “it couldn’t be a cover because otherwise half the royalties would go to the songwriter,” Ure continued. They wanted to maximize aid to Ethiopia, so they gave themselves just a few days to write a hit Christmas song.
The First Draft Stunk
Whatever you think of the famously cheesy song, it was an undeniable hit, but that was far from certain at first. When Geldof heard Ure’s initial stab at the project, he said it sounded like the theme to the ‘60s police drama Z-Cars.
Ure Had to Produce the Song Himself
Geldof wanted Trevor Horn, a former member of the Buggles who’d risen to fame producing Frankie Goes to Hollywood, to produce the song, but everyone agreed Horn was too much of a perfectionist to get it done on such short notice. He did lend the crew his studio for 24 hours, leaving them no choice but to DIY it.
Geldof Bagged Spandau Ballet By Chance
Meanwhile, Geldof was running literally all over the world, trying to catch pop stars like Pokemon for the recording. He met up with Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp completely by chance after running into him in a London antique shop, and the band’s singer ended up performing the song’s first line.
Kool & the Gang Were a Spontaneous Invite, Too
A lot of the stars who appeared on the single were invited by chance. For instance, Kool & the Gang only got involved because they shared the same record label as the Boomtown Rats and happened to be in the offices when Geldof pitched the idea.
Paul Weller Played Guitar (and Got Cut)
Famous musicians contributed more than vocals. Phil Collins played drums on the song, Duran Duran’s John Taylor supplied the bass line, and Paul Weller of The Jam recorded some guitar riffs. The latter were cut, however, as “he's not a heavy distortion guy like me,” Ure said. “It was kind of jangly, probably using one of my guitars, quite — dare I say — Smiths-like,” he continued, which was the most devastating possible insult to a guitarist in 1984.
People Showed Up Uninvited
Security was dangerously lax at the studio, and Geldof was all but inviting people off the street, so no one batted an eye when one-hit wonder Marilyn showed up unannounced, hoping for a photo op. Actor Nigel Planer also arrived without an invitation, in character as Neil from The Young Ones.
Needless to Say, There Was So Much Cocaine
Journalist Robin Eggar, the only one in attendance, later reported that the band Status Quo had “produced bag of cocaine” during the session, shocking absolutely no one. There was plenty of booze as well, although “Boy George had to buy his own brandy” and Eggar “brought six bottles of wine from flat, which disappeared in a nute.”
Ure and Geldof Were at Each Other’s Throats
Possibly due to the above, the generous spirit behind the gathering didn’t always translate into conviviality between the band leaders. Ure later wrote that he and Geldof fought throughout the recording, giving the poor drunk artists conflicting instructions when they couldn’t agree.
Those Who Couldn’t Come Were Still Roped In
If Geldof had gotten his way, David Bowie would have sung the first line of the song, but in 1984, it was kind of hard to get Bowie on short notice. The same was true for Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger, but they were all convinced to contribute by recording spoken messages for the single’s B-side or, in Jagger’s case, an intro for the music video.
Boy George Was the Last to Record
After failing to reach him by phone, Geldof showed up to Boy George’s New York City hotel room, where he found the androgynous singer passed out drunk. He didn’t consider that an excuse, however, and ordered Boy George onto a plane for London, where he was the last performer to record his lines.
Damon Albarn Served Tea
On the 20th anniversary of the single’s release, Geldof gathered a new generation of musicians to record in a gathering that was apparently a bit cleaner but no less chaotic. One journalist in attendance was confused to be served tea by a pink-aproned Damon Albarn, who nevertheless did not appear on the song.
They Changed the Lyrics
Some of the lyrics of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” have always been a bit problematic in their depiction of Africa, so when another recording was scheduled for the 30th anniversary, Geldof figured it was time for an update. The new lyrics focused on the West African Ebola crisis, however, which wasn’t considered much of an improvement.
Ed Sheeran Regretted It
Although he didn’t consider it when he participated in the 30th anniversary recording, Sheeran came to agree that the song’s optics weren’t great, and got publicly mad that he wasn’t consulted about a 40th anniversary remix that included his vocals. Maybe he was just trying to distract from his own charitable efforts a few years earlier that were decried by real activists as “poverty porn.”
