Sunday, November 28, 2010
By SIMON CABLE
Cover your ears: It raised millions of pounds for charity and became the worlds' biggest selling single, Sir Bob Geldof has admitted that he dreads hearing his song, Do They Know It's Christmas during the festive season
If you haven’t heard a rendition of Do They Know It’s Christmas yet this year, it’s only a matter of time.
But should you curse Bob Geldof for writing That Song, you’ll be in good company. He’s fed up with it too.
The single was released 26 years ago today as Geldof set up Band Aid to raise money for famine-hit Ethiopia.
And although it became the biggest selling single in the world at the time, it seems he’s had enough.
He said: ‘I am responsible for two of the worst songs in history. One is Do They Know It’s Christmas? and the other one is We Are The World. Any day soon, I will go to the supermarket, head to the meat counter and it will be playing. Every ****ing Christmas.’
He said carol singers also include it in their repertoire when they visit his South London home each year, alongside the more traditional Silent Night.
Power of pop: Bob Geldof (left) co-wrote the song with Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money for famine-hit Ethiopia. 26 years later, he still can't escape it
The former Boomtown Rats frontman, 59, added: ‘Sometimes I think that’s wild because I wrote it. Or else I am thinking how much I want them to stop because they are doing it really badly.’
Geldof co-wrote the song with singer Midge Ure.
The campaign, which went on to raise more than £100million, was inspired by Michael Buerk’s BBC news report on Ethiopia’s famine.
So great, they did it twice! The single was re-recorded with a new batch of celebrity singers in 2004. Sir Bob says that carol singers who visit his house regularly include it in their reoertoire
Musicians including Sting, Bono, George Michael and Phil Collins sang on the Band Aid track.
Its success led to the release of U.S. charity single We Are the World months later.
Spot the difference: Ten years later, a new batch of singers came together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the song, raising more money for charity
source: dailymail
Labels: Celebrity, Entertainment, Music