A new version of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” has been announced to celebrate the song’s 40th anniversary.
The charity single, first released in 1984, has become a festive staple over the years and the Band Aid Charitable Trust has raised over £140 million ($178 million) for causes such as poverty in Africa. The song was first written and organized by Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure following a BBC report into famine in Ethiopia, and became one of the best-selling singles of all-time in the U.K. and beyond.
Now the “Do They Know It’s Christmas? 2024 Ultimate Mix,” due out on Nov. 25, will combine voices from the four existing versions of the track. The song was re-recorded in 1989, 2004 and 2014 with new contemporary singers. A new music video directed by Oliver Murray — who worked on the visuals for The Beatles’ AI-assisted song “Now and Then” — will be released on the same date; watch the trailer below.
The confirmed vocal takes will include: Sting, Boy George and George Michael from the 1984 version; Bananarama from 1989’s edition; Sugababes, Chris Martin and Robbie Williams from 2004’s re-record; Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith from 2014’s version, among others. U2’s Bono – who has appeared on multiple versions of the single – will appear as a vocalist three times in the new version.
The Band Aid house band fuses instrumental takes over the years from Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Thom Yorke, Paul Weller, Damon Albarn and more. The song has been produced by Trevor Horn, whose credits include The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star” and work by Spandau Ballet and the Pet Shop Boys.
Upon release, the single became the fastest-selling U.K. Single of all time, until it was toppled by Elton John’s “Candle In the Wind” in 1997. Every version of the song has hit No.1 on the Official Singles Chart in the U.K., while the song peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The success of the song spawned several events including Live Aid in 1985 which first took place at London’s Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s John F. Kennedy Stadium. The song and music video’s depiction of Africa, however, has drawn criticism over the years with Moky Makura, executive director of non-profit organization Africa No Filter writing in The Guardian that “[Live Aid’s] portrayal of Africa triggered the birth of a patronizing industry whose mission it was to ‘save Africa.’”