Band Aid at 40
Image: Brian Aris
I can’t quite believe that it has been 40 years since ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’ was recorded and released!
On Sunday 25 November 1984, at SARM Studios in Notting Hill, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure gathered together some of the biggest popstars in the UK and Ireland to record the now legendary song and form the super group, Band Aid.
The purpose was to raise awareness and financial support for the 1983-1985 famine in Ethiopia. All the artists and technicians gave their time and skills for free.
I remember it very well! I was 15 years old, and it had been a great you in pop music! The charts were dominated by Duran Duran, Paul Young, Culture Club, Spandau Ballet and Bananarama!
To see then come together (documented in the video) was awesome, and the record zoomed to the number one spot for Christmas! I bought both the 7-inch and 12-inch singles and played them over and over again whilst singing along to the catchy chorus… ‘feed the world’.
To mark the 40th anniversary Sir Bob and Mr Ure have appeared on several TV shows to talk about it. Reflecting on the legacy, there has been some criticism about the simplicity of the song’s lyrics, as they painted a picture that all of the great African continent was in a terrible famine. Of course, this was not true.
I think this is a bit harsh and misses the point. The idea came about when Bob Geldof was stopped in his tracks when he saw the news report about the Ethiopian famine. He was moved with compassion and that led to action.
This is an echo of the very same thing that happened to Jesus, as stated in the Bible…
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
There are a few times in the New Testament Gospels that say Jesus was ‘moved’ with compassion. The Cambridge Dictionary describes compassion as ‘a strong feeling of sympathy and sadness for the suffering or bad luck of others and a wish to help them’.
Jesus operated this way on many occasions, and he helped by providing food, or doing incredible healing and restorative miracles.
In this advent season many people reflect on when Jesus first came, as well as looking ahead to when he shall return. I believe that his greatest act of compassion was to come to the earth as a baby, to live as a man and then to die in our place, and in doing so, restore a relationship with God, for you and me.
As we head towards Christmas, let me encourage you to look at the world with compassion, and be ready to do something about it, however small or big it may be.
God bless you :)
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader