Early Mid-Week Song

Thirty-five years ago (!) in London, musician and activist Bob Geldof organized "Band Aid," a large supergroup of mostly British (but some American) rock and pop stars, to record "Do They Know It's Christmas," as a fundraiser for Ethiopian famine relief. The effort, a romp of (take your pick) (a) altruism or (b) shameless self-promotion by said stars, was perhaps legitimately criticized as condescending at the time (not helped by many of the stars mugging during the taping). But the bottom line was that sales of the recording raised more than $24 million for the relief efforts. The success of the concept spawned other musical fundraisers like Live Aid and Farm Aid that spawned ever greater fundraising. The song has been re-recorded every decade since by new line-ups of artists. This is the original one, though, with its super catchy coda. See how many artists you recognize, some of whom are sadly no longer with us.

If you want to volunteer or donate to an organization fighting hunger here or worldwide, here's a list of 10 of the best (we personally like Feeding America).  Happy holidays!