Weekend Music

 

In November 1984, assorted British and American pop stars were assembled by Bob Geldorf and created a lasting Christmas song intended to raise awareness and funds to help Ethiopia overcome widespread famine caused by severe drought (it raised £8 million initially and over the past 4 decades the Band Aid Charitable Trust has raised over £150 million for various causes, though those claims are subject to dispute).  Though its creators were earnest and well- intentioned, over time there's been some rightful (and some misplaced) criticism of the imagery and lyrics of "Do They Know It's Christmas Time." But it remains an undeniably stirring anthem with a powerful, even if flawed imagery.  The poster has added the names of the stars (because 1984 -- that was a loooong time ago!). 

Earlier this week, we posted the names and links to several charities that deliver food assistance in America and around the world, but obviously don't feel limited by these should you choose to give.

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!

Weekend Song

Thirty years ago in London, musician and activist Bob Geldof organized "Band Aid," a large collection 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) 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.  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 mulleted artists you recognize from 30 years ago (if you were around then, that is) and enjoy your weekend!