Who performed on the different versions of Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid?

7 December 2024, 19:00

Bob Geldof talks Band Aid 40 years on!

Sir Bob Geldof has revealed the new "Ultimate Mix" of the charity Christmas classic Do They Know It's Christmas? But who appears on each version of the song - and what were they doing at the time?

Who appeared on the original Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid in 1984?

Bob Geldof had seen Michael Buerk's harrowing BBC news report about the famine in Ethiopia in November 1984 and was moved to take action. Asking Ultravox frontman Midge Ure for help, the pair decided to do what they knew best to help raise funds for the humanitarian crisis - make a pop record.

Do They Know It's Christmas was recorded on 25th November 1984 at SARM studios in Notting Hill, London and featured a number of musicians and performers that were successful at the time. The single, credited to Band Aid, was released on 3rd December 1984 and went to Number 1 for five weeks, remaining on the chart for a further 100, with an estimated £20 million raised.

In order of solo/duo lines:

• Paul Young (the former Streetband and Q-Tips frontman had gone solo and had just released his Top 10 single Everything Must Change)
• Boy George (the Culture Club singer whose latest single was The War Song)
• George Michael (one half of Wham! and about to drop the perennial classic Last Christmas)
• Simon LeBon (the Duran Duran frontman, then in the charts with The Wild Boys)
• Sting (the former Police frontman was just about to go solo; he'd just appeared in David Lynch's movie version of Dune)
• Bono (whose Pride (In The Name Of Love) had gone Top 5 in September 1984)
• Marilyn (the androgynous British singer had a Top 5 hit with Calling Your Name the previous year)
• Glenn Gregory (the Heaven 17 singer, then in the charts with This Is Mine)

The chorus and backing track also included:

• Bananarama: Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward (the trio had a huge hit earlier that year with Robert De Niro's Waiting)
• The Boomtown Rats: Pete Briquette, Simon Crowe, Johnny Fingers (Geldof's colleagues, who had issued their last album for nearly 40 years, In The Long Grass, in May 1984)
• Adam Clayton (Bono's U2 colleague)
• Phil Collins (the former Genesis man played drums on the track, having had a huge hit in 1984 with Against All Odds)
• Chris Cross (also from Ultravox, who were then in the charts with Love's Great Adventure)
• Duran Duran: Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor, John Taylor and Roger Taylor
• Kool & The Gang: Robert "Kool" Bell, James "J.T." Taylor and Dennis Thomas (who'd just released their hit Fresh)
• Jon Moss (Boy George's drummer colleague from Culture Club)
• Spandau Ballet: Tony Hadley, John Keeble, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman (who had issued their fourth album, Parade, that summer which spawned the hits Only When You Leave and I'll Fly For You)
• Status Quo: Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi (who'd just had a Top 10 hit with a cover of Dion's The Wanderer)
• Martyn Ware (Glenn Gregory's Heaven 17 colleague)
• Jody Watley (singer with US funk band Shalamar, who released their album Heartbreak in 1984)
• Paul Weller (the former Jam frontman had just had a hit, Shout To The Top with The Style Council)

Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas? (Official Video) [4K]

Who appeared on the Band Aid II version of Do They Know It's Christmas in 1989?

Five years after the first Band Aid, Bob Geldof contacted Pete Waterman, of the Stock, Aitken and Waterman production team, who were then having huge chart success with the likes of Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and more. Waterman postponed his wedding to help, and on Sunday 3rd December, gathered together a number of his contacts at his PWL studios in London.

The only artists to return from the first single to perform on Band Aid II were Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward of Bananarama, who'd been working with the SAW team for a number of years. The single was issued on 11th December 1989 and stayed at Number 1 for three weeks, making it the last chart-topper of the 80s.

There was a mild controversy when it was revealed that Band Aid II was not part of the 2024 "Ultimate Mix", but rather than being a protest against the perceived chart domination of Stock-Aitken-Waterman in that era, it was merely because nobody could find the master tapes, apparently.

In order of solo/duo lines:

• Kylie Minogue (then riding high in the charts with her latest single Never Too Late, a Stock-Aitken-Waterman production)
• Chris Rea (the Middlesborough guitarist and singer had just released his Road To Hell album)
• Jimmy Somerville (the former Bronski Beat and Communards singer had just launched a solo career with the album Read My Lips)
• Matt Goss (the Bros frontman, whose latest single Chocolate Box was from the band's second album The Time)
• Jason Donovan (the Australian actor had followed his colleague Kylie into the British pop charts that year with two solo Number 1s: Too Many Broken Hearts and Sealed With A Kiss)
• Cliff Richard (the veteran performer's bid for the 1989 Christmas Number 1 was Whenever God Shines His Light with Van Morrison; it stalled at Number 20)
• Glen Goldsmith (British singer, whose biggest hit was Dreaming in 1988)
• Big Fun (SAW-produced boy band featuring Phil Creswick, Mark Gillespie and Jason John; their biggest hit was a cover of Blame It On The Boogie in the summer of 1989)
• Wet Wet Wet (Scottish rock band fronted by Marti Pellow; their contemporary hit was Broke Away, from their second album Holding Back The River)
• Bananarama (the second line-up of the trio saw Jacquie O'Sullivan replace Sibohan Fahey; they'd reissued their classic 1983 tune Cruel Summer earlier that year and had a hit with a cover of The Beatles' Help! for Comic Relief that February)
• Sonia (another SAW alumni, Scouser Sonia Evans had scored a Number 1 in the summer of '89 with You'll Never Stop Me From Loving You)
• Lisa Stansfield (the Mancunian singer had just had a huge Number 1 hit with All Around The World)
• The Pasadenas (British soul revivalists, who'd had hits the year before with Riding On A Train and Tribute)

The chorus and backing track also included:

• Matt Aitken (the SAW musician and producer played keyboards and guitar)
• Cathy Dennis (then a solo singer best known for Come On And Get My Love and Touch Me (All Night Long, later known for writing hits like Toxic, Can't Get You Out Of My Head and I Kissed A Girl)
• D Mob (British producer, known for the hits We Call It Acieed and Come On And Get My Love with Cathy Dennis)
• Kevin Godley (one time member of British band 10cc, and one half of the Godley & Creme production and video duo)
• Luke Goss (Matt's brother and drummer in Bros)
• Mike Stock (the SAW musician and producer played keyboards)
• Technotronic (the Belgian techno act had a Number 1 hit in 1989 with Pump Up The Jam)

Band Aid II - Do They Know It's Christmas? (Official Video)

Who appeared on the Band Aid 20 version of Do They Know It's Christmas in 2004?

The 20th anniversary of Band Aid saw another version recorded with the intention of sending aid to the crisi-hit Darfur region of Sudan. Recorded on 14th November 2004, given its radio and TV debut on the 16th and released as a single on 29th November, the song went to Number 1 for four weeks. The single sold around 200,000 copies, even though this was the first Band Aid to be released as a digital download, via the iTunes store.

Bono reprised his infamous line from the original ("Well tonight thank God it's them, instead of you") and Dizzee Rascal added a line of rap.

In order of solo/duo lines:

• Chris Martin (the Coldplay frontman, then working on the band's third album, X&Y)
• Dido (the British singer recorded her part in Melbourne; her latest hit at the time was Sand In My Shoes)
• Robbie Williams (the former Take That singer recorded his part in Los Angeles; he'd just had a solo Number 1 with the song Radio)
• Sugababes (the trio were in the Keisha Buchanan/Mutya Buena/Heidi Range configuration and their latest single was Caught In A Moment)
• Fran Healy (the Travis frontman's latest hit at the time was Walking In The Sun)
• Justin Hawkins (the frontman and guitarist of The Darkness; the band had headlined the Reading and Leeds festivals that summer)
• Bono (after sitting out Band Aid II, the U2 frontman was back for the 20th anniversary; his band had just enjoyed a UK Number 1 with Vertigo)
• Will Young (the Pop Idol star had enjoyed a hit earlier in the summer with Friday's Child)
• Jamelia (then in the Top 10 with the single DJ/Stop)
• Ms Dynamite (then prepping her second album Judgement Days)
• Beverley Knight (the British singer had just issued her fourth album Affirmation)
• Joss Stone (the musician had just had a Number 1 album with Mind Body & Soul)
• Tom Chaplin (Keane; the band's acclaimed debut album Hopes & Fears had been released that May)
• Dizzee Rascal (the British rapper's second album Showtime had just been released)
• Busted (the trio of James Bourne, Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson had enjoyed their fourth and final Number 1 that summer with Thunderbirds/3am)

The chorus and backing track also included:

• Damon Albarn
• Daniel Bedingfield
• Natasha Bedingfield
• Skye Edwards (from Morcheeba)
• Estelle (Britsih singer-songwriter, whose latest hit was Free)
• Danny Goffey (from Supergrass)
• Jonny Greenwood (from Radiohead)
• Neil Hannon (from The Divine Comedy)
• Dan Hawkins and Frankie Poullain (from The Darkness)
• Dara Kiely (from the band Harrows)
• Lemar(the Fame Academy graduate had a hit in 2004 with If There's Any Justice)
• Shaznay Lewis (from All Saints)
• Paul McCartney
• Katie Melua
• Róisín Murphy (from Moloko)
• Grant Nicholas (of Feeder)
• Tim Rice-Oxley (from Keane)
• Gary Lightbody (of Snow Patrol)
• Rachel Stevens (from S Club 7)
• The Thrills
• Turin Brakes
• Tim Wheeler (from Ash)
• Thom Yorke (from Radiohead)

Band Aid 20 - Do They Know It's Christmas? (Official Video) [4K]

Who appeared on the Band Aid 30 version of Do They Know It's Christmas in 2014?

The 2014 ebola crisis in West Africa prompted the arrival of Band Aid 30, which saw the lyrics get a long-deserved update and, for the first time, French and German language versions were issued alongside the English edition.

The song was recorded on 16th November 2014 at SARM West in London - the location of the first ever Band Aid session - and issued as a digital download the following day. A physical version appeared on the 8th December, with a sleeve designed by Tracy Emin. The track made Number 1 for a single week that November.

In order of solo/duo lines:

• One Direction (Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson; the X Factor graduates had enjoyed three UK Number 1s when they appeared on Band Aid 30)
• Ed Sheeran (the singer-songwriter had released his second album X that summer)
• Rita Ora (the British singer had a UK Number in May 2014 with I Will Never Let You Down)
• Sam Smith (the British musician's single Stay With Me had topped the charts in May 2014)
• Paloma Faith (her third album A Perfect Contradiction was released in March 2014)
• Emeli Sandé (the Scottish singer-songwriter had just recorded What I Did For Love with David Guetta)
• Guy Garvey (Elbow's sixth album The Take Off And Landing Of Everything was released in March 2014
• Dan Smith (Bastille's most recent single was Oblivion)
• Angélique Kidjo (the Beninese-French singer-songwriter had released her album Eve that year)
• Chris Martin (Coldplay's sixth album Ghost Stories had arrive in May 2014)
• Bono (U2 had just dropped their album Songs Of Innocence on everyone's iTunes a couple of months previously)
• Seal (the British singer was working on his album 7 ar the time he took part)
• Ellie Goulding (the British singer was just about to release a collaboration with Calvin Harris, Outside)
• Sinéad O'Connor (the Irish singer-songwriter had issued what was to be her final studio album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss that August)
• Olly Murs (the Essex-born singer had just released his single Up, featuring Demi Lovato)

The chorus and backing track also included:

• Grace Chatto (from Clean Bandit)
• Alfie Deyes (YouTuber)
• Karl Hyde (from Underworld)
• Neil Amin-Smith (from Clean Bandit)
• Joe Sugg (YouTuber)
• Zoe Sugg (YouTuber)
• Roger Taylor (from Queen)
• Jessie Ware

Band Aid 30 - Do They Know It’s Christmas? (2014)

The Band Aid 2024 Ultimate Mix is available on all streaming platforms now

Do They Know It's Christmas? (2024 Ultimate Mix)