It may be Thanksgiving, but on certain radio stations, it’s already Christmas. So, as for them, I am thankful for the traditional and classic Christmas carols. Give me Bing Crosby, Gene Autry and Nat King Cole. I appreciate Michael Buble and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
I am not so grateful for the pop versions. It just seems like an obligatory, cash-grab that every singer releases a holiday album.
One of my least favorite Christmas pop songs is the 1984 Band Aid single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?/Feed the World.”
Okay, I liked it when I was 10, just because of all the British stars singing their hearts out when their turns came. I was a fan of Duran Duran, Sting, and Bono, so how could I not like it?
I also liked the message and understood that they were raising money for hungry kids.
Since then, I’ve paid more attention to the lyrics. Thirty-eight years ago this week, they were singing about the famine in Ethiopia, which happened from 1983 to 1985. It was a bleak time, and they painted a bleak picture.
“Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears,” sang Sting.
But, according to newworldencyclopedia. org/, Ethiopia features a “chain of lakes, including Lake Tana,” and just north of there is a spring, considered the source of the Blue Nile.
Yet, Band Aid continues, “Where nothing ever grows, no rain nor rivers flow.”
In addition to lakes and a spring, there are mountains, valleys, plateaus, and a rainforest. Yes, there is a desert, but the images we saw on the small screen were not the bigger picture. The New World Encyclopedia website describes it as a “great diversity of terrain.”
According to worldvision.org, the famine was caused by “recurring drought, failed harvests, food scarcity, conflict that kept aid from reaching people in occupied territory, and government policies that relocated families and routed relief to certain areas.”
“And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmas time. The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life,” they sang.
Well, they may be half right. Both websites confirmed that over one million people died during the famine, so they were in survival mode.
However, I don’t think anyone in East Africa expected snow at any time. According to doesitsnowin. com, it doesn’t snow in Ethiopia, except maybe on the tallest mountain.
“Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?” they ask.
Until looking it up, I would’ve said, “No, and they don’t care because they don’t celebrate Christmas.”
But New World Encyclopedia stated that the 1994 census showed Ethiopia to be 61.6% Christian and 32.8% Muslim, along with 12% animist and 3-8% “Other, including Jews.” So, I guess, over half of them probably did know it was Christmas. While trying to survive, I don’t think they were looking for presents from Santa Claus.
Besides the inaccuracies depicting the African country, what irks me the most about this song is the blatant shaming of the public. These rich superstars were being used to pour the guilt onto the working and middle class, who may or may not be able to afford to donate.
There are lines like, “And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy,” “At Christmas time it’s hard, but when you’re having fun, There’s a world outside your window, And it’s a world of dread and fear,” and then, Bono belts out, “Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you.” Ugh.
According to wror.com, it worked. The single sold a million copies in one week and raised $24 million, so mission accomplished for co-writer and organizer Bob Geldof. By the way, it also mentioned that Geldof wrote the song with Midge Ure and had 24 hours to get everyone into the SARM Studios in the Notting Hill district of London for the recording and mixing, before releasing it four days later on Nov. 29, 1984.
Hey, if you can afford to donate and want to, good for you. But, especially around Christmas, it can be overwhelming the number of charities to choose from. The key is to pick a charity that means something to you. Know that you make a difference in the world, however you choose to give in time, item donations or money.
My final complaint about this song is that it’s an earworm that may stick with you from here through Christmas.
So, sing it with me: “Feed the wo-r-ld. Let them know it’s Christmastime again.”
By Natasha Dunagan
