Christmas charity song covered for the umpteenth time

It’s all for a good cause, of course. Christmas charity song ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ has once again been covered and released, this time to raise monies for victims of the super-disease, Ebola.

Going under the banner ‘Band Aid 30’, the song and video feature snippets by a host of contemporary and veteran artists delivering the classic lyrics for a good cause.

On the modern front are Paloma Faith, Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, the boys from One Direction, Olly Murs, Ed Sheeran and a handful of others, and of the well-established army are Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, U2’s Bono, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Seal, Sinead O’Connor and Bob Geldof, the man credited with bringing the original version of the song to light back in 1984 when it was first released to raise monies for victims of starvation in Africa.

The lyrics to ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ have been altered to reflect the tragedy of Ebola, with a focus on the dilemma the disease is causing in West Africa.

The music video begins with disturbing images of an Ebola victim’s body being carried away, before switching to London’s Sarm Studios where musicians get out of limos to do their bit for the record.

Says Bob Geldof: “Ebola is the most anti-human disease” known to mankind, adding how the disease is also spreading paranoia of physical contact due to peoples’ fear of contagion. Geldof also said, with fairly militant approach, “We go to war; we’re going to stop this thing. Buy this song.”

According to the World Health Organisation, Ebola has claimed more than 5,000 lives since last December.

‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ is one of the most popular charity songs in the history of music. Since its initial release, it has been re-recorded several times including in 1989 by Band Aid II, and in 2004 by Band Aid 20, again raising funds for famine relief. It has also been covered and referenced in the form of parody many a time including a tasteless version by Britpop act Pulp in which the video featured impersonators dressed as some of the same artists from the original song.  Antonino Tati

View the video above or view the vid and download the song here.

THE FULL LIST OF ARTISTS IN BAND AID 30:

Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)

Bono (U2)

Chris Martin (Coldplay)

Sinead O’Connor

Roger Taylor (Queen)

Paloma Faith

Ellie Goulding

Sam Smith

Underworld

Bastille

Ed Sheeran

One Direction

Elbow

Rita Ora

Clean Bandit

Olly Murs

Seal

Jimmy Napes

Emile Sandé

Anélique Kidjo

Disclosure

Jessie Ware

Fuse ODG

Bob Geldof (co-writer of the song)

Midge Ure (co-writer of the song)