Bob Geldof has expressed his intent to have a candid discussion with Ed Sheeran following the controversy surrounding the 2024 reimagining of Do They Know It’s Christmas?. The updated version of the Band Aid classic, produced by Trevor Horn, marks the 40th anniversary of the iconic charity single and features vocals from artists across its 1984, 2004, and 2014 editions.
The star-studded lineup includes Sting, Boy George, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Chris Martin, and more, united once again to raise awareness for global hunger. However, Sheeran, who contributed to the 2014 version, recently voiced his objections, claiming he would have declined involvement due to a “shifted understanding” of the song’s narrative.
In an interview with Billboard, Geldof responded to Sheeran’s remarks, calling him “a good bloke and a massive talent” while acknowledging the need for open dialogue. “I put in the call. We’ll have a chat. We’ll agree, we’ll disagree, whatever the f**k. We’ll sort it out. That’s the way stuff gets done,” he said.
While Geldof defended the enduring mission of Band Aid, he also welcomed the ongoing cultural debate surrounding the single. “That’s fantastic, because then you can access the politics with the culture debate as sensitivities and sensibilities and opinions change and just absorb it all. This little pop song has kept millions of people alive.”
Midge Ure, co-creator of Band Aid, echoed Geldof’s sentiments, emphasizing the positive impact of the project despite its criticisms. “We’ve had 40 years of this. The amazing thing is we’re talking about this piece of music, this little pop song, 40 years later. And it’s not an exclusive club; any musician can stand up and say, ‘Well (proceeds from) my next record are going to go to whatever and I will do with them what I see fit.’ Fine. But in order to do that you don’t have to try to destroy something that has been nothing but good. And that’s what seems to happen. But for God’s sake, it’s a piece of music and it’s not made to be analysed,” he said.
Geldof closed his statement with a powerful reminder: “There are 600 million hungry people in the world – 300 million are in Africa. We wish it were other but it is not. We can help some of them. That’s what we will continue to do.”
Photo: Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty; Lionel Hahn/Getty, Steve Hurrell/Redferns via Getty Images
