Do They Know It's Christmas?

Do They Know It's Christmas? was wrriten by Geldof and Ure after Geldof had seen a BBC report by Michael Buerk highlighting the famine of Ethiopia and wanted to raise money. Geldof kept a November appointment with BBC Radio 1 DJ Richard Skinner to appear on his show and he used his airtime to publicise the idea for the charity single.

Geldof called many of the most popular British and Irish performers of the time, persuading them to give their time free. The recording studio gave Band Aid no more than 24 free hours to record and mix the record, on 25 November 1984. The recording took place between 11am and 7pm, and was filmed by director Nigel Dick to be released as the pop video though some basic tracks had been recorded the day before at Midge Ure's home studio. The first tracks to be recorded were the group / choir choruses which were filmed by the international press. The footage was rushed to newsrooms where it aired while the remainder of the recording process continued.

After Live Aid, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was re-released in late 1985 in a set that included a special-edition 'picture disc' version, modeled after the Live Aid logo with 'Band' in place of 'Live'. An added bonus, "One Year On" (a statement from Geldof and Ure on the telephone) was available as a b-side. "One Year On" can also be found in transcript form in a booklet which was included in the DVD set of Live Aid, the first disc of which features the BBC news report, as well as the Band Aid video.

The original Band Aid ensemble consisted of:
 * Adam Clayton (U2)
 * Phil Collins (Genesis, solo)
 * Bob Geldof (Boomtown Rats)
 * Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet)
 * Chris Cross (Ultravox)
 * John Taylor (Duran Duran)
 * Paul Young
 * Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet)
 * Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17)
 * Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran)
 * Simon Crowe (Boomtown Rats)
 * Marilyn
 * Keren Woodward (Bananarama)
 * Martin Kemp (Spandau Ballet)
 * Jody Watley (Shalamar)
 * Bono (U2)
 * Paul Weller (The Style Council)
 * James "J.T." Taylor (Kool & the Gang)
 * George Michael (Wham!)
 * Midge Ure (Ultravox)
 * Martyn Ware (Heaven 17)
 * John Keeble (Spandau Ballet)
 * Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet)
 * Roger Taylor (Duran Duran)
 * Sarah Dallin (Bananarama)
 * Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama)
 * Pete Briquette (Boomtown Rats)
 * Francis Rossi (Status Quo)
 * Robert 'Kool' Bell (Kool & the Gang)
 * Dennis J. T. Thomas (Kool & the Gang)
 * Andy Taylor (Duran Duran)
 * Jon Moss (Culture Club)
 * Sting (The Police)
 * Rick Parfitt (Status Quo)
 * Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran)
 * Johnny Fingers (Boomtown Rats)
 * David Bowie
 * Boy George (Culture Club)
 * Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
 * Paul McCartney (Former member of The Beatles)
 * Stuart Adamson (Big Country)
 * Bruce Watson (Big Country)
 * Tony Butler (Big Country)
 * Mark Brzezicki (Big Country)