On this day in 1984, musical aficionados from the worlds of pop and rock came together to record the iconic ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ single for Band Aid. The single has gone down in history as an example of the power of music to help right the wrongs in the world. The song leapt to the number one spot over the Christmas of 1984, selling over a million copies in under a week and totalling sales of three million by the end of that year. The Band Aid super-group featured the cream of eighties pop, including David Bowie, Phil Collins, George Michael, Sting, Cliff Richard and Paul McCartney.
The sales target for the single was £70,000, all of which was to be donated to the African famine relief fund. With support from Radio 1 DJs and a Top of the Pops Christmas Special, sales sky-rocketed and Geldof, feeling the strength of public opinion behind him, went toe-to-toe with the conservative government in an attempt to have tax on the single waived. Margaret Thatcher initially refused the plea, but as public outcry grew, Thatcher caved-in to public demands and the tax on sales worth nearly £9 million was donated back to charity.
Bob Geldof and a host of artists old and new have re-recorded the single to help raise funds to stem the Ebola crisis. Our infographic marks the 30th anniversary of the original recording and illustrates the movers and shakers that made this monumental milestone in pop history possible.
To view free articles examining the cause, the people, and the music, you can open the graphic as a PDF.
Headline image credit: Live Aid at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, 1985. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
The post Band Aid (an infographic) appeared first on OUPblog.
Dearest readers,
I think this might be the best collection of links I’ve ever gathered. So, you’re welcome. Have a wonderful weekend!
Next Stop Atlantic: a photo series documenting the hurling of MTA subway cars into the Atlantic Ocean to create artificial reefs for sea creatures. [My Modern Met]
“He doesn’t like George Michael! Boo!” This saxaphone player is committed. (I dare you not to laugh.) [Viddler]
There’s a reason you didn’t get an A+ on your creative writing homework. (Dare you not to laugh at this one, either.) [losteyeball]
Your head could look like a book. [Gizfactory]
Have you been reading The Morning News’s ‘Lunch Poems‘ series? [The Morning News]
The Word Guy gets PENsive. [Etyman]
Path of Protest: an interactive timeline of recent Middle East events [Guardian]
Nick Pitera does it again: a one-man Disney soundtrack. [YouTube]
Hilarious, ‘hardcore’, but fake Smithsonian ads [BostInnovation]
I know everyone has probably heard enough about ‘Friday’/Rebecca Black, but I have to offer up this if-you-laugh-you-lose challenge. [Johnny]
And finally, the award for Tweet of the Week goes to the Oxford Dictionaries team. [OxfordWords]
And this will be my trick or treat doodles for this Halloween!
Has it been a year already? Last year, Wonder Woman Day raised over $15,000.00 for the two shelters: The Raphael House of Portland Bradley-Angle House. Andy Mangels masterminded the event to be a part of national Domestic Violence Awareness Month. You can bid here. Lots of great original art by Adam Hughes, Jim Lee, Steve Rude and lots more! Even if you're not in the area, you can bid online. It's a really good cause.
WONDER WOMAN DAY II
Sunday, October 28, 2007 -- 2pm-6pm, FREE
Excalibur Comics, 2444 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon
A part of national Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
SPECIAL GUESTS SIGNING:
Phil Jimenez (Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Infinite Crisis)
Gail Simone (Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, All-New Atom)
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YEAH!!!!
Wonder WOMAN!!! if I lived anywhere near portland I would be all over this thing.
P
Well I do live close to Portland, so I might have to check it out. Any other SFG'ers gonna be there maybe we should have a meet-up?
Please check it out online, you can bid on lotsa good art for a really good cause! Can you believe the Adam Hughes piece? Yowza!