There Won't Be Snow in Africa

Over the years, I've penned a couple of posts about how the premature influx of Christmas music turns me into Grinchy McScrooge (especially when forced to endure tireless rotations and sickly R&B incarnations of "Sleigh Bells" and the like while doing my laundry in our building's basement, i.e. "the Christmas Prison"). But it occurred to me a day or so ago that here we are in late December and I haven't heard Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" a single time. Really, not even once. And while it inarguably launched a thousand preening pop stars to get all faux-altruistic, it still brings me right back to high school. While that's not always a good thing, in this case it is. So here's a Christmas gift that maybe only I will enjoy. Joyeux Noel, y'all.

Comments

[Account Deleted]

Tonight, thank God it's them... instead of you!!!

[Alexandra]

The first record I ever bought was this single.
I was 13 years old. *sigh*

[EV Grieve]

Why did Paul Young get to sing first...?

And Tony Hadley! Gary Kemp on guitar...

Oh, happy holidays.

[Alex in NYC]

I'm always struck my Simon LeBon's heroically bad vocal turn on this -- made all the worse by making him stand next to Bono & Sting (two gents who can actually sing). I love me some Duran Duran, but oof is our boy out of his depth there.

And yes, Tony Hadley should have been dragged outside, pelted with mud, hit with sticks and ridiculed. That would have been the Christmassy thing to do.

[Alexandra]

Why Paul Young got to sing first? Easy: he had a great voice back then and was at the height of his career. And yes, I was a fan! :)

[MEK]

Love the song...here is the order of the singers (I think) please correct me if I'm wrong...don't know all the versus... for those who are keeping track:

1. Paul Young

2. Boy George

3. George Michael

4. Simon LeBon

5. Simon LeBon and Sting.

6. Tom Hadley

7. Sting, Simon Le Bon and Sting.

8. Bono

9. Phil Collins.

10. Paul Weller