Synopsis

The video captures the making of Band Aid's charity single inside SARM West Studios in London. Bob Geldof, Midge Ure, and a remarkable lineup of British and Irish pop stars arrive to record their parts, with cameras following the hurried, collaborative session. Individual vocals, studio banter, and group performances build toward the famous chorus. Rather than presenting a scripted narrative, the film works as a candid document of musicians joining forces to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Factoids & Trivia

• The recording session took place on November 25, 1984, after Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organized the project in response to television reports about the famine in Ethiopia.

• Almost the entire record, including recording and mixing, was completed during an intense 24-hour session at SARM West Studios.

• The video was filmed during the actual recording session, giving it an unusually spontaneous feel for a major charity release. Many of the artists appear as they arrive, wait for their turns, or gather around the microphones.

• Bono reportedly recorded his solo line in one take. His urgent delivery of the line became one of the most recognizable moments in the song.

• The lineup included members of Duran Duran, Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, U2, Wham!, Ultravox, Bananarama, the Boomtown Rats, and other leading acts of the period.

• The project helped establish the all-star charity single as a major pop-cultural format. Its success also helped inspire the American project USA for Africa and the 1985 Live Aid concerts.

• George Michael's participation carried an unusual commercial twist: Wham!'s "Last Christmas" competed for the 1984 Christmas market, but the duo donated its royalties to the Band Aid cause.

• The original video was later followed by new versions connected to Band Aid II in 1989, Band Aid 20 in 2004, and Band Aid 30 in 2014.