"Do They Know It's Christmas" (1 Viewer)

[Encyclopedia Brown]

The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WesKXdaWBq0

I vaguely remembered the guy who sings the first two verses, his voice sounded semi-familiar, but name and face draw a blank.

He is the only one I don't recognize--I even recognized the guy from "Big Country". He somehow gets top billing over: Bono, Sting, Simon Le Bon, and Phil Collins (even Boy George and George Michael were much bigger names). That's bad enough, but then he gets a third verse at the end.

I didn't want to look it up, so I kept trying to remember.....and then finally: wait a minute, is he the everytime you go away you take a piece of me with you guy?



If there was an American equivalent for "We Are The World" it would have been the lead singer of the Knack to get three verses.

 

[Vladislav Tretiak]

Paul Young?

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Paul Young?

Yeah, that's him.Also, I didn't know until recently that Bob Geldolf (the guy who originated this idea) sang the epic one-hit wonder "I Don't Like Mondays".

 

[sjacksonfan]

Well, send'em you your heart

So they know that someone cares

And their lives will be stronger and free

 

[Saints-Man]

Paul Young?

Yeah, that's him.Also, I didn't know until recently that Bob Geldolf (the guy who originated this idea) sang "I Don't Like Mondays".

Neither I, until recently that is.

 

[BeaverCleaver]

Paul Young?

Yeah, that's him.Also, I didn't know until recently that Bob Geldolf (the guy who originated this idea) sang the epic one-hit wonder "I Don't Like Mondays".

The Boomtown Rats were a new wave group led by Geldof.All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. The name "Boomtown Rats" comes from a gang in Woody Guthrie's autobiography, Bound for Glory. They became a notable band, but one whose accomplishments were overshadowed by the charity work of lead singer Bob Geldof. They only hits the charts once in the US but they were very big in the UK.Their song "Up All Night" is part of Jim Rome's radio show.

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

God bless them for raising money but the song is awful and the guy from Big Country can have all the verses he wants.

"And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas..."

Mt. Kilimanjaro down?

 

[prosopis]

God bless them for raising money but the song is awful and the guy from Big Country can have all the verses he wants."And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas..." Mt. Kilimanjaro down?

 

[zamboni]

Dan Ackroyd should have been there.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

There's a world outside your window

And it's a world of dread and fear

Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears

One of the more upbeat Christmas tunes I must say.

 

[Osaurus]

God bless them for raising money but the song is awful and the guy from Big Country can have all the verses he wants."And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas..." Mt. Kilimanjaro down?

Stu is no longer with us so no more lyrics for him. He took his own life in 2001.

 

[zamboni]

God bless them for raising money but the song is awful and the guy from Big Country can have all the verses he wants."And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas..." Mt. Kilimanjaro down?

Stu is no longer with us so no more lyrics for him. He took his own life in 2001.

Sad - didn't know that. From wiki:

Adamson was married twice. He also had two children, born to his first wife Sandra in 1982 and 1985. After his death, some close friends were surprised to learn Adamson had long had problems with alcohol. He reportedly gave up drinking in 1985 at Live Aid, but apparently returned to drinking about a decade later. In 1996, Adamson split with Sandra and moved to Nashville[6]. There he remarried, and founded his final band, the alternative country band The Raphaels, which was really a duo of Adamson and veteran Nashville songwriter Marcus Hummon.In 1999 Stuart Adamson disappeared for a time before resurfacing, stating that he had needed some time off. His family reportedly "knew where he was" during this period, leading some to speculate that he was in rehab[7]. In November 2001, while undergoing a divorce with his second wife, Adamson disappeared again, this time to the great concern of his ex-wife Sandra and manager, Ian Grant. They initiated an international search, appealing to fans who might have been drinking with the singer to encourage him to telephone home. On 16 December 2001 he was found dead, by self-strangulation, in a room at the Best Western Plaza Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time of death he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.279%[8]. At his inquest, the coroner said that he was found kneeling with the cord around his neck with the other end wrapped around the hanging rail of the wardrobe. The coroner said that a sober person would not have been able to strangle himself in this position, since, whilst kneeling, there was no immediate pressure on the neck, and said that the cause would have been due to the amount of alcohol consumed. Only after falling unconscious did the cord tighten around his neck and so he possibly did not intend to kill himself.[citation needed]

 

[TommyGilmore]

WELL TONIGHT THANK GOD IT'S THEM, INSTEAD OF MEEEEEEEEEE!

 

[moby fan]

This is a truly awful song. The title is terrible, the melody is painful, and the lyrics are just plain strange.

We Are the World is no picnic, but it's a far better song than this turd.

Strangest lyric has to be "And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom, well tonight be thankful that it's them instead of you."

So uplifting and poignant.

 

[Mad Cow]

God bless them for raising money but the song is awful and the guy from Big Country can have all the verses he wants."And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas..." Mt. Kilimanjaro down?

Stu is no longer with us so no more lyrics for him. He took his own life in 2001.

Which makes the extended version of the song, where they have him talking in one part and says something like "Stay alive" all the more ironic.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

"Kool & Gang".

Can anyone explain their presence?

 

[Serenity Now]

It was a fundraiser for starving people in Africa. The lyrics are appropriate to the situation.

 

[The Sniper]

Thanks for posting the link. Awesome song - brings back memories of that era of music.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I still enjoy the hell out of this song, but then again, I am a sucker for 80s nostalgia.

 

[Greco]

God bless them for raising money but the song is awful and the guy from Big Country can have all the verses he wants."And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas..." Mt. Kilimanjaro down?

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

It was a fundraiser for starving people in Africa. The lyrics are appropriate to the situation.

I still enjoy the hell out of this song, but then again, I am a sucker for 80s nostalgia.

I'm a sucker for 80's nostalgia and music as much as the next guy. Hell, I even rocked the black Pumas with the fat neon checkerboard laces. But there is a such thing as overselling it.

 

[Hov34]

Whole lot of hair in that room.

 

[TidesofWar]

It was a fundraiser for starving people in Africa. The lyrics are appropriate to the situation.

Exactly

 

[Idiot Boxer]

This is a truly awful song. The title is terrible, the melody is painful, and the lyrics are just plain strange. We Are the World is no picnic, but it's a far better song than this turd. Strangest lyric has to be "And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom, well tonight be thankful that it's them instead of you."So uplifting and poignant.

I have to agree. This one always bothered me. Dear Lord, if there is suffering in this world, please let it befall others and not me.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Watched the video for the first time this season.

Still can't figure how this Paul Young dude gets the first verse and then two other verses over: Sting, Bono, Phil Collins and Simon LeBon.

And even from his contemporaries of the day: George Michael, Boy George and the girls from Bananarama.

 

[zamboni]

Watched the video for the first time this season.Still can't figure how this Paul Young dude gets the first verse and then two other verses over: Sting, Bono, Phil Collins and Simon LeBon.And even from his contemporaries of the day: George Michael, Boy George and the girls from Bananarama.

Back in 1984, Paul Young was a huge star - mainly in the UK at the time, but was just about to hit it big in the US.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Watched the video for the first time this season.

Still can't figure how this Paul Young dude gets the first verse and then two other verses over: Sting, Bono, Phil Collins and Simon LeBon.

And even from his contemporaries of the day: George Michael, Boy George and the girls from Bananarama.

Back in 1984, Paul Young was a huge star - mainly in the UK at the time, but was just about to hit it big in the US.

I sort of get it, but I just recall his USA effort: every time you go away you take a piece of me with you.And he is so lame.

 

[zamboni]

Watched the video for the first time this season.

Still can't figure how this Paul Young dude gets the first verse and then two other verses over: Sting, Bono, Phil Collins and Simon LeBon.

And even from his contemporaries of the day: George Michael, Boy George and the girls from Bananarama.

Back in 1984, Paul Young was a huge star - mainly in the UK at the time, but was just about to hit it big in the US.

I sort of get it, but I just recall his USA effort: every time you go away you take a piece of me with you.And he is so lame.

Written by Daryl Hall - another white dude with some real soul.

 

[JuniorNB]

Watched the video for the first time this season.Still can't figure how this Paul Young dude gets the first verse and then two other verses over: Sting, Bono, Phil Collins and Simon LeBon.And even from his contemporaries of the day: George Michael, Boy George and the girls from Bananarama.

Back in 1984, Paul Young was a huge star - mainly in the UK at the time, but was just about to hit it big in the US.

These We Are the World-type songs/videos are really just a time capsule of the day they were recorded. Paul Young was huge for a very brief moment in time, especially in his native England. Hell, Bananarama is in this, too. Kim Carnes had a solo lines in We Are The World and she had about as many hits as Young did. (As did James Ingram [who?])If they'd have done this two or three years ago, you might have seen Amy Whitehouse, based on the fact that she had a big song and album out at the time. It certainly isn't a case of these organizers predicting who was going to have a lasting career..As for the song, I like it. Now granted, I'm not a Christmas carol type of guy, but that's one of the few songs I won't turn off if I hear it.

 

[JuniorNB]

Watched the video for the first time this season.

Still can't figure how this Paul Young dude gets the first verse and then two other verses over: Sting, Bono, Phil Collins and Simon LeBon.

And even from his contemporaries of the day: George Michael, Boy George and the girls from Bananarama.

Back in 1984, Paul Young was a huge star - mainly in the UK at the time, but was just about to hit it big in the US.

I sort of get it, but I just recall his USA effort: every time you go away you take a piece of me with you.And he is so lame.

Written by Daryl Hall - another white dude with some real soul.

Check out his other two mini-hits- Come Back (and Stay) and Love Of The Common People. Both good tunes. (if you like 80's overproduction)

 

[zamboni]

(if you like 80's overproduction)

Who doesn't?

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

I can't recall the name of the guy at the 1:15 mark.

I recognize him, but just can't name him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cX_ncZLls

 

[zamboni]

I can't recall the name of the guy at the 1:15 mark.

I recognize him, but just can't name him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cX_ncZLls

Pretty sure that's Martin Fry - lead singer of ABC.

 

[Reaper]

(if you like 80's overproduction)

Who doesn't?

Love the song.... Love belting it out each verse in tune with the actual singer....

 

[3C's]

Also, I didn't know until recently that Bob Geldolf (the guy who originated this idea) sang the epic one-hit wonder "I Don't Like Mondays".

And played the role of Pink in the movie The Wall.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

I can't recall the name of the guy at the 1:15 mark.

I recognize him, but just can't name him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cX_ncZLls

Pretty sure that's Martin Fry - lead singer of ABC.

Great insight.I'm sure you know that the two American vocals in this song belong to Kool & Gang and Jody Whatley.

Jody Whatley is an awesome answer to trivia questions.

Nobody ever remembers her.

 

[B-Deep]

Also, I didn't know until recently that Bob Geldolf (the guy who originated this idea) sang the epic one-hit wonder "I Don't Like Mondays".

And played the role of Pink in the movie The Wall.

he has a little black book with his poems inhe's got a bag with a toothbrush and a comb infrom what I hear...

 

[zamboni]

I can't recall the name of the guy at the 1:15 mark.

I recognize him, but just can't name him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cX_ncZLls

Pretty sure that's Martin Fry - lead singer of ABC.

Great insight.I'm sure you know that the two American vocals in this song belong to Kool & Gang and Jody Whatley.

Jody Whatley is an awesome answer to trivia questions.

Nobody ever remembers her.

I didn't know who Jody Whatley was at the time, so never would have guessed her.She and Kool and The Gang are strange inclusions - not as bad as Dan Ackroyd being in USA for Africa, but still puzzling.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

I didn't know who Jody Watley was at the time, so never would have guessed her

She is the gorgeous black woman that emerges from the limo at about the 2:30 mark.And then she is in the group chorus at the 2:55 mark.I believe Jody Watley's big hit in America was "Looking For A New Love".

 

[zamboni]

I didn't know who Jody Watley was at the time, so never would have guessed her

She is the gorgeous black woman that emerges from the limo at about the 2:30 mark.And then she is in the group chorus at the 2:55 mark.I believe Jody Watley's big hit in America was "Looking For A New Love".

Yeah, I know who she is by now - just not when the song came out.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

At the 1:25 mark: Sting, Bono and Simon Lebon.

That's quite all-time good.

 

[JuniorNB]

I didn't know who Jody Watley was at the time, so never would have guessed her

She is the gorgeous black woman that emerges from the limo at about the 2:30 mark.And then she is in the group chorus at the 2:55 mark.I believe Jody Watley's big hit in America was "Looking For A New Love".

Correct. She was also the only female vocalist in the disco group Shalamar.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

The wispy, shrimpy guy at the 1:40 and 2:00 mark.

I have always assumed he was from the Pet Shop Boys.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

The dude with the long ponytail at the 2:35 and 2:54 mark.

Who is he?

 

[zamboni]

I can't recall the name of the guy at the 1:15 mark.

I recognize him, but just can't name him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cX_ncZLls

Pretty sure that's Martin Fry - lead singer of ABC.

My bad - got my Martins messed up - it's actually Martin Kemp from Spandau Ballet.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

The dude with the long ponytail at the 2:35 and 2:54 mark.Who is he?

Midge Ure from Ultravox?

 

[zamboni]

The wispy, shrimpy guy at the 1:40 and 2:00 mark.I have always assumed he was from the Pet Shop Boys.

I think that's Paul Weller (of Style Council at the time, later The Replacements)

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Andrew Ridgley contributes mightily to this song.



But he does.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

The wispy, shrimpy guy at the 1:40 and 2:00 mark.

I have always assumed he was from the Pet Shop Boys.

I think that's Paul Weller (of Style Council at the time, later The Replacements)

Also The Jam.

 

[zamboni]

Andrew Ridgley contributes mightily to this song.But he does.

He also has been tapping one of the Bananaramas (Keren Woodward) for years.