On November 25th of 1984 a song released by a one song supergroup assembled by Bob Geldof. It featured some of the hottest musical stars in the UK and Europe of the day. They had one mission, raise money to help relieve famine in Ethiopia by recording a song.
It raised more then 8 million pounds sterling in the first year of release. It was also a sales and chart juggernaut. It entered the UK singles chart at number one, sold a million copies in the first week, and UK sales passed three million on the last day of 1984. The song also reached number one in 13 other countries.
In America it did not even make the top ten. Why the stark difference? Lack of air play by US owned radio conglomerates. Despite the lack of US radio industry support it would still sell over 2.5 million copies by 1985 and end the decade with 11.7 million copies worldwide.
The Movements it Would Inspire
The power of this gesture would show artists and entertainers around the world the power they had when they collaborated for a good cause.
In short time the 80’s would be full of these super collaborations. The very next year would see the US version of a supergroup called USA for Africa releasing their hit single “We Are the World”.
Then came the events. Live Aid, Comic Relief, Farm Aid, and more. So much more that benefit collaborations to raise money after a catastrophic event are becoming more and more common place for top artists to gather together.
How it Started
Bob Geldof saw a BBC news report on the famine that existed at the time in Ethiopia. In the report a nurse was featured. Claire Bertschinger had limited supplied and had no choice but to decide which children to feed and not to feed. Which ones she could help and which ones were too far gone for her to allocate resources to. She had to determine who lives and who dies. A nurse. Children.
Geldof said about Bertschinger in a documentary about Band Aid: “In her was vested the power of life and death. She had become godlike, and that is unbearable for anyone.”
He wanted to make a difference and collaborated with other producers to do something. Something that would allow Claire to have to make less horrific choices like that. In short time he had Duran Duran and The Human League in on the project. He knew that having the two hottest bands in London at the time that the rest would fall in, and they did.
They decided on an original song written in short time instead of a Christmas classic for one main reason. Royalties. Record something new and you do not have to pay royalties and you can funnel more money to the cause.
The name had a point. Band Aid. A Band Aid does not heal a wound, but it is part of the treatment.
The worst of the famine ended in 1985, but it would officially continue till 1992. The famine itself would end the lives of more than a third of the population. What in my lifetime was hell on earth and hard to watch on television is now a footnote in history books and Band Aid is part of that history, as is the Red Terror Trials that allowed so many to die needlessly.
The Lessons
Most of us reading this are not A-list musicians, actors, athletes or comedians. We are normal everyday people. But we were the fuel in the engine of Band Aid and all the other events and singles inspired by it. We bought the single, we gave a donation, we were co participants in making history and ending famine. We collectively made a difference.
The difference started with the news from a reputable source. From there someone had to be moved seeing a story many others saw. That person invited others to make a difference and he started with the ones who had the largest influence to get others to help. They found creative ways to reduce expenses, and then they did the thing. And if a potential partner, like America, did not join the collaboration, they persevered anyway and still collaborated with American radio and artists when they decided to join with We Are the World and Live Aid.
Stay informed from trusted sources, allow yourself to be moved, and if you cannot directly change the situation, support the ones who are trying to address the thing that moved you. Change is possible.
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