That time George Michael, Boy George & an uninvited queer star made the yuletide extra gay with this holiday classic
Netflix released a documentary about the making of the 1985 charity single “We Are The World”—featuring the likes of Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan & more—purporting it to be The Greatest Night In Pop.But that so-called “greatest night” would’ve never happened if it hadn’t been for another star-studded, chart-topping single that came before it: Band Aid’s “Do The Know It’s Christmas?”, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this holiday.And while the supergroup single has been the subject of controversy over the years, there’s no denying it’s not still a great seasonal bop!Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Back in the fall of ’84, the BBC’s reporting on a severe famine in Ethiopia brought the crisis to international attention.
Bob Geldof, the vocalist for Irish new wave band The Boomtown Rats, felt deeply shaken by the news and was compelled to help.
After chatting with Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, the pair decided they could put their musical talents to good use by crafting a song to benefit global relief organizations.Almost immediately, Geldof and Ure realized it should be a Christmas song, one they could release before the end of the year, so time was of the essence.
