Bob Geldof has revealed he has reached out to Ed Sheeran over criticisms aimed at the new Band Aid charity single – but is still waiting for a chat.
The co-writer of Do They Know It’s Christmas? told how he had put in a call to Shape Of You popstar Sheeran who has spoken out against a 40th anniversary rerecording.
Sheeran, 33, announced last week he would have preferred his vocal contributions from a 2014 recording were not used on the new version released this week.
Geldof has also been defending the song against criticism that it fuels ‘pity rather than partnership’ while promoting harmful stereotypes about Africa.
Fellow musicians have turned on Sheeran in the escalating controversy, with Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley telling him to ‘shut up’ – but Geldof today suggested he wanted a more amicable ‘debate’ with the younger star.
Trevor Horn, producer of the fresh 40th anniversary version having previously performed the same role in 1984 for the original single, has also now responded to Sheeran after his Instagram comments last week.
A devastating famine in Ethiopia inspired Geldof to launch Band Aid in 1984, writing Do They Know It’s Christmas? alongside Ultravox frontman Midge Ure and then organise the fundraising Live Aid concerts staged in July 1985.
Sheeran revealed last week his unhappiness about his vocals being used in the new rerecording which is being officially made available this Friday.
He said he would have ‘respectfully declined’ permission for re-use of his contribution to the 30th anniversary production from 2014 – while other critics in the past have included Lily Allen and Damon Albarn.
Sheeran revealed how his concerns about the song followed points made by his friend Fuse ODG, a London-born Ghanaian-English rapper.
Fuse ODG – real name Nana Richard Abiona – spoke out last week, as he released a response called We Know It’s Christmas and urged the BBC not to promote the song.
Sheeran, 33, originally featured on the 2014 version of the track alongside the likes of Sting and Harry Styles which aimed to raise money for the Ebola relief efforts.
Taking to his Instagram stories on Sunday last week, Sheeran posted: ‘My approval wasn’t sought on this new Band Aid 40 release and had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals.
‘A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance, I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one. Love to all x.’
Fuse ODG himself rejected an offer to take part in the 2014 version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? on which Sheeran featured.
The rapper wrote on his Facebook page last week: ‘Ten years ago today, I said NO to Bob Geldof’s Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas project due to the fact it’s a campaign that dehumanises Africans and destroys our pride and identity in the name of ‘charity’.’
But Geldof today told presenter Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show Lorraine that he was happy to debate with Sheeran while also promoting the impact the single with its fundraising power provides for humanitarian disaster victims still starving.
When asked by the host whether he found criticism of Band Aid ‘irksome’, Geldof insisted: ‘No, genuinely not.
‘The necessary part of this is that opinions have changed over the years. Sentiment changes, sensibility changes, opinion changes over 40 years – and that’s correct, you can’t stay static.
‘You’ve got to find different ways of combating these issues and different ways of talking about them and what we’re celebrating here is – none of these arguments would get any oxygen if Band Aid didn’t come out.
‘Ed says, ‘This is what I feel now’. I’ve put in the call – he’s a really lovely man, he’s an intelligent guy, he’s a major artist and we’ll have a chat and either agree or disagree but we talk about it.
‘The debate must be made and it means we can argue our point of view even more strongly – so that’s where I’m at with this.’
Geldof went on to urge people to purchase the new release and help back Band Aid’s work providing much-needed food and relief for people, adding: ‘It’s really simple for me – there’s a hungry child and there’s a meal and this record interposes them. If you love the song, buy it.
‘It’s a little piece of rock and roll history, buy it just for that, but understand – genuinely understand – that the moment you get this record you’ve interposed your himself between that meal and that hungry child.
‘And I swear to you, I swear to you, that money you’ve spent on that track will go to that meal and will go to that child and they will go to bed tonight or tomorrow more protected and able to maybe give them back their dignity, give them back their agency, get back on their feet and hopefully start their journey back too.’
has approached Sheeran’s representatives for comment.
His latest comments follow a growing backlash against Sheeran’s remarks, with Hadley – who featured on the original 1984 version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? – saying critics of the track ought to keep quiet.
Hadley told Radio 2’s The Jeremy Vine Show on Monday: ‘I think they should shut up, to be honest. We were there. I mean, if you take that route, then nobody does anything to help anybody. It’s just nonsense.
‘I mean, you know, do we get rid of Children In Need? Because you say, well, the government should supply all the funds for everything.
‘You know, everybody’s trying to do their bit to support various charities, and we were doing our bit innocently to support what was happening in Ethiopia and in Africa, and it’s still going on.
‘That’s the other thing – it’s still going on, so do we sit back and we do nothing? So, I’m sorry, but I don’t think so.’
Meanwhile, Horn said that after hearing of Sheeran’s latest thoughts he could have ‘gladly not used him’ on the new version.
This new mix combines the recordings done in 1984, 2004 and 2014 – meaning a young Sting sing alongside a young Ed Sheeran, a young Boy George with a young Sam Smith, a young George Michael beside a young Harry Styles.
The young Bono features with an older Bono, Chris Martin with Guy Garvey, the Sugababes and Bananarama, Seal and Sinead O’Connor, Rita Ora and Robbie Williams, Kool and the Gang and Underworld.
Other stars featuring include Paul McCartney, Sting, John Taylor, Phil Collins, Roger Taylor, Paul Weller, Damon Albarn, Midge Ure, Johnny Greenwood, Gary Kemp and Justin Hawkins.
Horn, who also produced the 1984 original, has now said of the song: ‘I think it was done with the best intentions, and so I think it’s not a good idea to misinterpret it as some, some kind of patronising thing.
‘It was done to help. And really it was extraordinary that the music business could achieve that much. I don’t think anyone ever anticipated that it would bring get that kind of money together.’
In response to Sheeran’s criticisms, he added: ‘I’m sorry Ed Sheeran is not happy. If I’d have known, I would have gladly not used him.’
Gig promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who was behind the 1985 Live Aid concert,said: ‘Yeah, exactly. Stuff him.
Goldsmith told of writing cheques worth £3million in the past seven months from cash raised by the Band Aid Trust to support school and medical projects.
He told the Jeremy Vine programme: ‘The charities don’t have a problem whatsoever coming to us to ask for grants every single day of the week, so they don’t have a problem.
‘I don’t know what Ed Sheeran’s problem is, nor this other chap who I’ve never actually heard of personally.
‘But anyway, I don’t know what his problem is, but nevertheless, there is famine raging, and this is partly because of the climate change issues, because there’s been either no rain whatsoever and it’s baking dry, or there’s so much rain that the earth can’t soak it up.
‘And that’s what’s going on, and we need to be mindful of that – and yeah, if we can help, we’ll help. And if they don’t like it, we’re very happy to look elsewhere.’
But the song’s co-writer Ure appeared more conciliatory, saying: ‘It’s rather unfortunate we didn’t run it past Ed.
‘He’s a lovely guy – and it should have been permission asked him, requested for but when all the artists commit to recording any of the Band Aid tracks, versions that have been out there, they are actually giving their permission for it.’
Meanwhile, Geldof became emotional when he appeared as a guest on Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 breakfast show on Monday for the first public broadcast of Do They Know It’s Christmas? 2024 Ultimate Mix, marking 40 years since the original release.
Sounding choked up, he told the presenter: ‘I think it’s a work of art. Aren’t the voices incredible?
‘I think it’s one of the greatest production art that has ever been done on a rock and roll record. Genuinely.’
Ball called the track ‘an extraordinary record’, adding: ‘We’ve both had a cry and it’s that thing, there’s so many people involved in that, that perhaps aren’t with us anymore, and this time of year, we think of those.’
Geldof had earlier responded to criticism of Do They Know It’s Christmas? in an interview with the Sunday Times at the weekend.
He said: ‘This little pop song has kept millions of people alive. Why would Band Aid scrap feeding thousands of children dependent on us for a meal?
‘There are 600million hungry people in the world – 300 million are in Africa. We wish it were other but it is not. We can help some of them. That’s what we will continue to do.’