LONDON — It’s been 40 years since the release of the original version of “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” the song that brought together dozens of pop stars as Band Aid to raise money in an effort to relieve hunger from a famine in Ethiopia.
Bob Geldof, who organized the first song in 1984, released a remixed version on Monday that blends vocal contributions from current pop stars with the original vocalists, such as Sting with Ed Sheeran, Boy George with Sam Smith, and even a younger Bono paired with the current Bono.
But despite Geldof’s good intentions, Sheeran isn’t thrilled with being on the new version, according to the Daily Mail. Sheeran’s vocals were taken from a 30th anniversary version of the song recorded in 2014.
“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,” Sheeran said on Instagram. “A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg (rapper Fuse ODG). This is just my personal stance, I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one.”
Fuse ODG was highly critical of Geldof and Band Aid in a post on Facebook last week, saying he turned down an invitation to participate in 2014 because the “white savior complex is an incredibly dangerous thing which is now playing out on an individual and corporate level.”
“African problems should be solved by Africans,” the rapper writes. “We welcome anyone genuinely trying to support the continent but it needs to be a spirit of collaboration, not patronization.”
But Geldof defended the song and his efforts to help relieve famine in Africa.
“This little pop song has kept millions of people alive,” he tells The Sunday Times. “Why would Band Aid scrap feeding thousands of children dependent on us for a meal?”
Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet was more blunt in addressing Sheehan and other critics of the song, the Daily Mail reports.
“I think they should shut up, to be honest,” Hadley said during a radio appearance. “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.”