The original Band Aid raised £8 million in its first 12 months, and the Band Aid Charitable Trust has since contributed almost £150 million to causes across Africa. Today, funds continue to support food security, medical aid, and disaster relief, with £2.45 million spent on charitable activities in the financial year ending November 2023.

Bob Geldof has consistently defended Band Aid’s legacy, and in a recent interview on BBC’s The One Show, he emphasised the song’s global influence: “This song, for whatever reason, has become an instrument of change. What an American paper called two weeks ago probably the most powerful song in rock ‘n’ roll history.” He added, “You track it from those first moments with those kids right through to Live Aid, you put it all together and get a concert. That concert made, in today’s money, £480 million a week, and it created a vast lobby for change.”

Geldof argued that the song’s continuing presence in public debate demonstrates its relevance: “Other people have a different opinion of it because over 40 years, opinions and sensibilities change. That’s what makes it powerful. Because it did all the things I said, yet raises the debate. And the debate is fantastic—it gives us immense political access again.”

However, criticism surrounding Band Aid’s portrayal of Africa persists. Plenty have questioned its imagery and lyrics, arguing they perpetuate stereotypes of Africa as helpless and reliant on Western aid. Peter Gill, one of the few Western journalists in Ethiopia during the 1984 famine, described Band Aid’s portrayal of Ethiopia as reductive, saying, “Instead of its glorious past and rich culture, we now associate Ethiopia with famine.”

BBC journalist Michael Buerk, whose 1984 report spurred Geldof into action, later reflected on the famine’s impact: “It changed everything and nothing. It altered the rich world’s sense of responsibility, but didn’t solve anything. Ethiopia’s food insecurity gets worse, not better.”

The new #BandAid40 is not claiming to be better than the original but it’s amazing to have so many British pop stars altogether on one record.
It is a culmination of the work achieved over the past 40 yrs and it’s a great to be transported back to a more simple time #theoneshow

— Sharon (@see75) November 25, 2024

Artists have also joined the conversation. Bono, who features in every Band Aid version, has acknowledged the limits of aid: “Aid is just a stopgap. Commerce and entrepreneurial capitalism take more people out of poverty than aid. We need Africa to become an economic powerhouse.” The release of Band Aid 40 hasn’t been without controversy. Ed Sheeran recently criticised the inclusion of his vocals from Band Aid 30 without his consent, and Fuse ODG, who declined to participate in 2014, reignited debate over the song’s messaging. 

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On The One Show, Geldof framed the controversy itself as part of the song’s impact: “Without it, there is no debate. Now it’s out in the public, it is being talked about, and that gives us immense political access again. So everything about this song is amazing.” 

The debate has also made national news, with Geldof making an appearance on ITV News. In an interview with Nina Nannar, Geldof directly addressed the Ed Sheeran and ODG Fuse comments, saying: “I don’t know what they’re on about. But I do want them to go on about it.”

Despite the debate, Band Aid has undeniably provided critical support over the decades. Hospitals, food programs, and disaster relief initiatives have benefitted from its funds. Yet the underlying questions remain: can similar projects inspire sustainable change, or do they risk reinforcing outdated narratives and stereotypes?

Band Aid 40 is now available for streaming, and physical releases are set for November 29. The funds raised by the single will go to the Band Aid Charitable Trust.

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The original single, created by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984, went to number 1 in the UK for five weeks and successfully sold over 3 million copies. The original inspiration to create Band Aid came as a reaction to the BBC news reports of October 1984 of countless people starving to death in Ethiopia. This prompted the general public to donate to worldwide children charities and eventually to Geldof and Ure to create the single, and with it, an immensely important legacy. 

This tradition continues 40 years later. Band Aid 40 is set to feature a mix of previous artists, including pre-recorded voices of those who have since passed away, such as George Michael (2016) and Sinead O’Connor (2023). Overall, the Band Aid Charitable Trust has reportedly raised over £140 million in the past 40 years. 

In 1985, the year following the original “Do They Know It’s Christmas’ release, the first ever Live Aid took place. The charity benefit concert was founded by Geldof and Ure following the success of the first single. It took place in Wembley Stadium, London, with a partner concert happening simultaneously in Pennsylvania, USA. The concert, which was shown in 150 countries, raised £114 million.

The single has been rerecorded on previous occasions, notably for the 20th and 30th anniversaries. In 2004 for the 20th anniversary version, more commonly known as Band Aid 20, artists such as Chris Martin of Coldplay, Bono of U2 and Fran Healy of Travis, all featured. On this occasion, the aim was to provide relief for Darfur, a region in the country of Sudan. 

In 2014 for the 30th anniversary, known as Band Aid 30, artists such as One Directions, Rita Ora, Ed Sheeran and more all featured. This single aimed to raise money for the Ebola Crisis in Western Africa, which was rampant in 2014. According to The Guardian, when this single debuted on X Factor, the single raised £1 million in minutes.

Producer Trevor Horn has worked on the song to blend a mix of old and new voices. According to the BBC, artists including Ed Sheeran, Sting, Boy George, Sugababes, Sam Smith, Bono and Chris Martin will all be a part of the song, as well as Harry Styles, Rita Ora, Guy Garvey, Seal, Robbie Williams, Kool and the Gang, and Underworld.  The new version is set to release on streaming services and radio on November 25. It will also be released in physical CD and LP form November 29. 

The fourth in lead was Mariah Carey’s 1994 Christmas hit “All I Want For Christmas”. Third, in lead was “Christmas Drillings” by British YouTube group Sidemen featuring British Rapper JME released on the 4th of December 2022, making it the first ever song within the drill genre to enter the festive chart.  The runner-up was Wham’s 1984 Christmas hit “Last Christmas”. 

Now LadBaby remains the King of his Christmas Number 1 throne, even beating The Beatles’ record of UK number one singles overall. All thanks to the UK’s Number one “Food Aid” (A cover of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?“) which has now brought justice to charity campaigners. From the single alone, this has paved a way for profits to be split accordingly between the food bank charity, The Trussell Trust and the Band-Aid Trust.

LadBaby shared his thoughts with OfficialCharts.com, “I can’t quite believe it! We’re number one! The charity has made it five years in a row. How have we done this again? We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us for the last five years. A massive apology to The Beatles, and to all The Beatles’ fans… I’m sorry! The charity wins. The Trussell Trust gets Christmas number one again!

“Thank you to all the people who have downloaded, all the people who believed in us and brought a bit of Christmas magic. We love you all. Yes mate!” 

Here are all of LadBaby’s five consecutive Number 1 single from 2018-2022:

2018: “We Built This City”

2019: “I Love Sausage Rolls”

2020: “Don’t Stop Me Eatin”

2021: “Sausage Rolls For Everyone” ft Ed Sheeran and Elton John

2022: “Food Aid” ft Martin Lewis

LadBaby refused to share his thoughts on making a sixth attempt on the charts next year. However, his wife Roxanne told the BBC her thoughts, “We didn’t want to come back this year but unfortunately, the food banks are in emergency crisis. We didn’t want to turn our backs on so many people. We get messages everyday from nurses, teachers, children and families who are struggling.  You don’t want music to become something people get annoyed with [but] that’s why we did it.”

LadBaby adds on to say, “We want to do whatever we can at Christmas to support food banks, and if that isn’t in the form of a song, it doesn’t mean we won’t show up somewhere else. Plans are always afoot. Don’t rule us out. You think we can’t sing? Wait until we go somewhere else and can’t do that, too.“