Madonna backs new Band Aid single
Madonna has lent her support to the new Band Aid single by recording an introduction to the song’s music video. The pop queen will tell fans to “feed the world” before the video gets its premiere on BBC One on Thursday.
Madonna was not among the stars who assembled to record “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in London at the weekend. Bono re-recorded his famous line “Well, tonight thank God it’s them instead of you” on Sunday but The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins wants his version used instead.
Producers are even considering releasing two different versions of the single.
The single will get its first radio play on stations around the UK at 0800 GMT on Tuesday and will be released on 29 November. It will raise money for food aid in Darfur, Sudan.
When the video is unveiled at 1755 GMT on BBC One on Thursday, Madonna will be seen introducing it – as David Bowie did before the original.
“Twenty years ago I performed at Live Aid,” she will tell viewers. “You saw me and my generation demanding a change“.
“Once again, here we are 20 years later and more people die of hunger in Africa than war and Aids put together. In a world of plenty, it is hard to imagine that there are African children going to bed tonight hungry. Bob Geldof and his friends are here to remind you that none of us can forget. Not ever. Feed the world. I am honoured to introduce Band Aid 20.”
The video will feature stars including Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Will Young, Jamelia, Sugababes and Busted, who took part in the recording sessions at the weekend.
The single will be titled Band Aid 20 to mark the 20th anniversary of the original song, which featured stars such as George Michael, Duran Duran and Phil Collins. It was organised by Geldof after he saw news footage of the starving in Ethiopia, and sold more than 3.5 million copies in the UK alone.
Sold on CD for £3.99 and also available as a download, the new version is hot favourite to be Christmas number one in the UK this year.
Retailers expect to sell about 500,000 copies in its first week.
Woolworths and Virgin Megastores will give their proceeds to the Band Aid Trust charity, while Chancellor Gordon Brown has decided not to charge VAT.
Source: BBC News