Classic Charity Single Hits UK’s Music Stores

Released on Monday 29th November, the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" has successfully drawn large crowds to music stores across England. Long queues were seen particularly outside HMV’s flagship store in Central London on Oxford Street. More than 200 HMV Record stores, one of Britain’s largest music retailers, opened an hour early at 8am, anticipating the mass of customers.

The single is attractive in many ways, particularly in terms of its familiarity to many young adults. "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" was actually first released in 1984 and was a great success, raising millions of dollars for victims of starvation in Ethiopia. The re-make of the charity single was headed by the organiser of Band Aid, veteran rock star Bob Geldof.

This time, the single features artists including Coldplay’s Chris Martin, former Beatle Paul McCartney, U2’s Bono, Dido, and will raise money for 1.6 million victims of the ongoing strife in Darfur, Sudan. Bono is the only artist to appear on both versions of the single.

Will Young told BBC recording the song had been an "emotional" experience.

He said, "We all got into the studio and it was slightly overwhelming to see everyone in there together."

After watching a video of what it was like 20 years ago for children and their parents in Africa, he said, "Everyone was in tears but it focussed us on why we were there. Suddenly we realised there was a point to it all."

However, the World Development Movement condemned that many of the song's lyrics were "patronising, false and out of date". It said the song perpetuates the myth that Africa’s problems can somehow be blamed on lack of rainfall and failed harvests and it did not "provide a more accurate reflection of Africa and its problems".

One interviewee commented, "Sure it won’t wipe out the problem, but it will draw attention to it for a new generation."

Gennaro Castaldo, a spokesman for HMV, "I don’t know that it’s going to be the smash success that the original was, but I think it will do quite well and raise quite a bit of money for Africa."

He said that he expects the single to sell at least one million copies and to top the singles charts in Britain for several weeks.

It is thought that 100,000 copies were sold nationwide on the first day. The single is priced at £3.99 at HMV and other major retailers. The track can also be downloaded for £1.49 from online distributors from the official website.