Band Aid II - Do They Know It's Christmas

The song was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. The 1989 version of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was recorded under the name of Band Aid II in 1989, and produced by successful British production team, Stock Aitken Waterman. It was released on December 11, 1989 with the instrumental version on the B-side. The project aimed to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia, similar to the original effort in 1984.

Band Aid II featured a new lineup of artists, including Kylie Minogue, Lisa Stansfield, Bananarama, Jason Donovan, Cliff Richard, Bros, Chris Rea and others. Bananarama’s Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward became the only artists to appear on both the 1984 and 1989 versions of the record. The song was a re-recording of the original, featuring a slightly updated arrangement but maintaining the core message and purpose of the initial version.

The song spent three weeks at number one in the UK, becoming the Christmas number one single and the last number one single of the 1980s, but it didn’t reach the same level of impact and commercial success as the original Band Aid recording. Nevertheless, it still contributed to raising awareness and funds for the charitable cause, albeit to a lesser extent than the first iteration.