<P> `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' is a song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in reaction to television reports of the 1983 -- 85 famine in Ethiopia . It was first recorded in a single day on 25 November 1984 by Band Aid , a supergroup put together by Geldof and Ure and consisting mainly of the biggest British and Irish musical acts at the time . The single was released in the United Kingdom on 3 December 1984 and aided by considerable publicity it entered the UK Singles Chart at number one and stayed there for five weeks , becoming the Christmas number one of 1984 . The record became the fastest selling single in UK chart history , selling a million copies in the first week alone and passing 3 million on the last day of 1984 , on the way to becoming the biggest selling single of all time in the UK . It held this title until 1997 when it was overtaken by Elton John 's `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' , released in tribute to Princess Diana following her death . The original version of `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' has sold 3.79 million copies in the UK to date . </P>
<P> `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' is a song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in reaction to television reports of the 1983 -- 85 famine in Ethiopia . It was first recorded in a single day on 25 November 1984 by Band Aid , a supergroup put together by Geldof and Ure and consisting mainly of the biggest British and Irish musical acts at the time . The single was released in the United Kingdom on 3 December 1984 and aided by considerable publicity it entered the UK Singles Chart at number one and stayed there for five weeks , becoming the Christmas number one of 1984 . The record became the fastest selling single in UK chart history , selling a million copies in the first week alone and passing 3 million on the last day of 1984 , on the way to becoming the biggest selling single of all time in the UK . It held this title until 1997 when it was overtaken by Elton John 's `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' , released in tribute to Princess Diana following her death . The original version of `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' has sold 3.79 million copies in the UK to date . </P>
who sings do they know it 's christmas
who sings do they know it 's christmas
Band Aid
Band Aid