Maybe it’s because I can still remember the MTV debut of this video.

Maybe it’s the simple optimism and self-importance of this song.

Maybe it’s because they pulled British legends and one-hit wonders into a studio at the same time.

Maybe it’s Bono’s “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” -inspired yelp, George Michael’s comically committed lead vocals or Phil Collins’ pursed lips as he throws down the beat with great conviction and altruistic passion.

Maybe it’s the bouncy beat, clanging synthesized bells and the killer hook that you hear once and it’s forever embedded in your head.

Whatever it is, “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid will always remain in my holiday top 5.

When the song was released in 1984, it really meant something to me and my friends. We were going to save the world, one song at a time.

Twenty-five years later, “Do They Know It’s Christmas” still sounds as optimistic and positive as it did then.

Maybe we didn’t feed the world. But we can always appreciate a great holiday one-hit wonder. And that’s exactly what you’re hearing here because “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid reached #13 on the Billboard Top 40 in 1985, making Band Aid a one-hit wonder.

Buy the song

Watch this video again and go back in time when 80s British pop stars ruled the new wave charts.

Listen to “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid