'Do They Know It's Christmas?' co-writer Midge Ure isn't a huge fan of the song

Thirty-five years ago, on Nov. 25, 1984, new wave’s elite came together to record “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” a now legendary holiday benefit single for Ethiopian famine relief. Most people remember that the Boomtown Rats’ Bob Geldof, who was inspired to do the project after watching an October 1984 BBC report about the crisis in Ethiopia, was at the helm, and that the famous song was belted by superstars like Simon Le Bon, Boy George, Sting and Bono. But not everyone realizes that Band Aid would not have existed without Midge Ure of Ultravox, who co-wrote and produced the track and even played almost all of the instruments on the final recording. Strangely, Ure doesn’t think “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” is that great a song.