Hit Parade: The Charity Megasingle Edition

Host: Chris Molanphy
Date: July 28, 2017

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Hit Parade, hosted by pop-chart analyst Chris Molanphy, explores the distinctive phenomenon of the “charity megasingle”—star-studded songs recorded to raise money for humanitarian causes. Molanphy takes listeners on a deep dive into the history, impact, and legacy of musical charity events and singles, with a central focus on the two most iconic examples: Band Aid's “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and USA for Africa’s “We Are the World.” The episode investigates why these two singles became such massive hits, their social and commercial context, and how they set the template for countless imitators.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Origins of the Charity Megasingle

• Live Aid and Its Predecessors

  • Recounts the scale and impact of Live Aid (07/13/1985), emphasizing how the shows in London and Philadelphia closed with charity singles instead of rock bands, using group sing-alongs that had just topped the charts (00:00–02:08).
  • “It’s not unusual to close a multi-artist concert…with a communal sing-along. But what made these two songs unusual was they were conceived and recorded from the start for big group sing-alongs.” — Chris Molanphy (02:08)

• Foundations: The Concert for Bangladesh (1971)

  • George Harrison's imperial moment and the template it set for charity supergroup events (05:53–13:56).
  • Notable for both musical merit and the precedent it set in harnessing celebrity power for charitable causes (09:59–10:16).
  • “What made the Concert for Bangladesh vital was the template it created for the all-star charity recording project.” — Chris Molanphy (14:16)

• Precedents and Parodies

  • Mentions The Last Waltz (1976) and the campy, anti-drug “Get High on Yourself” (1981) as forerunners blending celebrity spectacle with cause (16:09–21:10).
  • “A gaggle of famous people behind a handful of microphones harmonizing for the cameras…begins to take a veneer of social justice, a dose of camp, a vibe of aw shucks, let's put on a show.” — Chris Molanphy (17:07)

The Anatomy and Success of Band Aid and USA for Africa

• Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (UK, 1984)

  • Conceived in response to the Ethiopian famine, assembled by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure (21:10–25:15).
  • The song’s structure intentionally showcased a succession of superstar solos before the group chorus — “like a modern skyscraper designed to provide as many windows as possible so every executive in the company can boast of a corner office.” — Chris Molanphy (25:15)
  • The simultaneous release of single, music video, and "making-of" documentary in the MTV era turned it into a rewatchable event as well as a musical hit (25:15–27:40).

• USA for Africa’s “We Are the World” (US, 1985)

  • Inspired by Band Aid, starring an even larger group of American celebrities, orchestrated by Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and Harry Belafonte (27:40–32:36).
  • The songwriting process adapted Band Aid’s chorus-driven structure, added an American gospel tradition, and supersized the solo count (32:49–33:13).
  • The song debuted at #1, became a radio staple, and won major Grammy awards. The commercial and cultural impact was extraordinary (05:19–05:53).
  • “Team USA basically just supersized the Geldof template. The running time nearly doubles from Christmas’s under 4 minutes to World’s 7 minutes and 5 seconds. And the team of about a dozen British soloists on Christmas swells to 19 American soloists...” — Chris Molanphy (30:28)
  • Iconic moments: Cyndi Lauper’s bridge, the Springsteen–Wonder duet, Bob Dylan’s “Bob Dylan impression” (33:13–35:35).

• Chart Dynamics and Radio Traction

  • In the US, airplay contributed as much as sales—a contrast to the UK model (35:35–39:05).
  • “To get on the radio you need the musical equivalent of the movie trailer moment, and both Christmas and World have those in spades.” — Chris Molanphy (35:35)

• Comparison, Critique, and Legacy

  • Debate among critics and fans about which song aged better; UK’s “Christmas” remains a holiday staple, America’s “World” is an ‘80s nostalgia item (33:13–39:05).
  • “I’m not interested in taking sides...mostly, I’m interested in the radio.” — Chris Molanphy (35:35)

The Second Wave and Imitators

• Charity Single Imitators and Genre Expansions

  • Canada’s “Tears Are Not Enough” by Northern Lights peaks at #1 at home, unnoticed in the US (41:12–41:45).
  • “Hearing Aid” (heavy metal’s answer to Band Aid/USA for Africa) is hampered by contractual issues; “Artists United Against Apartheid/Sun City” considered a critical, if modest, chart success, and a social catalyst (41:45–46:09).
  • “No other charity mega single for the balance of the 1980s equaled Artists United Against Apartheid’s combination of a decent commercial showing and a sense of mission.” — Chris Molanphy (46:34)

• Late 80s and 90s: Diminishing Returns

  • Awareness singles like “King Holiday” for MLK Day (48:39), “Hands Across America,” east vs west rap anti-violence anthems (“Self Destruction,” “We’re All In the Same Gang”)—each attempts social engagement through star power but with variable musical or sales impact (48:51–51:34).

• Gulf War Era and Parody

  • 1991’s dueling singles—anti-war “Give Peace a Chance '91” and pro-troops “Voices That Care”—reflect the format’s descent into cliché and lack of clear message (53:47–56:44).
  • "If Peace vs Voices proved anything, it was that at the dawn of the 1990s, the charity mega single had gone from resilient fad to self perpetuating cliché." — Chris Molanphy (56:44)
  • Parodied by The Simpsons episode “Radio Bart” with “We’re Sending Our Love Down the Well,” capturing the spirit’s kitsch and emptiness (56:44–57:00).

The Megasingle in the 21st Century

• Attempts to Resurrect the Format in a New Era

  • 2001’s “What’s Going On” for AIDS/9-11 relief barely charts, seeing top names but little impact (58:21–58:25).
  • 2010’s “We Are the World 25 for Haiti,” with Justin Bieber and Nicole Scherzinger, debuts at #2 entirely through digital sales, then vanishes from charts quickly—airplay has become negligible (58:25–59:47).
  • “[It] generated little radio airplay and…was off the Hot 100 within a month. More than three decades after the original We Are the World, no single has matched its combination of zeitgeist and vocation, and none has matched Do They Know It's Christmas for sticky persistence...”—Chris Molanphy (59:47)

• Modern Equivalents & Shifting Intent

  • Argues that DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One” is, in its star-centric, celebratory format, spiritually related to the megasingle concept, but with no charitable pretense—“DJ Khaled’s hit might as well be called ‘I Am the World’.” (60:52)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It is all good intentions and power, kitsch and infectiousness and schmaltz.” (02:08)
• “Do They Know It's Christmas and We Are the World would be the first and last massed celebrity charity mega singles to do as well as they did…with hindsight, then, it's fair to ask not why no others did as well, but why these two did so well in the first place…” (02:08)
• “What made the Concert for Bangladesh vital was the template it created for the All Star charity recording project…a musical project nominally about celebrity sacrifice but ultimately about celebrity aggregation.” (14:16)
• Ringo Starr’s Grammy acceptance: "I'm picking this up on behalf of everyone who was at the concert…and for Apple. For getting it together, what a plug." (09:59)
• On Band Aid’s structure: “Virtually all solo or mantra…a modern skyscraper designed to provide as many windows as possible…” (25:15)
• On We Are the World’s impact: “The statistics for We Are the World in 1985 alone were staggering…multi-platinum for sales of 4 million…total sales for World are estimated at more than 20 million.” (03:51)
• On Michael Jackson’s contribution: The song “roots We Are the World in something closer to an American tradition…a gospel style refrain.” (30:28)
• Bob Geldof’s instruction relayed: “Check your egos at the door." (27:40)
• Critic Bob Christgau: “USA for Africa’s We Are the World is a good, maybe great record. Where Band Aid's…was a bad or terrible one.” (35:35)
• “Both Self Destruction and Same Gang were certified gold at a time when retailers were still underreporting rap sales…” (51:34)
• On 2010’s We Are the World: “The new single was titled We Are the World 25 for Haiti…higher than the original debuted in 1985. However, that debut was a bit of a mirage…off the Hot 100 within a month.” (58:21–59:47)
• Closing insight: “Matching a moving cause to a moving song is difficult in our fractured media landscape.” (60:52)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–05:53 – Introduction/Laying the Charity Megasingle Groundwork
• 05:53–16:09 – The Concert for Bangladesh and Early Celebrity Events
• 17:07–21:10 – Precedents, The Last Waltz, “Get High On Yourself”
• 21:10–27:40 – The Creation and Structure of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
• 27:40–33:13 – US Response: The Making and Success of “We Are the World”
• 33:13–39:05 – Radio, Chart Impact, and Lasting Legacy
• 39:05–46:34 – The Imitators: Canada, Metal, and Sun City
• 46:34–51:34 – Later 80s/90s: Rap, MLK, and Format Fatigue
• 51:34–56:44 – Gulf War Rival Singles; Shift to Parody and Satire
• 58:21–59:47 – 2000s/Early 2010s Revivals: “What’s Going On,” “We Are the World 25”
• 60:52–End – Modern Star Aggregation and Epilogue

Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of the Charity Megasingle

Molanphy closes by observing that while Band Aid’s and USA for Africa’s megasingles cannot be replicated in a fragmented, digital era, their formula—wrangling star power for social good—remains a touchstone. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” survives as a perennial, an unlikely fixture of holiday radio, while “We Are the World” lingers in nostalgic memory. Attempts to recapture that magic—via music or parody—reveal both the potency and the pitfalls of the spectacle, and the challenge of rallying mass media attention in the modern age.

For those who haven't listened:
This episode provides a sweeping, meticulously researched story about why the charity megasingle once thrived, how it worked, and why its magic has proved so fleeting ever since—a must for fans of pop history, ‘80s nostalgia, or cultural analysis.