Songfacts®:

• "Do They Know It's Christmas? (2024 Ultimate Mix)" marks the 40th anniversary of the iconic charity single, blending vocals from the original 1984 recording, the 2004 remake, and the 2014 version. It was produced by Trevor Horn, who also mixed the 12-inch version of the 1984 original.
• Released on November 25, 2024, like the other versions the song raises funds for various charities supporting those in need.
• Controversy surrounded the release when Ed Sheeran, who contributed to the 2014 version, revealed he had not approved the use of his vocals in the new mix. Writing on Instagram Stories, Sheeran explained why:
  
  "My approval wasn't sought on this new Band Aid 40 release. Had I been given the choice, I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals. A decade on, my understanding of the narrative surrounding this has evolved, as eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance - I hope it's a forward-looking one."
  
  Sheeran also shared a post from Ghanaian-English artist Fuse ODG, who had declined to participate in Band Aid 30 in 2014, citing concerns about the harm initiatives like Band Aid can cause in perpetuating negative stereotypes about Africa.
• Bob Geldof, the song's co-creator, defended the track against accusations of perpetuating "colonial tropes." Writing in The Conversation, he stated:
  
  "This little pop song has kept hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people alive. Just today, Band Aid provided hundreds of thousands of pounds to assist those fleeing mass slaughter in Sudan and enough funds to feed a further 8,000 children in the same affected areas of Ethiopia as in 1984.
  
  Those exhausted women who weren't raped and killed and their panicked children and any male over 10 who survived the massacres and those 8,000 Tigrayan children will sleep safer, warmer and cared for tonight because of that miraculous little record. We wish that it were other but it isn't."
• "Do They Know It's Christmas? (2024 Ultimate Mix)" includes performances from three generations of Band Aid artists, showing the evolution of British pop music. Artists range from Paul McCartney and Sting to Harry Styles, with contributions from bands like Radiohead, Queen, and Underworld. David Bowie, who introduced the original song on a BBC program when Top of the Pops wouldn't play it, also bookends the 2024 version.
• Michael Buerk's original 1984 BBC news report, which brought global attention to the Ethiopian famine, is woven into the track and its accompanying video. Geldof often credits Buerk's news report from Ethiopia, which described the famine as "the closest thing to hell on Earth," as the emotional trigger that led him to take action.