A friend mentioned a song yesterday on her Facebook page.  It was Band Aid’s ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’. 

Think I’ve mentioned before that I really might need to work on using my edit button. (Says the owner of the ‘Shut-up Buddha’). Here my friend was feeling warm and fuzzy and having memories flooding back and I just had to click on the comment box.

That song is the first of two that drive me bananas!  Don’t get me wrong, very catchy tunes – love the artists – this is strictly lyric related. 

Let’s take a look at a couple of lines shall we?

“And the Christmas bells that ring there, are the clanging chimes of doom,
 well tonight thank God it’s them, instead of you”.

WTH?  “Chin up Africa, better you than me eh?”

I don’t think praying and saying ‘thank you’ for your blessings is quite the same as something like, “Dear God, thank you!  Thank you for letting the people in Africa die instead of me!”  Really? 

I know, I KNOW.  I get what he’s trying to say there – but was there no time for a rewrite? Couldn’t pass the song over to someone else for a little review?  Oh, that’s right, there was a co-writer too! Midge Ure.

‘Thank God is THEM instead of YOU’?  *shudder*

Next line: “And there wont be snow in Africa this Christmas time, The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life”. 

Um.  Would they rather have an ipad in their stocking? 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t life the greatest gift? 

As for the snow, it is the continent of Africa.  I realize water is needed.  But probably snow is not expected.  Africa is a big place and many countries do get some snow there.  Johannesburg in South Africa even had some snow this year! Also, did you know there’s a ski resort in Morocco?  I don’t think it has to snow for it to be Christmas Time, and if it does, then Australia is out of luck too.  And me, here in the desert. 

I’ll leave that one alone for now, Band Aid made a lot of money for a good cause. Thank you Bob ‘the Sir’ Geldof. x

So let’s pick on Lisa Stansfield and ‘All around the world’.

You could get so lost in the chorus you might almost miss the lyric contradictions.

“Been around the world and I, I, I, I can’t find my baby. I don’t know when, I don’t know why, why he’s gone away …” 

Aw!  What happened Lisa???  She doesn’t know!  😦  And she’s looking for him!  She’s looked everywhere!

Oh wait – there’s more to the song.

“We had a quarrel, and I let myself go.  I said so many things, things he didn’t know”. 

Oh.  Hmmm … well, I’m thinking that might have something to do with why he went away, but everyone argues right?  If only she knew why he left!! 

Wait – there’s more to the song.

“He gave the reason, the reasons he should go”. 

*sigh*  Well!  Mystery solved.  Someone might want to tell her those reasons he gave for going … is why her baby went away.

I’d stop looking for him if I were her, I mean, she’s already been all around the world searching.  Maybe she could stay a little while in Johannesburg and make a snow angel?