As Madonna presented the television premiere of Band Aid 20's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' at teatime on Thursday, parents up and down the land were reminiscing about how time had flown since they bought the original single. Some things never change, eh? The record certainly hasn't, but for the crisp, lean, 21st-century arrangement and Dizzee Rascal's touch of Christmas rapping. And you could easily put the Darkness and Busted in the shoes of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran. But take a look at the class of '84 against the role call of November '04: back then the truckload of hairspray and makeup was applied almost exclusively to men. This year's effort is a far more female affair.
Sure, there were Bananarama standing in the front row like sullen schoolgirls who'd been picked out for detention. But the only other female artist was Jody Watley (then of Shalamar). Oh, and Bob Geldof's well-connected girlfriend Paula Yates mingled to add backstage glamour. Did anyone even notice the gender imbalance?
Did it matter? In 1984, the only women to top the charts were Nena (remember '99 Red Balloons'?) and Chaka Khan. Kylie's arrival was four years off and back then, Madonna was just breaking the UK and a long way from appointing herself as British as a bacon sarnie. Plus, let's face it, it's unlikely Band Aid founders Bob Geldof and Midge Ure had her phone number.
Perhaps that's what made the difference. In 1984 this hastily arranged project relied on a grouchy Geldof getting on the blower to his mates and barking at them until they agreed to do the record.
In 2004, the Gobfather of Irish New Wave is the Godfather of Pop 'n' Politics with something of the knight about him. A loveable, shouty old bloke, now better known for being superdad to several girls with strange names, he no longer has to call in favours from chums or do too much explaining to get the biggest stars to sell a new record.
And in 2004, women artists - from popettes like Rachel Stevens to award-winning solo artists like Dido - are going to get the tills ringing. Thus, alongside Coldplay's Chris Martin and Travis's Fran Healy we have the internationally successful Sugababes, established soul singer Beverley Knight and outspoken, mainstream black artists Ms Dynamite and Jamelia.
However, there is little more cultural gravitas about this event than two decades ago. Devon's clotted-soul diva Joss Stone confused Geldof of Boomtown Rats fame with Gandalf of Tolkien legend, and one of Sugababes was planning to manoeuvre a fellow band member near to Bono 'because she fancies him'. Not exactly fabulous examples of the innate musical obsessiveness that drives most artists to create.
Heidi from Sugababes admitted that, even though she was only one when the first record came out, she knew the song because it was played every December.
If she hadn't been exposed to 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' on a festive loop in Top Shop, it's unlikely the newly released 20th anniversary DVD of the Live Aid show would have inspired her and her female contemporaries. Kicking off with Status Quo's living tribute to denim and positively jumping by the time Freddie Mercury was shouting 'di-deo, di-deo, di-deo' for what seemed like the best part of an hour, the global music event of 1985's Live Aid romped into the night with the Americans supersizing the stadium rock factor. It left little room for a female voice to be heard even though a handful did perform.
In November 2004, with Blur's Damon Albarn making the tea for the likes of Natasha Bedingfield, the strong, successful female presence is impressive. Who knows, when Bob and Midge are wheeled on to record Band Aid 2024, it could be an all-girl event.