Bob Geldof, One Direction revisit Band Aid to fight Ebola, but not without controversy

Singer Bob Geldof re-released his ’80s Band Aid hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas” this week with new lyrics, new collaborators and new controversy.

The song’s lyrics were changed to reflect the fight against Ebola, and the singer said 100 percent of the proceeds from the song will go toward the relief effort.

Geldof brought in One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith and Chris Martin from Coldplay to collaborate on the song.

One artist who reportedly wasn’t interested? Adele.

“Adele won’t pick up the phone to her manager,” Geldof told Radio 4’s Today program. “Some people just don’t want to do it, some people say no.

“Adele, on the other hand, isn’t engaged in rock and roll, pop music, not picking up the phone to anyone. Brilliant.”

Although Geldof claims the sales for the remixed single are going “bonkers,” some have expressed concern about the lack of diversity in the cast of musicians as well as the connotation the song takes toward Africans.

Others claim the lyrics are not only inaccurate, but demeaning.

Here’s a look at the remake:

This story was originally published November 19, 2014 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Bob Geldof, One Direction revisit Band Aid to fight Ebola, but not without controversy."