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October 24, 2005

New Video - Vice's "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?"

rehearsing my ghostly choirVice has released a video for "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?", their caustic send-up of Sir Bob's "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The New York Times covers all the background if this is new to you.

The song features Buck 65, Postal Service, members of Wolf Parade, members of Arcade Fire, Sonic Youth, Beck, Starbucks "Way I See It #23" author David Cross, Devendra Banhart, Smoosh, Sum 41, and one of the guys from Sparks. All proceeds go to UNICEF, etc etc, no fair stealing it. Finally, a new novelty song to supplement all the other crap people play at Halloween.

(via Waxy)

Posted at 11:36 AM




23 Comments

You know what's really scary? How much I missed my $2.99 after listening to the single for the first time.

I want to hear David Cross sing like I want to hear Bono do stand-up.

Posted by: the management at 10/24/05 11:52 AM | Reply
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"Do they know it's Christmas?" is 21-yrs-old. Does that mean that in 2026 we can look forward to a similarly caustic take on the Katrina benefit songs?

Posted by: green_nigel at 10/24/05 12:27 PM | Reply
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David Cross has a great singing role as Mrs. Featherbottom -

"Always read the label / You should always read it well / In the most delicious way. /"

and who could forget his performance of Annie Get Your Gun

Posted by: Taylor at 10/24/05 12:56 PM | Reply
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Yea, the Arcade Fire isn't that great. Those poor children are just gonnna have to wait till they can get some cooler bands to support them.

Posted by: Evan at 10/24/05 1:20 PM | Reply
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you stupid cynical jaded hipsters, this is the greatest Halloween song ever.

Posted by: Goon at 10/24/05 1:52 PM | Reply
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Yeah, that's a pretty good song and video. I don't know what all the whinging is about. The ghosts are my fave.

Posted by: pageblank at 10/24/05 1:55 PM | Reply
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I'll have to say 2nd best, but I like the song a lot. hasn't got old for me, still gives me a chortle.

Posted by: jobert at 10/24/05 2:41 PM | Reply
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I just wish it involved monsters getting together in a party setting to eat and drink together, and that David Cross stumbled on it while trying to find a corpse to have sexual relations with.

"It happened. It happened to me!!!"

Posted by: lindsay at 10/24/05 3:16 PM | Reply
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no clap your hands or arctic monkeys????

Posted by: spice meet at 10/24/05 3:16 PM | Reply
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SHuT UP YOU PSyCHOS!!!!!!!!

i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AW.aY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW . i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i H.ATE yOU GO AWaY .NOW i HATE yOU GO AW.aY NOW i HATE yOU GO A.WaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HAT.E yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW . . i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY. NOW i HAT.E yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW . i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU G.O AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW i HATE yOU GO AWaY NOW

Posted by: BAMALAMARAMADAN at 10/24/05 5:40 PM | Reply
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my only problem with the whole thing is that interview with the NY Times. The song by itself is fun, silly, and well... innocent. but then the article has that douche from Vice trying to be bad and trash the Geldof one. Good old Vice, trying to be too cool for everything.

Posted by: Goon at 10/24/05 6:53 PM | Reply
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I love this song and video, the david cross part is hilarious.

Posted by: MB at 10/24/05 10:17 PM | Reply
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I want this on MP3.

Posted by: Maggie at 10/24/05 10:59 PM | Reply
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I'll always have a special fondness for "Monster Mash".

Posted by: Evan at 10/25/05 2:17 AM | Reply
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i'm sure even geldof has to admit that "do they know it's christmas" is a bit stupid, but it's not like he did that as a one-off and that's it. he is kinda, sort, a little bit committed and educated on the issues.
this new take might have been funny, like, um, two decades ago.

Posted by: c at 10/25/05 11:44 AM | Reply
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i'm sure even geldof has to admit that "do they know it's christmas" is a bit stupid, but it's not like he did that as a one-off and that's it. he is kinda, sorta, a little bit committed and educated on the issues.
this new take might have been funny, like, um, two decades ago.

Posted by: c at 10/25/05 11:45 AM | Reply
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Yeah, the song is awful. Too bad.

Posted by: ben at 10/25/05 1:03 PM | Reply
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it's a great song, a fun smartass idea- would you except anything less from nick diamonds?

Posted by: amanda at 10/26/05 10:34 AM | Reply
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I'm surprised everyone missed the funniest part...Peaches actually thought George W Bush was banning Halloween!

Posted by: Sean at 10/26/05 3:21 PM | Reply
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I hope they are donating the proceeds from the sale of the song (or the settlements from lawsuits due to the illegal downloading of the song) to the fight against tooth decay.

Shoelover

Posted by: shoelover at 10/27/05 8:06 AM | Reply
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That was such a let down when I saw that video. Why bother using animation anymore? Everyone's doing this bs motion graphic crap, it moves like crap and it looks like crap. I can't believe they put this video with the song.

Posted by: SC at 10/27/05 3:08 PM | Reply
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Was excited. Saw the video. And like Morrisey was so truly disappointed.

Craptacularly, predicatable, twee and not-fun.

And what's with David Cross showing up so often in hipster NYC projects? He's the NYC indie equivalent of Paul Lynde!

Posted by: Jack at 10/28/05 2:32 AM | Reply
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I downloaded the video and I’m really impressed by both the song and the video. It’s definitely one of the best spoofs I’ve seen in a long time and it kept my attention. Of all the songs that needed to have fun poked at it, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” must surely top the list. While I admire Bob Geldof, that song is really pretentious. My two favorite parts in the video were the guy scared in the dark and the part with the Ouija Board in the cemetery. I think it’s neat the way so many artists were involved in making the track. Even judging the track as just a song, musically it’s not bad.

Posted by: Twentieth Maine at 10/30/05 7:09 PM | Reply
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