1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia out the first airdrops from Hercules C-130s delivering food to the starving people. Other countries including Sweden, East and West Germany, Poland, Canada, United States and the Soviet Union were also involved in the international response. Buerk's news piece on the BBC was seen by Irish singer Bob Geldof, who quickly organised the charity supergroup Band Aid, primarily made up of the biggest British and Irish artists of the era. Their single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?", was released on 3 December 1984 and became Britain's best-selling single within a few weeks, eventually selling 3.69 million copies domestically. It raised
Band Aid (band) but was unable to as he was in hospital at the time with a kidney infection. The Band Aid project inspired other charity records around the world, including "We Are the World" by USA for Africa (in the United States), "Cantaré Cantarás" by Project Hermanos (in Latin America), "Nackt im Wind" by Band für Afrika (in Germany), "Ethiopie" by Chanteurs Sans Frontiere'(in France), "Tears Are Not Enough" by Northern Lights (in Canada), "Show some Concern" by The Concerned in Ireland, "Sammen for Livet" by Forente Artister (in Norway), "Maksamme Velkaa" by Apua-Orkesteri (in Finland), "Chega de Mágoa" by Nordeste Já