It Was a Rejected Boomtown Rats Tune
Geldof saw the documentary in October and wanted to release the song before Christmas, so he knew he was under a tight schedule. He also knew that doing a cover was out of the question because he would have to pay royalties (which would be subtracted from the charity money).
The Boomtown Rats. Photo by Fin Costello / Redferns / Getty Images
Luckily, Geldof had already cooked up some lyrics before, with the intent of recording it as a song for the Boomtown Rats titled “It’s My World.” Apparently, his band members weren’t into it and decided to scrap it. Good thing they did!