"Don't Give Up (Africa)" - Keys, Alicia and Bono

Digital Single

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Background Information

The Keep a Child Alive initiative provides medication to treat AIDS for children and families, primarily in Africa. In 2005, Bono and Alicia Keys recorded the song “Don’t Give Up” and released the song through iTunes. All proceeds from the sale of the song were used for “Keep a Child Alive”. Bono and Alicia Keys first sang the song at The Black Ball, a fund-raiser in New York City, held on November 3, 2005 for the charity. Keys performed live while Bono participated via video at a remote location. The song was later recorded for a release through iTunes and was prepared for World AIDS Day with the song going on sale Decmeber 6, 2005. The song was produced by Steve Lillywhite. The song is a cover of a song originally performed by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush in 1986, but here it has been renamed with the “(Africa)” as an addition. The song was co-produced by Alicia Keys and longtime U2 producer Steve Lillywhite.

On the recording Keys said: ““I love this song and I love Bono. I really respect what he has done for Africa and how he has used fame to do good in the world. I hope I can do as much in my life.” Keys and Bono would revisit the song and perform it on The Oprah Winfrey Show on October 12, 2006 (broadcast on the following day).

An accompanying video for the song was filmed by Kristen Ashburn. The video features photographs of children and adults who are struggling with the effects of AIDS. It also shows the text “Don’t Give Up” followed by different country names, urging the countries not to give up. A ringtone version of the song was also released, and proceeds from the ringtone also went to Keep a Child Alive.

The track was released as a single song with a simple cover embedded in the file with the name of the song, “Alicia” and “Bono” and a line “iTunes exclusive AIDS charity single proceeds benefit Keep A Child Alive”. It has only been commercially released in this format. There have been reports of a promotional single from Japan, but examination of those singles shows that they are most likely a fake produced in China. Currently the song is no longer available for download on iTunes. It was removed from iTunes after only a couple of months.

Liner Notes

No traditional liner notes in this digital only release.

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