Nik Kershaw on the Global Jukebox

A staple of the 80s—music that could move mountains and unite a world of people. At a time when famine was spreading throughout Ethiopia, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organized a pool of talented musical artists in an effort to provide food and relief. The Live Aid concert was a dual stage event simultaneously broadcast from JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and Wembley Stadium in London on July 13, 1985. It garnered 100,000 and 72,000 spectators in the respective venues and 1.9 million global viewers—one of the largest broadcasts to date. Among Wembley's stellar lineup was teen idol Nik Kershaw who had the year prior broke into worldwide acclaim with his hit single "Wouldn't It Be Good." It rode the peak at No. 4 on the UK chart for five weeks and reached No. 46 in the United States due to the popularity of its music video on MTV. Inspired by the old adage "the grass is always greener on the other side," the song seemed to resonate across the Atlantic. It seemed to harness a built-in ability, one that captured listeners' emotions—one that caused them to act. The fund raiser gathered $283.6 million in aid, far exceeding expectations. Although undoubtedly a collaborative effort by some of the era's greatest, perhaps Kershaw was the closest to literally moving landscape with his lyrics.