The new version of the classic holiday single “Do They Know It’s Christmas” is selling like gangbusters in the U.K. and Europe, but the song, featuring the likes of Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Dido and, naturally, Bono, won’t even be released in the U.S. by Universal.

What’s up with that? According to one British music writer, “Historically, the American marketplace has proven averse to much of what has been incredibly successful in England . . . the chance of replicating the song’s U.K. success Stateside is slim at best.”

But it’s supposed to be for charity, right? Then again, after listening to the song on a website, maybe Universal is correct in keeping it hidden from American shelves. We’ll be charitable and just say that the new effort falls far short of the original.

Fans of the original Band Aid effort 20 years ago shouldn’t totally despair. The song, which earned millions for African relief efforts and spawned the classic Live Aid concerts in 1985 — not to mention a knighthood for Band Aid creator Bob Geldof — can be heard on the website www.bandaid20.com.