JUST FOR THE RECORD
Marion McMullen looks at some of the UK’s memorable charity releases
1 MATT Lucas is raising money to help provide meals for critical care staff in London hospitals with his charity single Thank You Baked Potato. Matt, left, says: “The Baked Potato Song was something I sung on Shooting Stars 20 years ago, so I rewrote the lyrics and updated them. Baked Potato is always giving good advice and the new advice is about washing your hands, staying indoors and only going to grocery stores.” The song is available to download for 99p with proceeds to FeedNHS.
2 BOB Geldof, below, and Midge Ure were the driving forces behind 1984 charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas Time? which brought together music stars like Bono, Boy George, George Michael, Sting and Paul Weller. The track became the biggest selling single of all time in the UK raising £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia. It spent five weeks at number one.
3 A CHOIR of nurses, doctors and hospital staff beat American pop superstar Justin Bieber to become the UK’s Christmas number one in 2015. Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir’s song A Bridge Over You topped the chart ahead of Bieber’s Love Yourself and money raised by the single was donated to several charities including Carers UK and Mind.
4 A HOST of stars recorded a Band Aid-style single to celebrate the NHS’s 70th birthday in 2018 with Blue, The Saturdays’ Una Healy and Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh among the celebs. Members of South London’s Lewisham and Greenwich NHS choir joined them for the Beatles classic With A Little Help from My Friends. Proceeds went to the NHS Charities Together.
5 PETER KAY drafted in a stream of celebrities for the video of his Comic Relief charity single. His 2005 version of the Tony Christie song (Is This The Way To) Amarillo? saw him joined by the likes of Ronnie Corbett,
Brian May and Michael Parkinson. The song reached number one in the UK music charts.
6 THE Military Wives Choir claimed the coveted Christmas number one slot in 2011 with their single Wherever You Are. Choir master Gareth Malone formed the group for BBC2 programme The Choir and proceeds from the single were donated to the Royal British Legion and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA).
7 SIR Cliff Richard joined the comedy cast of The Young Ones to re-record his hit Living Doll in 1986 for Comic Relief. His original version was the top selling single of 1959 with worldwide sales of almost two million and guitarist Hank Marvin was reunited with Cliff for the recording of the charity single.
8 LIVERPOOL performers including Sir Paul McCartney, The Christians and Frankie Goes To Hollywood singer Holly Johnson gathered together in 1989 to re-record Ferry Across The Mersey, written and originally performed by Gerry Marsden and his band The Pacemakers. The single was released a month after 95 Liverpool fans lost their lives at the Hillsborough disaster to help those affected by the tragedy.
9 BRIDGE Over Troubled Water by Artists For Grenfell was Simon Cowell’s star-studded charity single in 2017 to help raise money for all those affected by the devastating Grenfell Tower fire. A cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s song, Stormzy, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Robbie Williams, Rita Ora and Who rockers Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend were among performers who took part.
10 PRINCE Harry also got behind the mic with rock legend Jon Bon Jovi earlier this year to record a new charity single version of Jon’s hit Unbroken to raise money for the Invictus Foundation. A video clip of them both in the recording booth was later shared online by Harry with the caption: “I said I’ll give it a shot...”