Charity record
A charity record (also known as a charity single) is a release of a song for a specific charitable cause. Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? began the revolution of the charity record, which would be popularised throughout the 1980s. In the United States, charity records reached their peak with We are the World in 1985, but then essentially died out afterwards. In the United Kingdom, however, charity singles (especially Comic Relief), have become yearly #1 hits.
Table of contents |
Notable charity singles
1980s
1990s
| Release Date | Title | Artists | Charity/Cause | Highest Chart Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1990 | "Use it Up and Wear it Out" | Pat and Mick | Help a London Child | 22 (UK) |
| June 1990 | "You've Got A Friend" | Big Fun, Sonia, featuring Gary Barnacle on saxophone | ChildLine | 14 (UK) |
| March 1991 | "The Stonk" | Hale and Pace (backing band includes David Gilmour) | Comic Relief | 1 (UK) |
| April 1992 | "(I want to be) Elected" | Smear Campaign (Bruce Dickinson, Rowan Atkinson, Angus Deayton) | Comic Relief | 9 (UK) |
| September 1992 | "Suicide is Painless" | Manic Street Preachers | The Spastics Society (now SCOPE) | 7 (UK) |
| February 1993 | "Stick It Out" | Right Said Fred and friends | Comic Relief | 4 (UK) |
| May 1994 | "Absolutely Fabulous" | Pet Shop Boys with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley (of the television series Absolutely Fabulous) | Comic Relief | 6 (UK), 2 (Australia) |
| March 1995 | "Love Can Build A Bridge" | Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton | Comic Relief | 1 (UK) |
| March 1997 | "Mama"/"Who Do You Think You Are" | The Spice Girls | Comic Relief | 1 (UK), 13 (Australia) |
| September 1997 | "Candle in the Wind '97"/"Something About The Way You Look Tonight" | Elton John | Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund | 1 (US), 1 (UK), 1 (Australia) |
| November 1997 | "Perfect Day" | Various Artists, see specific article for full list | Children in Need | 1 (UK) |
| March 1999 | "When The Going Gets Tough" | Boyzone | Comic Relief | 1 (UK) |
2000s
Categories: Number One singles | Christmas songs | Charity singles | Record charts