Haiti charity single makes history (From Crewe Guardian)

Haiti charity single makes history

12:45pm Tuesday 9th February 2010

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The star-studded cover of Everybody Hurts has become the fastest-selling charity single this century.

The record, masterminded by music supremo Simon Cowell to help Haiti earthquake victims, has topped the 200,000 sales mark in just two days.

The Official Charts Company said the record is also on course to have one of the biggest first week sales of any single since 2000.

The biggest first week sales in that period were for former Pop Idol winner Will Young.

His single Evergreen/Anything Is Possible sold more than a million copies in its first week in 2002.

Everybody Hurts was recorded in London and Los Angeles and features acts including Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, Kylie Minogue, Joe McElderry, Rod Stewart and JLS.

The ballad also reunites Robbie Williams with his former Take That bandmates Gary Barlow and Mark Owen.

It has beaten the sales of previous charity single Hero, by the X Factor finalists in aid of Help For Heroes, and Westlife's Comic Relief single Uptown Girl.

Everybody Hurts was a smash hit in the 1990s for REM, who are waiving royalty rights to the charity track, while the Government has said that there will be no VAT cut.

Proceeds will be split between the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and The Sun's Helping Haiti campaign.

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