Artist News

Justice Collective score Christmas number one

By | Published on Sunday 23 December 2012

justicecollectivecover

The Justice Collective, the group of artists raising money to support the families of those who died in the 1989 Hillsborough Tragedy, have scored the Christmas number one for 2012, it has just been confirmed. Paul McCartney, Melanie C, Robbie Williams, Holly Johnson and Beverly Knight are amongst the artists who appear on the charity cover of The Hollies’ ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’, all of whom have appeared on previous Christmas number ones, either in their own right or as part of other all-star charity records.

As with last year, the ‘X-Factor’ machine basically bailed on the Christmas number one battle this year, bringing out its winners’ single a week earlier, though in the end it was James Arthur who put up the competition in the Christmas chart race, which was very close for a time. In the end The Justice Collective sold 269,000 units this week, while Arthur shifted a further 224,000 copies of his debut release ‘Impossible’.

Here is the top five as we enter Christmas week…

1. The Justice Collective – He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
2. James Arthur – Impossible
3. Will.i.am feat Britney Spears – Scream & Shout
4. Rihanna feat Mikky Ekko – Stay
5. Bruno Mars – Locked Out Of Heaven

Confirming that the Justice Collective record – bookies’ favourite for a while – had taken the festive number one position, Official Charts Company boss Martin Talbot told CMU: “Congratulations to the Justice Collective on becoming the 2012 Official Christmas Number One with ‘He Ain’t Heavy’. They fought a sterling campaign against one of the biggest singles of the year in James Arthur’s ‘Impossible’ and are worthy winners – in aid of a very worthy cause”.

Meanwhile Liverpool MP Steve Rotheram, one of the people behind the charity record, said: “We have done in nine weeks what it normally takes nine months or more to achieve. Working with a phenomenally dedicated team all of whom have worked for free and displayed total professionalism throughout”.

Although very close at the start of the week, the 2012 Christmas chart battle has not been so big a news story compared to the anti-‘X’ battles of recent years, the most prominent of which is revisited in a special comic strip published by the OCC earlier today as part of its celebrations of the singles chart’s 60th birthday.



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