In celebration of the annual BBC Children in Need appeal, The Official Charts Company (OCC) has compiled a list of the best-selling singles that have been released in support of the campaign.
Although the telethon event first appeared on our TV screens in 1980, it wasn’t until 1986 that the first official Children In Need single was released. It was a double A-side – ‘Heroes / A Long Way To Go’ released by ‘The County Line’; a composite band of Bronski Beat, Suzi Quatro and Wendy Roberts. The single failed to chart, however, peaking at No.76.
There were no further Children In Need singles until 1997 when various artists including Lou Reed, David Bowie, Bono, Elton John, Boyzone, Tammy Wynette, Tom Jones, Suzanne Vega, Gabrielle, Joan Armatrading and Lesley Garrett joined forces to sing the Lou Reed classic, ‘Perfect Day’. This became the biggest-selling Children In Need single to date with sales approaching 1,550,000 units. It is ranked No.17 in the list of best-selling singles of all time.
S Club 7 is the only act to have recorded two official Children In Need singles: ‘Never Had A Dream Come True’ in 2000 and ‘Have You Ever’ in 2001. Special mention should also be given to Emma Bunton who recorded a version of ‘Downtown’ in 2006 – the classic 1964 song made famous by Petula Clark. Bunton also appears on this year’s Children In Need release as a member of the Spice Girls. The new single, ‘Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)’, is destined for this Sunday’s Top 40.
“The annual Children In Need single is very much part of chart history; providing 13 x Top 40 entries including four Number Ones. Combined sales of the Children In Need singles exceed 3.8 million units” said OCC Marketing Manager, Darren Haynes.
RANKED BY TOTAL SALES – YEAR – TITLE – ARTIST – PEAK POSITION
1 – 1997 – Perfect Day – Various Artists – 1
2 – 2000 – Never Had A Dream Come True – S Club 7 – 1
3 – 2001 – Have You Ever – S Club 7 – 1
4 – 1998 – Especially For You – Denise Van Outen & Johnny Vaughan – 3
5 – 2003 – I’m Your Man – Shane Richie – 2
6 – 2004 – I’ll Stand By You – Girls Aloud – 1
7 – 1999 – Talking In Your Sleep / Love Me – Martine McCutcheon – 6
8 – 2002 – Don’t Let Me Down / You & I – Will Young – 2
9 – 2006 – Downtown – Emma Bunton – 3
10 – 2007 – Any Dream Will Do – Lee Mead 2
11 – 2005 – A Night To Remember – Liberty X – 6
16 November 2007
https://www.easier.com/30605-children-in-need-s-top-selling-singles.html