A charity record, charity album, charity song, or charity single is a recording with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. In 1956, The Lord's Taverners released a 78 rpm disc which contained six tracks donated by popular artists at the time. The record was released by The Decca Record Company and the entire profits of the record together with the royalties and fees from artists, publishers, etc., were donated to The National Playing Fields Association. This was the first charity record to make the UK charts and reached Number 2. Due to its success, it was followed by a second compilation in 1957.
George Harrison's "Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly regarded as the first successful international charity single; it was recorded to help fund relief efforts following the 1970 Bhola cyclone and the Bangladesh Liberation War. The money raised was donated to UNICEF, as were takings from Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh (again, the first of its kind) held at Madison Square Garden, New York, and its spin-off live album and concert film. This is one way of using artistic talent as art for charity.
Some of the other early charity records came from the January 1979 Music for UNICEF Concert, with the likes of ABBA's "Chiquitita" and the Bee Gees' "Too Much Heaven" released as singles, all the royalties from which went to UNICEF. Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in November 1984 began the revolution of the charity record, which would be popularised throughout the 1980s.
In the United States, charity records reached their peak with USA for Africa's "We Are the World" in 1985, but then essentially died out afterwards. In the United Kingdom, however, charity singles (especially Comic Relief), have become annual hits.
Notable charity singles
1970s Release date Title Artists Charity/Cause Highest Chart Position July 1971 "Bangla Desh" George Harrison UNICEF fund for Bangladesh refugees 10 (UK), 23 (US), 2 (Switzerland), 3 (Norway), 7 (Netherlands) February 1975 "Santa Never Made It into Darwin" Bill and Boyd Rebuilding Darwin after Cyclone Tracy devastation 2 (Australia) January 1979 "Too Much Heaven" Bee Gees UNICEF 1 (US) January 1979 "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Rod Stewart UNICEF 1 (US)
1980s Release date Title Artist(s) Charity/Cause Highest Chart Position March 1983 "I Was Only 19" Redgum Vietnam Veterans Assoc of Australia 1 (Australia) June 1984 "Pink Frost" The Chills Cancer Research 17 (New Zealand) November 1984 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Band Aid famine in Ethiopia through the Band Aid Trust 1 (UK), 1 (Australia), 1 (Netherlands) December 1984 "Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" Wham! Ethiopian Famine appeal (not originally a charity record, but George Michael acceded to give royalties to the Band Aid Trust) 2 (UK), 2 (Netherlands) March 1985 "Tears Are Not Enough" Northern Lights famine in Ethiopia 1 (Canada) March 1985 "Starvation/Tam Tam Pour L'Ethiopie" Starvation/Tam Tam Pour L'Ethiopie famine in Ethiopia 33 (UK) March 1985 "Show some Concern" The Concerned famine in Ethiopia 1 (Ireland) March 1985 "We Are the World" USA for Africa famine in Ethiopia and Sudan 1 (US), 1 (UK), 1 (Australia), 1 (Netherlands) May 1985 "Stars" Hear 'n Aid famine in Ethiopia 26 (UK) 1 (Norway) May 1985 "Éthiopie" Chanteurs sans Frontières famine in Ethiopia 1 (France) May 1985 "Les Yeux de la faim" Fondation Quebec-Afrique famine in Africa 1 (Quebec) June 1985 "One Big Family" Heart of Nashville famine in Ethiopia and Africa 61 (US Country) June 1985 "You'll Never Walk Alone" The Crowd Bradford City stadium fire 1 (UK), 1 (Ireland), 30 (Netherlands) June 1985"Ben"Marti WebbBen Hardwick Memorial Fund5 (UK) August 1985"Dancing in the Street" David Bowie and Mick JaggerFamine in Ethiopia through the Band Aid Trust1 (UK), 1 (AUS), 1 (IRE), 7 (US) August 1985 "The Garden"Australia TooFreedom from Hunger 38 (Australia) October 1985 "Sun City" Artists United Against Apartheid protests/boycotts against apartheid 38 (US), 21 (UK), 4 (AUS) November 1985 "Do You Believe in Miracles" Slade Band Aid Trust and NSPCC 54 (UK) November 1985 "Almost Seems (Too Late to Turn)" Clannad Children in Need 80 (UK) November 1985 "That's What Friends Are For" Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Elton John American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) 1 (US), 16 (UK), 1 (Australia), 13 (Netherlands) April 1986 "Living Doll" Cliff Richard and the cast of The Young OnesComic Relief 1 (UK), 1 (Australia), 1 (Netherlands) May 1986 "Make It Work" Christy Moore, Paul Doran and The Self Aid Band Unemployment 1 (Ire) May 1986 "Everybody Wants to Run the World" Tears For Fears Sport Aid 5 (UK) May 1986 "Hands Across America" Voices of America Hands Across America 65 (US) November 1986 "O' My Father Had A Rabbit" Ray Moore Children In Need 24 (UK) November 1986"Give Give Give"Dance Aid multiple sclerosis research 85 (UK) March 1987 "Amor & Paz" (Amor E A Paz) AUA (Artistas Unidos da América) famine and poverty around the world 3 (US), 2 (Portugal) March 1987 "Let It Be" Ferry Aid Herald of Free Enterprise disaster at Zeebrugge 1 (UK), 4 (Netherlands) March 1987 "Sailing" Rod Stewart Herald of Free Enterprise disaster at Zeebrugge 41 (UK), 30 (Ireland) November 1987 "Bog Eyed Jog" Ray Moore Children In Need 61 (UK) November 1987 "The Wishing Well" G.O.S.H. Great Ormond Street Hospital Wishing Well Appeal 22 (UK) December 1987 "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" Mel & Kim (Mel Smith and Kim Wilde) Comic Relief 3 (UK) February 1988 "Man in the Mirror" Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Burn Center, Childhelp, United Negro College Fund. 1 (USA), 1 (UK R&B), 13 (Netherlands), 2 (UK) 2009 April 1988 "Let's All Chant" Pat and Mick Capital Radio 1988 Help a London Child Appeal 11 (UK) May 1988 "With a Little Help from My Friends" Wet Wet Wet ChildLine 1 (UK) May 1988 "You're Not Alone" Australian Olympians Australian Olympic Federation for the 1988 Summer Olympics 18 (Australia) July 1988 "Another Part of Me" Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Burn Center, Childhelp 1 (US R&B), 8 (Netherlands) August 1988 "Running All Over the World" Status Quo Sport Aid 17 (UK) November 1988 "Children in Need" Spirit of Play with Paul McCartney Children In Need 72 (UK) January 1989"Self Destruction"The Stop the Violence MovementNational Urban League 33 (New Zealand), 75 (UK) February 1989 "Help!" Bananarama & La na nee nee noo noo (French and Saunders with Kathy Burke) Comic Relief 3 (UK), 24 (Netherlands) February 1989 "Pour toi Arménie" Charles Aznavour & many other French artists Earthquake in Armenia 1 (France), 3 (Belgium) March 1989 "I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet" version Pat and Mick Capital Radio 1989 Help a London Child Appeal 9 (UK) April 1989 "Ferry Cross the Mersey" The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden, Stock Aitken Waterman Hillsborough disaster 1 (UK), 21 (Netherlands) November 1989 "If You Want To Help" BBC Children in Need Choir Children In Need 78 (UK) November 1989 "It Takes Two" Bruno Brookes and Liz Kershaw featuring Jive Bunny and Londonbeat Children In Need 53 (UK) December 1989 "Smoke on the Water" Rock Aid Armenia victims of the 1988 Armenian earthquake 39 (UK) December 1989 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Band Aid II famine in Ethiopia 1 (UK), 20 (Netherlands)
1990s