“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” is 2012 Christmas No 1 single

Justice Collective’s Hillsborough charity single beats X Factor James Arthur’s "Impossible."

11:02 26 December 2012

Justice Collective’s Hillsborough charity single “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” is officially the number Christmas number 1 single after it sold 269,000 copies. Proceeds will be used to pay legal fees for relatives who are still seeking justice after more than a decade.

Aside from this, relatives of victims have also another reason to celebrate. Last week, the High Court ordered a fresh inquest after it quashed original accidental death verdicts of 96 victims during FA Cup semi-finals due to police cover-ups. Lord Chief Justice said at the hearing: “The interests of justice must be served, however distressing the truth will be brought to light.”

The hearing, which took place on Wednesday, seemed to help boost the sales. Prior to that, the single sold for just 3,000 copies. Sales soared high after the hearing and as of December 22, the Hillsborough single had outsold X Factor James Arthur’s single “Impossible” by 45,000 copies.

The track features singing performances from stars including Sir Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, and Spice Girl Mel C. Robbie Williams, who has another track in the charts, have asked fans to buy the Hillsborough single instead of his.

This is the second year in a row that a charity single made it to number one. Last year, Military Wives Choir took the same spot.