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A single released in aid of a charity could be Christmas No. 1

This news post is over 7 years old
 

Wings by The King Lot feat. The Jollyboys released in aid of the MS Society Scotland has reached No.1 in Amazon’s Best Sellers List and the bookies have ranked it 9/1 second favourite behind James Corden and the X Factor

A charity single in aid of MS Society Scotland is on course to be a shock UK Christmas number one.

Wings by Scottish band The King Lot featuring The Jollyboys isn’t officially released until 16 December but it has already reached number one on the Amazon Best Sellers Chart thanks to presales.

So much is the unexpected buzz building behind the band most bookies have made the song (below), originally by rock band Tyketto, the second favourite to reach the top spot for Christmas Day.

Priced at 9/1, Wings is rated just behind the joint favourites – James Corden’s The Greatest Gift for Christmas is Me which features in the latest Sainsbury’s advert and the release of the X Factor winner’s song.

However with X Factor tracks having slumped in recent years and fears Corden’s track may peak too early, The King Lot, from West Lothian, have a real chance of securing the coveted spot when it is announced on 23 December.

Adding to their chances is the fact that it is a charity single and past charity releases by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir and the Military Wives have taken the Christmas crown in recent years.

The MS Society, which is to benefit from all proceeds from sales of the track available on Itunes, Amazon and Google Play priced from 69p to 99p, is understandably delighted by the buzz the release is creating.

This is a fundraising venture which is fun, unique and something which we can all get involved in

Morna Simpkins, director of MS Society Scotland, told TFN the charity was excited it had been chosen by the two groups as the recipient for funds raised.

“This is a fundraising venture which is fun, unique and something which we can all get involved in by purchasing the single,” she said.

“MS is unpredictable and can affect how people think, feel and see. For more than 11,000 people in Scotland, living with the neurological condition is a daily reality – so every download of Wings contributes to funding research, staffing our helpline or enabling our grants team to give awards.

“We wish the both The King Lot and The Jollyboys the very best of luck and would like to thank them once again for their passion, hard work and dedication in raising awareness of MS on such a large scale.”

The King Lot
The King Lot

It’s unclear how much money will be raised for the charity at this time but with last year’s Christmas number one selling 127,000 copies the final total could certainly be a significant sum.

The idea of the single came from music-mad fundraising social group The Jollyboys. The MS Society Scotland is its chosen charity for 2016 and it has already raised over £2,000 through various fundraising events, and are delighted to have a chance to raise more.

The group’s Tony Green, said: “We wanted to do something that would raise the most money and awareness. Our friends The King Lot were excited about the cause and we decided to give it our best and get together for Christmas.

“We are all excited, very confident and happy that all of the many months of planning and hard work are about to all come together.”

The King Lot’s drummer Chris Gillon said when they were asked to be involved it was an easy decision particularly because of the charity involved.

“The fact we would be raising funds for the MS Society and people living with MS was a huge factor in our decision to get involved, because some of us have personal connections to MS,” he said.

“We were quite stunned but obviously delighted with the odds. We expected our odds to be very long but when you consider the numbers in terms of support for this it does make a lot of sense.

“It very quickly made the whole thing real. Getting it there is a whole different thing but we will give every last drop of energy to make sure we achieve the goal.”

An official launch of the single takes place from 7pm at The Jam House in Edinburgh on Thursday (24 November). Entry is free.

It can be purchased in advance via Amazon or on Google Play and iTunes by using your mobile device.

The 2016 Christmas number one will be announced on Radio One on 23 December and all sales up until midnight on 22 December will be included in the overall total.

 

Comments

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Rebbecca Rae-Clapham
over 7 years ago
Hope you make to number one Its a moving song. For a great cause.
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