Grenfell Tower charity single tops iTunes chart

A charity single for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire featuring some of the UK's biggest music stars topped the UK iTunes chart within two hours of its release.

The cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water went on sale at 8am this morning and is "tipped to raise several million pounds" for victims of the tragedy, says the Daily Telegraph. By 10am, it was the most downloaded song in the UK, the BBC reports.

Music mogul Simon Cowell brought together a host of artists such as Emeli Sande, Roger Daltrey, Stormzy and Robbie Williams to perform.

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Dozens of other singers, including Pixie Lott, Fleur East, Gregory Porter and more than 300 members of local choirs and resident groups, also appeared in the background chorus .

Sande described the process as "emotional".

She said: "It's a hard time not to feel quite helpless, I'm just happy I could give my voice and my passion.

"It was quite emotional. When I listen to the song it reminds me just how powerful music and lyrics can be."

DJ Dave Taylor shared an image of the song's lyrics on Twitter, revealing who sang each line.

Stereophonics lead singer Kelly Jones told The Guardian that while "a record cannot fix anything", he hoped it would "raise some money" and "touch a few hearts".

He added: "All these things that are happening in London at the minute and Manchester and everywhere, I think the main thing is people are pulling together.

"To be frank I don't care what it sounds like. It's just about doing something good."

Announcing the record on ITV's Good Morning Britain earlier this week, Cowell said the song had given him "chills".

Theresa May has "agreed to waive VAT on the release, in order to maximise proceeds towards the relief effort at the Tower", reports the Daily Express.