Haiti record is century's fastest UK seller

Leona Lewis poses at the premiere of ''Avatar'' at the Mann's Grauman Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California December 16, 2009. The movie opens in the U.S. on December 18.

LONDON (Reuters) - "Everybody Hurts," organised by pop supremo Simon Cowell in aid of victims of the Haitian earthquake, has become the fastest-selling British charity single of the century with over 200,000 sales in just two days, the Official Charts Company said on Tuesday.

It is also set to have one of the biggest first week sales of any single since 2000.

Martin Talbot, the company's Managing Director, said: "This is a phenomenal achievement. The public are certainly not showing any signs of charity fatigue."

Everybody Hurts was originally written and recorded by American rock band REM.

It was re-recorded for Haiti with a line-up including Alexandra Burke, Cheryl Cole, James Morrison, JLS, Kylie Minogue, Leona Lewis, Michael Buble, Mika, Robbie Williams, Rod Stewart, Susan Boyle and Take That.

It was not the first time that Everybody Hurts has been used for charitable purposes. In 1995 it was the soundtrack to an advert for The Samaritans.

The charts company listed the fastest-selling charity singles since 2000 in the following order

1. Everybody hurts, by Helping Haiti

2. Hero, by X-Factor finalists for Help for Heroes

3. Uptown Girl, by Westlife for Comic Relief

4. Do They Know it's Christmas? by Band Aid 20 for Ethiopian famine relief

5. Spirit in the Sky, by Gareth Gates with the Kumars for Comic Relief.

(Reporting by Stephen Addison; Editing by Tim Castle)