Charity song "Hero" tops pop charts

LONDON (Reuters) - A charity single for wounded soldiers and their families has gone straight to the top of the pop charts in its debut week, figures showed on Sunday.

"Hero," a version of the Mariah Carey ballad sung by finalists on the ITV talent show "The X Factor," looks like being one of the best-selling singles of the last 10 years, according to retailer HMV.

Money raised will go to Help for Heroes, a charity launched last year to support troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Royal British Legion, which helps serving and former military personnel and their families.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government has waived the usual 17.5 percent sales tax on each record sold. Brown told reporters he might buy a copy for his wife, Sarah.

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo estimated the single would sell more than 350,000 copies by Sunday night.

"The single may enjoy an extended run at the top of the charts, which could potentially see it push through the one million sales barrier," he added.

It pushed last week's number one, "The Promise" by Girls Aloud, into second place, according to the top 40's compiler, the Official UK Charts Company.

American singer Pink fell one place to third with "So What," a former chart-topper on both sides of the Atlantic. However, she topped the album charts with her new release, "Funhouse."

Down one spot in fourth was dance act Guru Josh Project with a remix of the 1989 house anthem "Infinity 2008."