1 December 2011
This 2011 iteration of The X Factor’s annual side-hustle forwent its usual militaristic poppy-kissing to raise money instead for a UK children’s palliative care charity. The Irish record-buying public, who had magnanimously put previous X Factor collective singles like ‘Ooh, Aah, Up The British Army’ and ‘Come Out Ye Talibans’ to number one here in Ireland, were evidently cool with this pivot to post-colonialism, non-aggression and zero body count, plus the class of 2011 have less blood on their hands.
Another change in tack for 2011: guest stars with shared billing – X Factor alumni and all, perhaps from contractual obligation or simply doing Simon a solid. Was there also a hint here that The X Factor brand was finally wobbling and needed a bit of borrowed star power? Given that the 2011 winners—who we’ll see next at number one here—go on to become the most successful UK girl group of the subsequent decade, and the show itself rumbles on for another seven series, that’s debatable. Still, it’s an interesting detail.
And what of the record itself? Well, the customary lachrymose strings and slo-mo images of sick children smiling wanly lather on the syrup as expected, but at least can’t completely submerge the essential brightness and soulfulness of the source song. Visiting dignitaries JLS and 1D rock up at the end for the climactic key change—of course there’s a climactic key change—and an exceedingly brief stay. I’ve heard worse, sick children got funds raised for them, and no neo-con military schmaltzwashing was involved; that’s probably as much as one could wish for here, short of an asteroid.
