Schoolboys’ charity single for pal with cancer shoots to top of iTunes chart

Students at St Colman’s College have released a cover of Lean On Me – and it’s proving to be a hit.

A charity single recorded by a group of schoolboys for their classmate with cancer went straight to the top of the iTunes chart.

The cover of Lean On Me, recorded by transition year students at St Colman’s College in Fermoy, was released on Wednesday morning and within an hour or so had shot to the the top of the Irish iTunes downloads chart.

“Everybody at St Colman’s College is so, so, so excited to be after reaching the number position on iTunes in Ireland literally not even an hour after the release of the download,” music teacher Sarah Barry, who has led the project, told the Press Association.

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The money raised from the single will go to support the classmate of the boys who has cancer and Crumlin Children’s Hospital in Dublin, where he is being treated, as well as Ronald McDonald House and the national children’s ambulance service Bumbleance.

The song was recorded last week along with a video, which is set to be released on Thursday, after the class suggested to Miss Barry they would like to do something to raise money.

“The boys are just so supportive of their friend who has been diagnosed with cancer and is being treated at Crumlin Children’s Hospital at the moment so it’s an incredible cause,” she said.

“We just would love everybody to get behind it.”

Miss Barry brought in producer Mark Cahill to help record the song and her own vocals also appear on the track alongside the boys, who are 15 and 16-year-old transition year students at the school in County Cork.

She said that, aside from raising as much money as possible with the track, they were “aiming for Christmas number one in Ireland”.

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As of Wednesday, the track was holding off the likes of X Factor winner Dalton Harris and Mark Ronson to sit at the top of the iTunes chart which, unlike the singles chart, continues to update and change throughout the week.

A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson is now proposing to pay approximately $6.48 billion over 25 years as part of a settlement in the U.S. to cover allegations that its baby powder containing talc caused ovarian cancer.

The lawsuits filed against J&J had alleged its talcum powder caused users to develop ovarian cancer, through use for feminine hygiene, or mesothelioma, a cancer that strikes the lungs and other organs.

The claims contributed to drop in J&J’s sales of baby powder, prompting the company to stop selling its talc-based products in 2020. In 2022, J&J announced plans to cease sales of the product worldwide.

J&J said that the reorganization plan for the subsidiary that was being announced on Wednesday was significantly different from the previous reorganization that was announced. Those differences include a three-month solicitation period during which ovarian claimants can vote for or against the plan. This is something that was denied in prior bankruptcy cases, the company said. And if 75% of claimants vote in favor of the plan, a subsidiary may file a “prepackaged” Chapter 11 bankruptcy to secure its confirmation.

J&J said that the plan would resolve 99.75% of all pending talc lawsuits against it and its affiliates in the U.S.

The remaining pending personal injury lawsuits that relate to mesothelioma will be addressed outside of the plan. The company said that it has already resolved 95% of mesothelioma lawsuits filed to date.

State consumer protection claims will also be addressed outside the plan. J&J said that it already has agreements in principle to do so. The company has also reached an agreement in principle to resolve all talc-related claims against it in the bankruptcy cases filed by its talc suppliers.

J&J said it continues to stand by the safety of its products and reiterated that none of the talc-related claims against it have merit.

Shares rose more than 2% before the market open.

FILE - Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health in Flourtown, Pa., Friday, April 28, 2023. A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson is now proposing paying approximately $6.48 billion over 25 years as part of a settlement to cover allegations that its baby powder containing talc caused ovarian cancer. J&J said that the reorganization plan for the subsidiary that was being announced on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, was significantly different from the previous reorganization that was announced. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)