A song written by a teenager who died in a coach crash while returning from a music festival has reached the top 40 singles chart.
The release of the single is both in memoriam and in celebration
Rise and Fall, composed by 18-year-old Michael Molloy from Woolton in Liverpool a year before he died, entered the charts at number 38. It was recorded by his best friend Alex Evans thanks to production support from Bestival’s record label, Sunday Best, and festival organiser Rob Da Bank, a BBC Radio 1 deejay.
Molloy was travelling home from the Bestival music festival on the Isle of Wight last September when the coach crashed on a highway in Surrey. The coach driver and another passenger were also killed in the crash, while 50 others were injured.
The teenager’s brother, Joe, has previously said of the song: “It was Michael’s ambition to have his music recognised by the wider world. He never fulfilled that ambition so we, his family, are fulfilling it for him.
“Michael can never come back and we will never cease to grieve for him. We think about him every hour of every day.
“But Michael’s passion for music and his talent was one of the qualities which defined him and we want the rest of the world, through his music, to understand and appreciate in a small way just what a special human being he was.
“The release of the single is both in memoriam and in celebration.”
Molloy’s mother Frances, speaking earlier this year, said: “We will always be thankful for the fact that he was the happiest 18-year-old alive at the time of his death. He was fulfilled and full of hopes and dreams.
“One of those dreams was for his talent to be recognised. The release of Rise and Fall means that will now happen.”
Rob da Bank, who said: “It’s obvious to me that Michael was a young and rare talent and that music was an extremely important part of his life.
“I’ve heard he absolutely loved Bestival and had a great time at Bestival 2012 so I feel privileged to be able to help his family fulfil his and their ambition of getting Michael’s music out there.”
Elsewhere in the singles chart, electronic duo Daft Punk held on to the number-one slot with comeback track Get Lucky, a collaboration with Pharrell Williams and Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers.
Get Lucky – the fastest-selling single of the year – has now become the biggest hit of Daft Punk’s career and is on its way to becoming one of 2013’s biggest sellers, according to the Official UK Charts Company.
Drum and bass group Rudimental – whose debut album Home went straight to number one in the albums chart – were at number two with Waiting All Night, featuring Ella Eyre. Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis was at number three while Let Her Go, by Passenger, moved up seven places to hit number four. Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s collaboration, I Need Your Love, completed the top five.
There were other new entries in the singles chart for Disclosure, featuring Eliza Doolittle, with You & Me, at number 10 and former X Factor contestant Misha B at 35 with Here’s to Everything.
Former number-one album To Be Loved, by Canadian crooner Michael Bublé, was this week’s second best-selling album. Pink’s The Truth About Love was at number three in the albums chart, with Emeli Sandé’s Our Version of Events at four and Will.i.am at number five with Willpower.
There were new entries in the albums chart for The Voice singer Bo Bruce, who entered at 11 with Before I Sleep, boyband Blue, in at number 13 with Roulette, and Seasick Steve, at number 14 with Hubcap Music.
Rock veterans Deep Purple and The Eagles also had new entries in last week’s albums chart. Deep Purple came in at number 19 with Now What, while The Complete Greatest Hits by The Eagles hit number 27.