BIG DAY

Hot on the heels of Elton John’s success with the “Candle in the Wind 1997� tribute to Princess Diana, another charity single revised from a ‘70s song has rocketed to the top of the U.K. chart.

This one, though, came as more of a surprise. Neither the song (Lou Reed’s somewhat obscure “Perfect Day�) nor the cause for its revival (a campaign by BBC TV and radio to get people to pay the $140 annual license fees that finance their programming) would seem to have quite the universal appeal of John’s effort.

But the hit status comes from the roster of people who contributed to the recording--a wide-ranging cast that includes John, Bono, David Bowie (who produced the original Reed record), Tom Jones, teen stars Boyzone, reggae icon Burning Spear, jazz artist Courtney Pine, the gospel Visual Ministry Choir and classical acts the Brodsky Quartet and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Reed himself sings the opening and closing lines. The intent is to illustrate the wide variety of music available on the BBC.

Originally the track was meant only to air as a video on BBC TV. But response to the clip was so strong that Reed and the other artists agreed to allow the audio release as a commercial single as long as the proceeds were donated to charity, with the BBC’s annual Children in Need fund designated as the beneficiary.

Andy Way, spokesman for Chrysalis Records, which released the song in the U.K., says that plans are being made for international distribution, but that the “red tape� problems that can accompany charity projects will probably prevent it from coming out in the U.S. or Canada.