Charity (song)

For other songs, see Charity (disambiguation).

"Charity"
Single by Skunk Anansie
from the album Paranoid & Sunburnt
B-side	"Used" "Killer's War" "Kept My Mouth Shut" "I Can Dream" (live) "Punk by Numbers" (live) "Here I Stand" (live) "It Takes Blood and Guts" "Intellectualise My Blackness" (live)
Released	21 August 1995 (1995-08-21)[1]
Length	4:36
Label	One Little Indian
Songwriter(s)	Skin Len Arran
Producer(s)	Sylvia Massy Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie singles chronology
"I Can Dream" (1995) "Charity" (1995) "Weak" (1996)
Alternative cover
Re-release artwork (CD1)
Alternative cover
Re-release artwork (CD2)

"Charity" is a song by British rock band Skunk Anansie, released as their third single on 21 August 1995 by One Little Indian and re-released on 15 April 1996.^[2] The original release reached number 40 on the UK singles chart while the re-release reached number 20. In Iceland, the song became the band's first of three number-one singles. When re-released, two new CDs were made available. CD1 contains live versions of "I Can Dream" and "Punk by Numbers", and CD2 includes live versions of tracks from Paranoid & Sunburnt.

Critical reception

Roy Wilkinson from Select wrote, "On this front, 'Charity' is their trump card, welding the stridently soul momma-ish chorus to a soulfully country-tinged verse that wouldn't have been that out of place on the last Scream album."^[3]

Music video

The music video for "Charity" was directed by David Mould. Stills of the video were used as covers for the single.

Track listings

• Original release CD single

#	Title	Length
1.	"Charity"	4:36
2.	"Used"	4:54
3.	"Killers' War"	4:00
4.	"Kept My Mouth Shut"	3:38

• Re-release CD single: CD1

#	Title	Length
1.	"Charity"	4:36
2.	"I Can Dream (Live)"	3:36
3.	"Punk By Numbers (Live)"	2:48

• Re-release CD single: CD2

#	Title	Length
1.	"Charity (Live)"	4:53
2.	"Here I Stand (Live) "	5:33
3.	"It Takes Blood and Guts[4] (Live)"	4:28
4.	"Intellectualise My Blackness (Live) "	4:21

• 10-inch vinyl

#	Title	Length
1.	"Charity"	4:36
2.	"Used"	4:54
3.	"Killer's War"	4:00

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Peak position Scotland (OCC)[5] 35 UK Singles (OCC)[6] 40 Chart (1996) Peak position Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[7] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[8] 18 Netherlands (Single Top 100 Tipparade)[9] 3 Scotland (OCC)[10] 19 UK Singles (OCC)[11] 20

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[12] 19

References

1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 19 August 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
2. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 13 April 1996. p. 27. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
3. Wilkinson, Roy (October 1995). "New Albums". Select. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
4. The actual title is "It Takes Blood And Guts To Be This Way But Im Still Just A Cliché" but has been shortened for display purposes.
5. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
7. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (22.6. – 28.6. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 22 June 1996. p. 26. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
8. "Skunk Anansie – Charity" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
9. "Skunk Anansie – Charity" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
12. "Árslistinn 1996". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1997. p. 25. Retrieved 30 May 2020.