A song recorded by classmates and siblings of the children shot in a Scottish school massacre has reached the top of Britain's singles chart.
A version of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," with an additional verse calling for gun control, took the No. 1 spot on Sunday.The song was recorded with Dylan's permission to raise money for children's charities. The single features a 14-child choir accompanied by Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler and other professional musicians.
"The kids have had a lot of fun, and that can only be good news," said Ted Christopher, the Dunblane, Scotland, musician who had the idea for the record. "It's been a long time since there's been a lot of laughter in Dunblane."
The new verse alludes to Dunblane, where Thomas Hamilton gunned down 16 first-graders and their teacher on March 13.
"Lord, these guns have caused too much pain.
"This town will never be the same.
"So, for the bairns (small children) of Dunblane
"We ask please - never again."
Dunblane residents have campaigned since the massacre for a ban on all private gun ownership; the government last month banned all but the smallest-caliber guns.
The record is expected to raise $830,000.