How Hillsborough single was made
An exclusive documentary which goes behind the scenes throughout the recording of the Hillsborough charity single 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' will be broadcast for the first time on LFC TV at 9pm GMT on Monday night.
The song was officially released in Liverpool city centre this morning and our hour-long film, entitled 'The Road is Long', will follow The Justice Collective every step of the way as they create their heartfelt version of The Hollies' classic.
The aim is simple - to get the song to Christmas No.1 in tribute to the 96 fans who died at Hillsborough and raise funds to help the fight for justice which has never ceased since that fateful day in 1989.
The single was inspired by Everton's moving tribute at Goodison Park days after the release of the Hillsborough Independent Panel's report on September 12 this year.
And our documentary will chart the single's progress from that poignant night at Goodison right through to the Hillsborough families' first hearing of the finished article at St George's Hall in November.
Our cameras were at the very heart of this story - in the recording booth, the control room and the studio at locations in Liverpool and London, as some of the more intimate moments between the artists unfolded and the song began to take shape.
We'll also hear from the musicians and artists who feature on the track including Robbie Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Beverley Knight and Paloma Faith.
Robbie said: "The disaster at Hillsborough was a pivotal point in my life as a football fan. I'd never seen anything like that on the TV before and it had a lasting effect on me and did something to my heart and soul.
"It was almost too much to take in. As a football fan, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to help out. I love football, I love Liverpool and it broke my heart when I was a kid, so that's why I'm here."
Guy Chambers added: "Everybody is really fired up about the cause and there is a good feeling among this group. We're all moving towards the same place, which is hopefully a Christmas number one. Our objective is to spread the message as wide as possible."
Anfield-born singer Rebecca Ferguson played her part in the recording and she told LFC TV: "I get asked to do a lot of charity things but this was something that I thought I definitely had to get involved in because it affected my hometown and because of that I feel passionately about it.
"I think Hillsborough has left a deep pain, especially in Liverpool. It's left a deep sense of injustice. I've got so much respect for the Liverpool people, because they really haven't stopped fighting for justice."
The single is now available to buy in store at all good music retailers and can also be purchased online via iTunes, HMV, 7 Digital and Amazon.
The single will soon be available to buy from Liverpool FC official club stores. The club is not a chart-registered company and so sales of the song have been prioritised to other outlets for the time being, in order for the single to stand a better chance of reaching number one in the Christmas charts.
You can also purchase the track by texting the word 'Justice' to 80010 from your mobile phone in the UK (£1 + standard network rate). From the Republic of Ireland text 'Justice' to 53600 if you would like to pre-order a copy (€1.50 + standard network rate).
Please note that due to the very high demand, texts to download may suffer a delay of a few hours.