British band McFly have released a cover of the classic Christmas song “Walking In The Air”. The festive cover dropped today and may join the running for this year’s Christmas number one. The quartet announced the surprise release via Twitter.
I’m finding I can fly so high above with you ☃️ Our version of Walking in the Air is available on all streaming platforms now. Play this one LOUD! https://t.co/OrkiUputlr pic.twitter.com/7UEDeextdq
— mcfly (@mcflymusic) December 3, 2021
McFly consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Tom Fletcher, lead vocalist and lead guitarist Danny Jones, bassist Dougie Poynter and drummer Harry Judd. This is not the first time in which McFly have performed the track. In 2020 the band played a cover of the song during their Christmas With McFly special on 21st December. The cover was then made available via YouTube on the band’s channel.
The track begins with the instantly recognisable melody played on guitar; the vocals then begin soon after. The song remains delicate and atmospheric until a heavier influence kicks in. The new release’s rock sound has been perfectly matched with the canonised original’s magically intricate musicality. The track has been released on all streaming platforms and has been promoted by all band members across their social media pages.
The festive classic was written by composer Howard Blake and was featured in the 1982 animated film The Snowman. Since the film’s release, the song has become synonymous with Christmas and has since appeared in various TV advertisements. The song was famously re-released by Welsh chorister Aled Jones in 1985, the singer was 15 years old at the time and was recommended by Blake. The single achieved chart success and placed in the top five within the UK singles chart. Jones followed in the footsteps of original singer Peter Auty who sang on the 1982 release, both vocalists were choral singers.
The track has since become a festive go-to for many artists and has been featured on various albums. Cliff Richard covered the track in 2003 and included the song on his album Cliff at Christmas. West End Legend Elaine Paige also covered the track for her 1986 album Christmas. The festive favourite has been recorded and performed in various genres; Metal legends Iron Maiden covered the track during a performance on their tour in support of the 1986 album Somewhere in Time. Symphonic metal group Nightwish also covered “Walking In The Air”, the Finnish band featured the cover on their 1998 album Oceanborn.
In other news, McFly have confirmed that they are working on the follow up to their 2020 album Young Dumb Thrills. Judd has revealed that the group are aiming for a rock-heavy sound by returning “Back to More guitar, drums and bass” and leaving behind the “Classic Pop” style. He continued to add, “Young Dumb Thrills’ still had guitars and drums on it but there was programming and a bit of a different approach to recording. This time, from day one of writing and recording, we’ve had all our gear set up. So if Tom has brought in a song in the morning, we go straight into playing it as a band to get parts that way. We’ve been writing songs in that environment as well, and writing riffs.”
McFly UK tour
13/05/2022 – Pub In The Park 2022 – Marlow
03/06 – Wicksteed Park – Kettering
10/06 – Gloucester Park – Gloucester
11/06 – Pub In The Park 2022 – Warwick
03/07 – Waddeesdon Manor – Aylesbury
08/07 – Lincolnshire Showground – Lincoln
17/07 – Chewton Glen Hotel And Spa – New Milton
13/08 – Doncaster Racecourse – Doncaster
03/09 – Imperial Recreation Ground – Exmouth
Click here to purchase tickets.
Click here to stream “Walking In The Air“
