When we can’t be together for the festive season Christmas Hummingbird delivers the joy!!
Harmonious acoustic pop song by The Watanabes with melancholy lyrics, soaring strings, angelic choir and heart-warming spirit.
A new Christmas classic is here…
Christmas Hummingbird began its journey as the folk inspired song Hummingbird by The Watanabes (British brothers Duncan and Selwyn Walsh) on their 2017 EP Spoiled and Nostalgic.
Guy started spinning Hummingbird every December thinking the song had a Christmas feel and in early 2020 approached The Watanabes with the remix idea – adding festive flourishes, tweaking the lyrics and re-releasing as a Christmas season tune.
The brothers agreed and asked their regular studio collaborator and producer David Naughton to re-work the track and “Christmas Hummingbird” was on its way.
Guy brought in composer Nicholas Buc, who has conducted for many major international symphony orchestras to write the string arrangement; Naughton recruited his three young children (locked-down at home) as the Christmas carolling choir with an arrangement by musician Matt Hogan; the final mix was mastered at Abbey Road Studios.
The result is a Christmas classic to enjoy season after season!!
Now available on all music platforms
The Band: The Watanabes
British brothers Duncan and Selwyn Walsh formed The Watanabes in the summer of 2005 while living in rural Ehime prefecture in Japan. Watanabe is a common family name of the region, so with a touch of whimsy they chose the name, alluding to British band The Smiths, while also being inspired by Toru Watanabe the protagonist in Haruki Murakami’s novel Norwegian Wood.
The Watanabes jangly pop sound has drawn comparison to melodious artists including Belle and Sebastian, Pale Fountains and Crowded House, while Time Out have called them “Tokyo’s answer to The Smiths”.
Other founding members of the group and a number of diverse musicians have contributed to the band’s recordings and live performances through the years.
The Watanabes have featured regularly on the BBC Introducing Series in the UK and in 2017 they performed live from Tokyo as part of BBC Introducing’s 10th Anniversary celebrations.
The Producer: David Naughton
From Glasgow, Scotland and currently living in Japan, Naughton has worked as producer, technician, studio musician, live performer, writer or arranger for an array of artists including Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Teenage Fanclub, Belle and Sebastian, Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time, Nick Carter, Busted, Will Young, Geri Halliwell, Rachel Goswell, Mojave 3 and many others. He has produced for The Watanabes since their second album You’re Dancing I’m Absorbed released in 2011.
The Strings Arranger: Nicholas Buc
Australian composer, conductor, arranger, violinist and pianist whose commissioned works have been premiered by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, The Australian Voices, and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra with selected works screened at festivals and theatres around Australia, Asia and the US. Buc has written for film and television; conducted live-in-concert world premieres of Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind,The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Harry Potter; worked with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Chris Botti, Amanda Palmer, Ben Folds, Tina Arena and Nick Cave; written arrangements for Missy Higgins, Passenger, Eskimo Joe and The Whitlams; and worked on five seasons of The Voice Australia.
The Carolling Choir Arranger: Matt Hogan
Boston based musician, arranger and former member of The Watanabes.
The Visual Artist: Marina Elphick
The Walsh’s cousin Elphick is a professional visual artist specializing in batik art for over 30 years who’s work, including painting and drawing has been regularly commissioned for portraits and book covers. With her love of flora, fauna and mythical themes the hummingbird is a regular motif in Elphick’s work and a detail of one of her paintings was reimagined with a wintry effect for the Christmas Hummingbird artwork.
The Graphic Designer: Hitomi Tsuchiya
The Watanabes white and red text logo was created by Tsuchiya in 2009 and has been used on all The Watanabes releases since.
The Executive Producer: Guy Perryman
Christmas Hummingbird – Lyrics:
If I were a hummingbird, I would cross the sea and I’d fly to you
Sail across the open fields, land upon your window and sing for you
Soaring the skies with wide open eyes, deep into the blue
Braving the seas, take wing with the breeze, come calling to you
And if you listen with your heart, then you’ll hear my tune
You can open up your window, and let the moonlight inspire you
If I were a hummingbird, I would cross the sea and I’d fly to you
Traveling a thousand miles, bringing a surprise with the morning dew
From flowers and trees drift sweet melodies sung only for you
Long into the night, the moon shining bright, when dreams can come true
And if you listen with your heart, then you’ll hear my tune
You can open up your window, and let the moonlight inspire you
Christmas Eve fall asleep, I won’t say goodbye
‘Cause if you listen with your heart then you’ll hear my lullaby
Lalalalalalalalalala…
Christmas Eve fall asleep, I won’t say goodbye
‘Cause if you listen with your heart then you’ll hear my lullaby
(Written by Duncan Walsh, Selwyn Walsh, Guy Perryman, David Naughton)
