Latest news with #ChristmasSong
ABC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Paul Kelly spills the gravy on Rita Wrote A Letter
The long-awaited song sequel to his Christmas anthem 'How to Make Gravy' finds the master songwriter returning to the flawed but beloved characters with some delicious results, the quietly devastating yet darkly comic Rita Wrote A Letter. The new single arrives nearly three decades after the public met Paul Kelly's characters Dan, Joe, and Rita in his accidental Christmas classic, How To Make Gravy. Paull Kelly joins Karen Leng on Double J to spill the gravy on how this sequel came together, 29 years after the original recipe.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kelly Clarkson Reveals the Song She Wrote the Fastest — So Fast That She Ordered Sushi and Wrote It Before Food Arrived
Kelly Clarkson told a fan at a taping for The Kelly Clarkson Show that her festive anthem 'Underneath the Tree' took her the shortest amount of time to write out of all of her songs The 2013 Christmas song was included on ASCAP's Top 10 New Classic Holiday Songs list published in 2024 Clarkson created the song with producer Greg Kurstin, who also produced her 2012 hit 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)'One person waited a lifetime to ask Kelly Clarkson which song from her storied 23-year career as a recording artist she's written the fastest. In an 'Ask Kelly Anything' video published on June 12 on The Kelly Clarkson Show's YouTube channel, someone asked the daytime talk show host, 43, which song took her the shortest amount of time to write. 'A Christmas song. It was 'Underneath the Tree.' I was working with Greg Kurstin in the studio,' Clarkson said of the music producer who helped her make her 2012 hit 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)' and other hits. 'I ordered sushi and when it arrived I had written it,' the three-time Grammy winner continued. 'I think because I really love Christmas I write them really quickly for Christmas — because they feel good, because you can be a little cheesy, you know? You don't have to worry about being cool, which honestly that's not a concern generally ever because I'm not.' 'Underneath the Tree' was a huge hit for Clarkson, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard' Hot 100 singles chart. It topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, holding the pinnacle position for four weeks. Elaborating on how the holiday hit came to be, Clarkson said on her show that Kurstin, 56, 'sent me home with a little piano thing and we kind of started, not the idea of it, but just kind of the wall of sound for Christmas.' She added that 'it's a really cool sound at Christmas. It feels nostalgic.' 'They don't all come out like that, though; usually it takes forever,' Clarkson admitted of her songwriting process. 'But that one was quick.' is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! 'Underneath the Tree' — from Clarkson's Wrapped in Red album — also topped the most recent list of Top 10 ASCAP New Classic Holiday Songs published by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). And in an all-time list of Top 25 ASCAP Holiday Songs, Clarkson and Kurstin's holiday song slid into the rankings at No. 24. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
80s pop icon who penned smash hit Christmas song is unrecognisable as he boards budget RyanAir flight - but can YOU guess who it is?
An 80s pop icon who penned a classic Christmas song looked totally unrecognisable as he was pictured hopping on a RyanAir flight this week. The famed musician organised the iconic two-venue Live Aid concerts alongside Bob Geldof some 40 years ago, bringing a host of the decade's biggest stars together to raise money for Ethiopian famine. As part of the epic Band Aid group, he co-wrote and produced one of the most-well known festive tunes ever to be released, Do They Know It's Christmas, a year earlier. The Scottish musician journeyed around several groups in the 70s and early 80s before finding real success with a revived band in 1979, dropping the smash hit Vienna a couple of years later. But can you guess who the almost forgotten star is? From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. He later shared another snap revealing he had shaved his beard - but can you guess who it is? Well, the man kicking back on a commercial RyanAir flight to Dublin is none other than Ultravox, Thin Lizzy and Visage star Midge Ure, 71. And the grey fox looks totally different to his appearance during the height of his fame, sporting a full-grown beard as opposed to his old moustache. Clad in a black cap and a pair of glasses, the 80s icon shared a selfie to his Instagram of him on his way to a show in Dublin. Acknowledging his RyanAir ticket, he jokingly captioned the snap: 'Dublin bound. The yellow and blue gives it away. Ahh the glamour.' After rocking his show in the Irish the capital, the Glaswegian musician posed for another photo as he waited in customs for his flight, revealing he had shaved his beard for the gig. 'Great night at Rewind Dublin,' he wrote with the post. 'Amazing audience & amazing weather & amazing music. A winning combination all round. Glasgow Kennington Bandstand next.' Midge's journey on a commercial flight is a far cry from his successful days as part of Ultravox. The 71-year-old Band Aid star later praised the 'amazing' Irish audience before flying back In fact, such was his success that a couple of years after Band Aid the 71-year-old was was handed a £1million advance by his record label. But four years later the rocker found himself half a million in debt and selling off assets to pay back tax and VAT demands. After a few other troubles - including a house he bought in the Caribbean that was demolished by a hurricane and engulfed by a volcano - in 2023 Midge became one of a host of musicians to sell their catalogue. The rocker's latest set of shows comes after he and former musical partner Bob Geldof, 73, reunited at Wembley Stadium last month to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Live Aid. The pair were back together to announce Just for One Day: The Live Aid Musical cast recording ahead of its West End run, as they were pictured pitch-side at the iconic English stadium. Echoing that hot summer's day in 1985, when stars such as David Bowie and Queen mesmerised fans across the world, the sun beat down as Geldof, and Ure took a trip down memory lane. Watched by an estimated 1.9billion people across the world, the two concerts raised an astonishing £150m in total for famine relief. Just seven months after the release of Band Aid charity single Do They Know It's Christmas?, Geldof and Ure brought together some of the biggest artists of the 1980s for two huge concerts at Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy Stadium. David Bowie, Sir Paul McCartney, Status Quo, Sir Elton John and Queen led a lengthy roster of performers in London, while Black Sabbath, Joan Baez, Run D.M.C and The Beach Boys joined a host of stars in Philadelphia. Band Aid proved the pinnacle of Midge's lofty career, which kicked off with a 1976 number one single, Forever And Ever, while playing in the band Slik. He then had a brief stint in new wave group Rich Kids before forming Visage in 1978 with Rusty Egan and lead vocalist Steve Strange. The band enjoyed a string of hits, including Fade To Grey, and successful albums Visage and The Anvil before tensions caused them to go their separate ways. He then joined Thin Lizzy in 1979 before regrouping Ultravox later that year as its singer, songwriter and guitarist. As Vienna topped the charts in 1981, Midge was also juggling his roles in Visage and Thin Lizzy. They went on to land four top 10 albums and a top three single in Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, before their greatest hits record was released and certified triple platinum. Once he focused on his solo career, Midge had a number one single with If I Was in 1985 and a number two album in the same year with The Gift. After overseeing Live 8 in 2005, Midge was awarded an OBE. He married his first wife, TV presenter Annabel Giles, in 1985 and they had one daughter Molly Lorenne before divorcing in 1989. In 2003, he tied the knot with his second wife, actress Sheridan Forbes. The duo live in Bath and have three daughters. Last year, Midge paid tribute to his friend and Ultravox bandmate Chris Cross: 'We worked together, we played together, made music and directed videos together. 'We were instant friends as well as Ultravox comrades. Even after years apart we managed to pick up where we left off like the years in between never existed. You were the glue that held the band together.
