The countdown to Christmas has officially started. Advent calendars are being opened, trees are going up and it’s now socially acceptable to play Christmas music (that’s if you haven’t already been listening to it since 1st November).
Today’s the day that Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s Christmas song is finally out! After months of hinting, the pair released one final teaser video earlier this week where they confirmed the release date of the single.
Christmas has come early 🎄 'Merry Christmas' by Ed and @eltonofficial is out this Friday, pre-order or pre-save it here https://t.co/LNCaJ0gJHP pic.twitter.com/oiUcdOUoCs
— Ed Sheeran HQ (@edsheeran) November 29, 2021
In the video, Ed and Elton recreate the famous notecard scene from Love Actually. The message reads ‘Hello, last Christmas I received a call from my mate Elton John and he told me we should do a “Christmas song,” and I replied “Yeah, maybe in 2022.” But I actually wrote the chorus that day, and here we are. Our Christmas song, ‘Merry Christmas’, is out this Friday. Go pre-order or pre-save it now. It has sleigh bells. A lot of them…’
Believe it or not, there’s never actually been a song called ‘Merry Christmas’ on the charts before. Now, the new single is looking like a strong contender for this year’s Official Christmas Number 1. It’s Ed’s first ever Christmas song and Elton’s second, following ‘Step into Christmas’ in 1973.
The music video stars both Ed and Elton, and sees them get in the Christmas spirit as they enjoy the festivities. It’s a lighthearted spectacle, with LOTS of fun costumes – mainly on Ed’s part, but the pair do begin the video wearing matching Gucci tracksuits.
In one scene, Ed becomes the little boy from The Snowman‘s ‘Walking in the Air’, while another sees him recreate East 17’s ‘Stay Another Day’ (white fur coats and everything) with British TV presenters Jonathan Ross, Michael McIntyre and Big Narstie.
Ed and Elton John’s record and publishing royalties as well as profits from sales of the single during this year’s Christmas period will go to the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
‘Merry Christmas’ appears on the Christmas edition of =. Stream it here now!