Swedish singer-songwriter David Myhr has unveiled the official lyric video for “(I Wish for You) A Merry Christmas,” his new holiday single arriving November 6 via Oglio Entertainment.WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO HERECreated by Alexander Edström of Postfix, the lyric video brings the song’s tender tale of holiday homecoming to life as Myhr pairs his gift for classic pop melody with sleigh bells, soaring vocal harmonies, strings and brass. The result is a joyous holiday anthem built around a romantic story of a loved one making the journey home through candlelight, swirling snowdrifts and memories of Christmases past.Following his critically acclaimed third solo album, Everything Is All About You, and its focus track “Say Yes”, “(I Wish for You) A Merry Christmas” finds Myhr turning his melodic pop sensibilities toward a long-held ambition: writing a Christmas song of his own. The track will also appear in the upcoming Swedish comedy Hösten med Göran, opening in Sweden on Christmas Day.The idea began with a text from Myhr’s co-writer, film composer Jimmy Lagnefors, earlier this year: “We need a driving Christmas song for the movie. What does the Christmas song John & Paul never wrote together in 1973 sound like?”For Myhr, the challenge arrived in decidedly unseasonal surroundings.“I love a challenge, and I’ve long known that Christmas songs aren’t written in December,” says Myhr. “And sure enough, there I suddenly was, strolling the streets of Tokyo in the sweltering summer heat, trying to hum Christmas melodies.”Back in Stockholm, Myhr and Lagnefors combined their melodic ideas into a song filled with anticipation, winter imagery and the promise of a loved one returning home. Lagnefors took the lead on the lyrics, while a recurring chiming counter-melody nods to the familiar sound of London’s Big Ben.The collaborators have previously teamed up on film songs including “Vänta inte på mig” and the ELO-inspired “Spellbound.”This time, their search for the right holiday sound led them to Phil Spector’s landmark 1963 album, A Christmas Gift for You.“To build our own ‘Wall of Sound,’ we brought in Andreas Dahlbäck (Per Gessle, Julian Lennon) on drums, who recorded two separate drum kits,” Myhr explains. “In that same ‘more is more’ spirit, I played double pianos and double guitars. On top of that, we added strings, brass, female backing vocals on the choruses, and naturally, a classic key change at the end.”Those layers give the recording its festive sweep. Myhr contributes lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitars, grand piano, upright piano, harpsichord, bass, glockenspiel, tubular bells and an array of percussion. Lagnefors and a seven-member vocal ensemble add backing vocals, while Dahlbäck supplies drums, tambourine, sleigh bells, timpani and hand claps.Hans Hjortek arranged the strings and horns, Markus Sjöberg mixed the track, and Natalie Bibby mastered it at London’s AIR Studios.Behind the expansive production is a personal connection to the season, shaped by Myhr’s childhood in northern Sweden and renewed through becoming a parent.“I’ve dreamed of writing a proper Christmas song for a long time,” says Myhr. “Growing up as the late-born youngest of four siblings in our childhood home in Piteå, Christmas was pure magic. As an adult, it lost a bit of its luster. But now that I’m a father to a six-year-old myself, all of that wide-eyed, expectant magic has returned.”David Myhr’s “(I Wish for You) A Merry Christmas” arrives November 6 on all major streaming platforms via Oglio Entertainment. Recording CreditsWords and music: Jimmy Lagnefors and David Myhr
Published by: Playground Music Publishing (STIM) / Strong Melody Publishing, administered by Misty Music (STIM)David Myhr: Lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitars, grand piano, upright piano, harpsichord, bass, glockenspiel, tubular bells, tambourine, maracas, caxixi and hand claps
Jimmy Lagnefors: Backing vocals
Madeleine Göransson, Nelly Malou, Cecilia Norberg, Valentina Orioli, Hilma Phalén, Moa Persson and Stina Preuss: Backing vocals
Andreas Dahlbäck: Drums, tambourine, sleigh bells, timpani and hand clapsStrings and horns arranged by: Hans Hjortek
Mixed by: Markus Sjöberg
Mastered by: Natalie Bibby at AIR Studios, London
Lyric video by: Alexander Edström / Postfix |
