Out UK music icon releases Christmas single

Limahl gifts us with the festive, feel-good video “One Wish For Christmas.”

UK music icon Limahl has released the festive single and video “One Wish For Christmas.” The holiday themed track is an update to his previously-released song “London for Christmas” (2012), this time revisiting the theme against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“I was very happy with the song and as usual was planning to re-release it as is. However, this year during COVID, I was thinking about the lyrics and how they’ll have more value/poignancy because they talk about the many things we’re all unable to do, such as travel/tourism, romantic hotel/city break, cocktail bar, theatre, etc.,” Limahl explains. “With all the extra time in lockdown to be creative and as it’s been eight years since we first wrote it, we decided to revisit the production.”

Filmed in Watford, in England’s historic Palace Theatre which was built in 1908, the video for “One Wish For Christmas” features Limahl performing the song with a septet of musicians adding the orchestral flourish.

“Like most venues, it is currently closed due to COVID and on filming day, we all had to wear masks between takes,” explains Limahl about the challenges that faced him and the video cast and crew. “Filming took place over two days, first at the theatre with musicians and then on location in London two weeks later when the Christmas lights had been switched on. The department store Selfridges is name-checked in the song verse so it only felt right to get some shots outside of the store on Oxford Street.”

“I love Christmas and some of the great holiday songs like ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)’,” says Limahl, who had always wanted to compose his own holiday song.

Featured in three popular US TV shows last year, Limahl has had a comeback of sorts. “My Spotify monthly streams jumped  from 300,000 to 1.5 million!” His worldwide smashes “Neverending Story” and “Too Shy” (with band Kajagoogoo) were featured on hit television series Black Mirror (Episode: “Bandersnatch”), American Horror Story (Season Nine: “1984”) and Stranger Things (Season Three).

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In reality, Limahl never really left pop culture prominence. Winning the hearts of millions of fans in the 80s as the lead singer of British band Kajagoogoo, Limahl enjoyed the instant celebrity of hitting the top of the charts with their debut single “Too Shy” which was followed by two more Top 20 hits “Ooh To Be Ah” and “Hang On Now” (all of which he co-wrote). Limahl struck out on his own and soon re-emerged in the charts again with his first solo single “Only For Love.” That was quickly followed with the Giorgio Moroder–produced worldwide smash “Neverending Story,” the theme song from the hit film of the same name.

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