My Favourite Time of Year
| "My Favourite Time of Year" | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Single by The Florin Street Band | |
| Released | Christmas 2010 Christmas 2011 |
| Format | Digital download, Radio, CD single |
| Recorded | 2010 |
| Genre | Christmas music |
| Songwriter(s) | Leigh Haggerwood |
| Music video | |
| "My Favourite Time of Year" on YouTube | |
"My Favourite Time of Year" is a Christmas song performed by The Florin Street Band which was written and sung by British composer Leigh Haggerwood in 2010. His aim was to create a song with strong melodies that would match the classics, and bring back the Christmas magic that he felt had been missing from the UK charts for decades. Haggerwood was disappointed by the yearly non-festive songs released by The X Factor finalists, and the protests that ensued which seemed more concerned with spiting Simon Cowell than bringing back Christmas songs. When writing the song, he recalled his own childhood in the early 1980s. "My Favourite Time of Year" evolves around a catchy, carol-like melody which weaves up and down the major scales of Eb and Bb. The song is piano-led with instrumentation that includes many traditional Christmas elements such as orchestral chimes, choral harmonies and string lines.
Leigh Haggerwood's vision for the song included a Victorian-themed band. After several years of pitching the concept to major labels, who wouldn't compete with the The X Factor, he eventually decided to fund it himself using his personal savings. He contacted his session musician friends and employed their services to record the song at Trevor Horn's Sarm Studios in London, England. He also hired The English Chamber Choir to perform the choral parts, and the song was recorded over seven days in August 2010. The large ensemble of musicians was collectively named The Florin Street Band and many of the musicians that performed on the recording also appeared in the music video.
Leigh's original vision for the song included a music video set in Victorian England. The intention was to depict a working class man walking through snow-lined streets looking in on the festivities, and after a long search, it was agreed that British director Nick Bartleet would direct the video. Blists Hill Victorian Town at Ironbridge Museum's in Shropshire was chosen as the location due to its authentic recreation of a Victorian street which would become Florin Street in the video. As the project evolved, respected cinematographer John Perez - known for his work on Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" and videos by Beyoncé and Rihanna - offered his services. Over 100 cast and crew gathered for the overnight shoot at Blists Hill in October 2010, and due to the tight budget, the video had to be shot relatively quickly.
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