"Wherever You Are" | ||||
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Single by Military Wives featuring Gareth Malone | ||||
from the album In My Dreams | ||||
B-side | Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal (Four Madrigals On Rose Texts): A Spotless Rose | |||
Released | 15 December 2011 | |||
Format | CD single, digital download | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Genre | Choral | |||
Length | 2:51 | |||
Label | Decca | |||
Writer(s) | Text of assorted letters set to music by Paul Mealor | |||
Producer(s) | Jon Cohen. Mixed by Phil Da Costa and Jon Cohen |
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Military Wives singles chronology | ||||
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Spin-off product of the 2011 BBC TV series The Choir: Military Wives
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"Wherever You Are" is a song written by Paul Mealor and performed by the Military Wives Choir, sung by ladies from Chivenor and Plymouth under the direction of Gareth Malone. It is a spin-off of the BBC Two television series The Choir: Military Wives. It was released on 19 December 2011 following a campaign to make it the 2011 UK Christmas number one. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 1, claiming the Christmas number 1 – selling more than 556,000 copies in the week, more than the rest of the Top 12 combined. The song also claimed the status of the biggest first week sales since "A Moment Like This" by Leona Lewis sold over 571,000 copies in its first week in 2006. The song was included on their debut studio album In My Dreams.
"Wherever You Are" was nominated for Best British Single in the 2012 BRIT Awards, but the award was won by One Direction for their single "What Makes You Beautiful".
The Military Wives was formed in 2011 by Gareth Malone for the BBC Two television series The Choir: Military Wives. The programme documented Malone's visits to Chivenor Barracks first and then a few months later to Royal Citadel, Plymouth – both in Devon, in which he formed two choirs of wives and partners of British military personnel deployed on active service in the Afghanistan War. In forming the choirs, Malone aimed to raise the women's morale and raise their profile in the public perception.