A brand new Christmas song composed entirely about Harrogate is set to launch this week with an exclusive first play lined up on Your Harrogate Radio.
'Merry Christmas Harrogate' (ft. Harry Arnison, Harvey and Isabella Burns) will be released on Friday (29th November).
And listeners of Your Harrogate will be the first to hear the song at 8:30am, on Nick Hancock’s breakfast show.
The song has been co-ordinated by Harrogate hotelier Simon Cotton, Managing Director of the HRH Group, and recorded by local band The Straymen.
He told Your Harrogate:
“It’s an earworm. I’ve played it to a few family and friends, by the second and third listen you can’t get it out of your head!
“It’s quite catchy, but it’s very personal about Harrogate as a town.
“It’s about Christmas, families, people coming together and being in Harrogate.
“I believe we’re the first town in the whole country to have its own Christmas song, so we’re breaking boundaries!”
The song will be played before Harrogate Theatre's pantomime and through the speakers located around Harrogate's Christmas Fayre.
A music video has also been created and will be released on Friday.
Simon said:
“I believe we’re the most Christmassy town in the UK! We’ve got the fantastic, extended Christmas market and more lights than ever…
“The North Pole Post Office is beautiful, we’ve got the Christmas shop window competition, the ice rink is up at the showground - there’s just so much Christmassy stuff that goes on in Harrogate, the only thing missing was a song!”
Simon was full of praise for musician Joe Pearce, who works for the HRH Group, for putting music to the lyrics that Simon himself wrote.
On aiming for Christmas number one, Simon said:
"It's only a few years ago a song about a sausage roll made it to number one... So why not?
"I'm a great believer in aim for the stars, hit the moon type of attitude. What's the worst thing that can happen?
"I think people will love it."
Your Harrogate's Nick Hancock will be broadcasting from The Yorkshire Hotel from 7am on Friday morning (29th November) for a special launch event for invited guests.
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