- 2023-11-17
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MUSIC
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Foy Vance Releases Anniversary Edition of “Guiding Light” featuring Ed Sheeran, Elton John & Keith Urban
Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance released a new version of “Guiding Light” on November 17, 2023.
He re-recorded the song with British singer-songwriters Ed Sheeran, Elton John and Australian singer-songwriter Keith Urban in celebration of its 10th anniversary.
The original version of the song is featured on Foy Vance's sophomore album “Joy of Nothing”, which was released in 2013, and also features additional vocals from longtime friend Sheeran.
The track was written by Foy Vance and produced by Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid.
The accompanying music video was directed by Gus Black.
“When I wrote Guiding Light I was feeling lost in my life due to a loss of family, friendships and reason,” Foy Vance said of the sing in a statement. “The music lit up the darkness. Melody reminded me to keep going no matter how long the road or how pointless it seemed. Guiding Light is the person or the thing that brings you back to a safe space, somewhere to lick your wounds and convalesce. To see this song resonate with so many people over the years has truly been a beautiful thing.”- Ed Sheeran said: “I was a Foy Vance fan from the age of about 15 and went to a load of his gigs back then where he used to end with Guiding Light. It was a song that I was obsessed with—I learned it in my bedroom, and I used to play it at pub shows, trying to be Foy. When we got to know each other, I asked him why he had never recorded it because I'd only ever found videos of it on YouTube and I really encouraged him to record it. When he was recording it he asked 'well why don't you sing it with me? If you've been singing for all these years you should sing it with me,' so we sang it on 'Joy Of Nothing' in 2013. Then when said he was re-recording it and wants to do it with Keith Urban and Elton John I was like, that sounds great!”
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Elton John said, “It's the most beautiful song. When Foy asked me to do it, it was a no brainer for me because I'm such a huge fan of his.”
Keith Urban said, “I get a call from Foy that they're going to do a new version of Guiding Light, one of my all-time favorite songs, to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Foy writing the song, and so for me that was a no brainer. To be on the song period is incredible because it's such a beautiful song. It's more of a hymn—it captures all of the beauty and the struggle and everything that it is to be a spiritual being having a human experience. I think this song captures it. So it was an immediate yes from me to be a part of it.”
Photo by Megan Nielsen - source : Apple Music
