Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran on Tuesday offered a glimpse of his new melancholy Christmas ballad Under the Tree, a part of Richard Curtis’ upcoming holiday movie That Christmas, slated to drop on Netflix on December 4.
In his note on Instagram, Sheeran revealed that he began working on the song in 2021 after Curtis asked him to compose a track for his upcoming project.
“Richard Curtis made my fav Christmas film, and tv special. He came round my house in 2021 and showed me a rough of his new one, then asked me to make a song for it. How could I resist...This song is written about a character in the film who wants to spend Christmas with his dad, but doesn’t get to. It’s a heartbreaking scene, and something so many people go through every year being alone at Christmas. Hope everyone loves the song, the movie is called That Christmas and it’s out 4th December on Netflix. Me and my family love it. Yours will too,” wrote Sheeran alongside a video that combines a clip from the animated film with a live-action version featuring the singer and actress Claudia Jessie of Bridgerton fame.
While the song in the film is about a boy who is unable to meet his father on Christmas, the live-action video revolves around two lovers who have drifted apart. Sheeran’s persona in the film longs for a reunion with his beloved. “There is nothing under the tree that I wished for/I want you to come back to me/And be like before,” he sings. The clip offers glimpses of Sheeran’s cherished memories with his beloved during the holiday season.
In his caption, Sheeran called Curtis’ upcoming movie a perfect Christmas treat for very young kids. “Having kids, I struggle to find great great movies for very young kids to watch at Christmas, and this ticks all the boxes,” he wrote.
That Christmas is based on That Christmas and Other Stories, a children’s book series by Richard Curtis, who wrote the screenplay for the 2003 holiday romcom Love, Actually. Curtis also directed Sheeran’s video for Under the Tree.
The voice cast of That Christmas includes Brian Cox as Santa, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker and Bill Nighy.
