29 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!
Buy Send A Prayer (To Heaven) here (Apple Music)
Stream Send A Prayer (To Heaven) here (Spotify)
A lot of people wish that Messrs Stock, Aitken and Waterman, aka the sound of a fresh young Britain, had released a Christmas album featuring their cavalcade of stars on new and classic festive hits. I'd have lapped that album up, but it just wasn't to be. They did dally with the most wonderful time of the year in their music though - in 1989 they masterminded Band Aid II as well as penning my very favourite Jason Donovan single, When You Come Back To Me (an all round seasonal song); one year later, in the chilly winter of 1990, they worked with Errol Brown (of Hot Chocolate fame) to give him his fourth most successful UK solo single (more on that later). Send A Prayer (To Heaven) may have been an Errol composition but it was definitely a S/A/W production. Pete Hammond mixed the song whilst Mike and Matt (Stock and Aitken) played instruments. Add in PWL stalwarts Mae and Miriam on backing vocals, it was certainly a Hit Factory family affair...
The song was like a modern Someday At Christmas - a lyrical plea to right the wrongs in the world and to remember those less fortunate at a time of year where most are surrounded by family, friends, food, drink and presents. It could have been a bit mawkish and depressing but it was actually exactly the type of song which would normally have a shot at being the prestigious Christmas number one. S/A/W pulled out all the stops to make sure it shimmered with festive music - lush piano, sweeping strings and a big old choir in the chorus actually made it feel quite uplifting and hopeful. I thought it was just magical; a lovely, sing-along song that bought back the chiming bells of When You Come Back To Me. Add in that Harding/Curnow Full Monte mix and the magic was extended for six glittering minutes. Sadly Britain didn't agree - whilst Cliff Richard rose to the top with Saviour's Day, Send A Prayer languished at number 83 (six places higher than his previous single, Love Goes Up and Down)...
I contend that Send A Prayer remains not only one of the most underrated S/A/W productions but one of the most underrated Harding/Curnow mixes. That extended orchestral solo in the 12" mix is utterly celestial! Flip the record over and you'll find a hidden S/A/W gem - Family Christmas Time. Co-written by Errol with S/A/W, this was all about finding the joy in spending the holidays with those you love. It is a charming mid-tempo swaying ballad with some lovely, lilting piano and a smooth, sincere vocal from Mr Brown himself. How much you like this song will depend on how much you love Christmas - so of course, I was smitten with it. It wasn't a double-A side (though perhaps it should have been) but, as was the tradition with PWL, there's a great Dave Ford 12" mix of this b-side track. It oozes with sentiment and good will, so hit play, decorate your tree and dig out old photos of Christmases past. 30 years after this song was released, it feels both timely and timeless...
UK chart run ~ 93-83-86
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