The Living Years • The London Hospices Choir with Paul Carrack

7th Jul 2018

Project: Single
Genre: Pop, Choral
Services: Production, Arrangement, Composition, Campaign consultation, Vocal arrangement, Conductor

Better than the original.

B A Robertson, co-writer of The Living Years

Multiple Grammy nominee, PRS, and BMI award winner

I brought together a specially created choir of 300 patients, families, staff and volunteers of all ages from 18 hospices across London. They recorded a new version of The Living Years with Paul Carrack, the song’s original singer. The song was released at Christmas 2016 to raise awareness and vital funds for the hospices, and stayed at the top of the Official Physical Sales Chart for two weeks.

BA Robertson, co-writer of The Living Years, highly commended the new version saying that the vocal was “better than the original”.

Film maker Rav Vagdama has created this short film about the making of the song:

The Legacy of the Project

The Royal Trinity Hospice, the first hospice backing the project, were able to make the project part of their 150 anniversary celebrations. We also ran social media groups for the choir members to build a community space for singers from the different hospices. This generated phenomenal support and tipped us into position #1 for a few days ahead of the Christmas charts no. 1 spot (thought not enough to beat Clean Bandit in the end!)

Paul Carrack
The artwork from the single Say It In The Living Years by The London Hospices Choir and Paul Carrack
The Living Years has been an important song for me for many years, but this is the version that means the most. Recording it with this incredibly special group of people for such a worthwhile cause has created some kind of magic. It’s a powerful and inspiring track.
Paul Carrack