Brian Eno, Celeste, Bastille’s Dan Smith, Leigh-Anne and more join race for Christmas Number One with ‘Together For Palestine’ charity single ‘Lullaby’
All profits raised from the track will go to Choose Love’s ‘Together For Palestine Fund’, which supports three Palestinian-led organisations
by Liberty Dunworth · NMEBrian Eno, Celeste, Bastille‘s Dan Smith, Leigh-Anne and more have joined the bid to reach the UK Christmas Number One spot with their charity single ‘Lullaby’.
The song comes from the same team behind the ‘Together For Palestine’ charity show in September, which was organised by Eno, and featured performances from Paul Weller, Damon Albarn, Nadine Shaw, Cat Burns, Rachel Chinouriri, Yasiin Bey, Dan Smith and more.
Presenters on the night included Eric Cantona, PinkPantheress, Richard Gere, Benedict Cumberbatch, Florence Pugh, and Nicola Coughlan, and it raised over £2million to help provide aid and support for the people in Gaza.
Set for release on December 12, the song is titled ‘Lullaby’, and all profits raised from it will go to Choose Love’s ‘Together For Palestine Fund’, which supports three Palestinian-led organisations: Taawon, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and Palestine Medical Relief Service.
It is a powerful reimagining of a traditional Palestinian lullaby, and features contributions from Amena, Eno, Celeste, Smith, Shards’ Kieran Brunt, Lana Lubany, Leigh-Anne, London Community Gospel Choir, Mabel, Nadine Shah, Nai Barghouti, Neneh Cherry, Sura Abdo, TYSON, Yasmeen Ayyashi and Ysee.
It was arranged and recomposed by Kieran Brunt and Nai Barghouti, and features English lyrics written by Peter Gabriel. The official artwork for the single was made by Gazan painter Malak Mattar and inspired by her piece ‘Shelter’.
The lullaby it is adapted from is ‘Yamma Mweel El Hawa’, which is a Palestinian song of love and resilience and translates to ‘Mama, Sing To The Wind’.
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“This lullaby from our Palestinian musical heritage has been with me since early childhood. Today, it returns at a much-needed time as a reminder of what Palestinians will never lose: hope, defiance, beauty, and dignity,” shared Palestinian musician Barghouti.
Eno added: “After a year defined by unimaginable loss, grief and injustice, we want to end with an act of love for Palestine’s children. ‘Lullaby’ reflects their beauty, their longing and their hope. If we rally together and download it, we have a real shot at landing Christmas Number One – and turning that moment into vital life-saving support for Gaza’s families.”
In a push to help get the song to Number One and to raise more funds for the three charities, fans are urged to pre-order the single, which you can do so here. It is also available on Bandcamp and iTunes, and those two platforms also allow songs to be purchased as a gift, meaning multiple purchases can be made.
“The song holds a special place for many reasons but mostly as it’s the first time I’ve sung with both my mum, Neneh and sister, Tyson, and for it to be a traditional lullaby in tribute to the mothers and children of Gaza means the world,” added Mabel. “I hope you feel the strength in our voices.”
At the gig, held at Wembley Arena in September, Eno took to the stage alongside Weller, Albarn, Adnan Joubran, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Shah to perform a specially composed piece of music for the event, before reading the Khaled Juma poem Oh Rascal Children of Gaza.
Later in the night, Albarn returned to perform with the London Arab Orchestra, Yasiin Bey, and more to play a medley of Palestinian traditional songs, and Billie Eilish, Finneas, Joaquin Phoenix, Cillian Murphy, Steve Coogan and more featured in a video message for Together For Palestine.
Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos also took to the stage to share: “As someone who survived the darker chapter of our shared history, I know what it means to be stripped of dignity, of land, of hope. That is why I remain steadfast in my commitment to the Palestinian people. Their struggle for freedom, justice, and return is not separate from mine, it is a part of the same cry for humanity.”
Check out the full rundown of what happened at the gig here.