Eric Clapton is feeling in the holiday spirit. The famous British guitarist has shared a new music video for “Christmas In My Hometown”, one of the 14 holiday-themed recordings featured on his first ever Christmas album, 2018’s Happy Xmas.
The new video of the holiday song originally penned by Sonny James was shared on Monday, and features a neatly-presented Clapton playing his Martin acoustic guitar alongside Simon Climie, who also co-produced the new album.
The video opens up with a wave of light shining off a nearby Christmas tree before the camera zooms out to a shot of both guitarists sitting side by side on a stage setup complete with wrapped presents, a trio of brightly lit evergreens, and an analog tape recorder off to the side. Fans who look closely can even notice Santa Claus hanging out in the background while tuning into the performance through a pair of headphones.
The song doesn’t quite have the stereotypical instrumentation of sleigh-bells heard on most Christmas songs, and Clapton seems totally okay with that. The easy-going flow of Clapton’s “Christmas In My Hometown” gives the cover more of a drawn-out Americana feel to it. The song happens to be about looking back on the holidays in one’s hometown—which would be Surrey, England in the case of Mr. Clapton.
Eric Clapton – “Christmas In My Hometown” – Official Video
[Video: Eric Clapton]
Happy Xmas arrived back on October 12th and is comprised of a mix of 13 well-known and slightly obscure holiday covers ranging from “Jingle Bells” to “Christmas Tears”. His cover of “Jingle Bells” also acts as a tribute performance in memory of late Swedish DJ Acivii, who died earlier this year.
Eric Clapton recently announced his upcoming three-night residency at London’s Royal Albert Hall scheduled for May 13th, 15th, and 16th of next spring. Tickets for his only scheduled U.K. performances of 2019 are on sale now and are limited to six per household. Fans can purchase tickets directly from the venue box office, or by clicking here. Clapton was also recently nominated for a Grammy for his recording of “Life In 12 Bars” in the “Best Music Film” category for the 2019 awards.