Keane have shared a previously unreleased song, written two decades ago for Love Actually. Check it out below.
Shared today (December 1), the track was originally written for the festive rom-com back in 2003, and is released in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the film.
Titled ‘Love Actually’, the track was produced by the band before they were signed, and written in the hopes of getting it into the upcoming film.
“In 2002 we were an unsigned band; and our friend and manager Adam was working for the producer of Love Actually,” Tim Rice-Oxley said. “While they were making the film, Adam suggested we should quickly write a song and he’d see if he could get it into Richard Curtis’ hands…and maybe we could sneak onto the soundtrack and get our big break!”
“Needless to say it didn’t turn out that way, but Richard always very graciously said he loved the song and wished he’d put it in the film,” he added. “We all loved the song too, but having called it ‘Love Actually’, it was very hard to do anything with it! … Well, the film Love Actually is 20 years old now, which at last gives us a perfect reason to record our song properly.”
Following its release, filmmaker Richard Curtis also reflected on the track. “Everyone makes mistakes – even if they’re understandable ones. When I first listened to ‘Love Actually’ by this totally unknown combo called Keane, I thought it was beautiful. I tried really hard to put it in the film – but in the end it was a little melancholy and, dare I say, a bit DEEP for the film I’d made,” he said.
“Of course, I realised what a dreadful mistake that had been when 6 months later ‘Hopes & Fears’ was Number One in the charts. It is SO wonderful that the song is now being released for everyone to hear. I’ve listened to it a lot over the years and love it even more now than I did then.”
Not only does the newly-shared track coincide with the 20th anniversary of the classic British rom-com – which is also getting a re-release with 4K restoration – it also arrives as Keane are celebrating 20 years of their debut album ‘Hopes And Fears’. To mark the occasion, the band are sharing a special remastered version of the breakthrough album on May 10, 2024 – exactly two decades after its original release.
Tom Chaplin and Co. will also be playing at The O2 arena in London on that night as part of their upcoming world tour. The 2024 dates will kick off on April 1 with a stop in Mexico City, before the band make their way over to Europe and the UK.
A US leg has also been confirmed for September, including shows at prestigious venues including the Greek Theatre in LA, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Tickets for the shows are on sale now, and you can find a full list of UK dates listed below, as well as remaining tickets here. You can also visit here to get tickets to the US dates.
Keane’s UK 2024 tour dates are:
MAY
3 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
4 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
5 – Manchester, Co-Op Live
7 – Bournemouth, BIC
8 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
10 – London, The O2
11 – London, The O2 [New Date]
13 – Dublin, 3Arena
Speaking with NME back in September, Keane reflected on the 20 years since they released ‘Hopes And Fears’ and shed insight on the upcoming album reissue.
“I feel like I’ve lived quite a lot of life in the last 20 years,” Chaplin told NME. “To me, it does actually feel like quite a long time ago. The release of this album was the point at which all our lives changed very dramatically, and it feels like a marker of time, after which so much stuff, both good and bad, has come along. It sticks very clearly in the memory.”
He continued: “I still feel very connected to the songs. When I sing them live, they still surprise me, and something will hit me that hadn’t hit me before, like a new way of hearing the song.”
