Foy Vance recruited some of music’s most acclaimed artists to help reimagine one of his trademark tracks ten years after its debut. Released today (November 16) via Gingerbread Man Records/Elektra, “Guiding Light (Anniversary Edition)” features guest vocals from Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and Keith Urban.
Videos by American Songwriter
Produced by Snow Patrol member Johnny McDaid, the song is a sweeping ode to the people, places, and things that keep us moving forward. The four talents trade the role of lead vocals, slowly building to a powerful peak. Their expressive, blended harmonies relay the intensity of Vance’s lyrics, which offer a plea for brighter days to come.
Vance first shared the stunning tune as the final track on his acclaimed 2013 album Joy of Nothing. Sheeran, a longtime supporter of the Northern Irish singer/songwriter, also sang on the original version of “Guiding Light.” The pair have forged a close creative bond over the years, co-penning tracks like Sheeran’s 2017 hit “Galway Girl.”
To help celebrate the decade that’s passed since the song and Joy of Nothing helped further elevate his career, Vance reached out to Sheeran with an even bigger plan in mind.
“I was a Foy Vance fan from the age of about 15 and went to a load of his gigs back then where he used to end with ‘Guiding Light,'” Sheeran shared in a statement. “It was a song that I was obsessed with—I learned it in my bedroom, and I used to play it at pub shows, trying to be Foy. When we got to know each other, I asked him why he had never recorded it because I’d only ever found videos of it on YouTube, and I really encouraged him to record it.
“When he was recording it, he asked, ‘Well, why don’t you sing it with me? If you’ve been singing for all these years, you should sing it with me,’ so we sang it on Joy of Nothing in 2013,” he added. “Then when he said he was re-recording it and wants to do it with Keith Urban and Elton John, I was like, ‘that sounds great!'”
Country hitmaker Keith Urban has also been a longtime admirer of Foy Vance’s creative work, including “Guiding Light.” When he got word that Vance wanted to collaborate, Urban jumped at the chance.
“I get a call from Foy that they’re going to do a new version of ‘Guiding Light,’ one of my all-time favorite songs, to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Foy writing the song, and so for me, that was a no-brainer,” shared Urban. “To be on the song period is incredible because it’s such a beautiful song. It’s more of a hymn—it captures all of the beauty and the struggle and everything that it is to be a spiritual being having a human experience. I think this song captures it. So it was an immediate yes from me to be a part of it.”
Influential singer/songwriter, performer, and activist Elton John has been keeping a lower profile in recent months following the end of his extensive Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Still, the 76-year-old music legend was eager to get in the studio with Vance, who opened for John during multiple performance dates in 2016.
“It’s the most beautiful song,” John said of “Guiding Light” in a statement. “When Foy asked me to do it, it was a no-brainer for me because I’m such a huge fan of his.”
The star-studded collaboration comes just weeks before Vance is set to embark on a stretch of U.S. headlining dates. He’ll stop at seventeen cities across the country, starting with a performance in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 18. You can find a complete list of upcoming tour dates and additional ticketing information by visiting Foy Vance’s official website.
Watch the official music video for “Guiding Light (Anniversary Edition)” below:
Photo courtesy of 300 Elektra Entertainment; Foy Vance photo by Gregg Houston (Babysweet), Ed Sheeran photo by Mark Surridge, Elton John photo by Sean Thomas, Keith Urban photo courtesy of UMG
