Snowfall on TV: a song to raise money for our 2014 Christmas appeal

Watch Ed Harcourt and Kathryn Williams sing Snowfall on TV

Hello readers and thank you as ever - you have now donated over £70,000 to our Christmas appeal.

Once estimated gift aid and match funding is added, the running total amounts to a grand £85,187.14. At this rate, we should be able to raise £100,000 by the weekend.

We hope we’ve given you plenty of reasons so far to donate, but today we’re giving you something a little different in return for your donations: a Christmas song.

We gave Tim Dowling two weeks to write a Christmas song

He found three top class musicians to write and record it with: singer-songwriters Chris Difford, Ed Harcourt and Kathryn Williams.

The result was “Snowfall on TV.”

We asked Tim to tell us how you write and record a Christmas song in a fortnight – when you’re the only person in the room without a Mercury prize nomination:

How did you decide what to write about?

When I first met with Chris Difford we discovered a shared interest in making a melancholic, kitchen-sink style Christmas song. The idea of a broken family reuniting for Christmas Day emerged fairly quickly. It seemed like a great opportunity to write a duet, although that meant luring in two artists instead of one.

What makes a good Christmas song?

I think the best Christmas songs are a little bit tragic, or at least contain a note of longing. White Christmas is about wanting to be somewhere else. Even Frosty the Snowman melts at the end.

What was best thing about writing and recording a Christmas song in a fortnight?

Writing to a tight deadline is usually liberating - you just don’t have time to second guess, or torture yourself with the idea that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew – but I’m not an efficient songwriter, so it was also frustrating to be in such a hurry.

Why did you choose to record it with Ed Harcourt and Kathryn Williams?

I’m a big fan of Ed’s, and was thrilled when he said yes, not least because he can play virtually all instruments. Kathryn has a lovely, clear, affecting voice, and they’re both gifted, hardworking songwriters, which could have have been deeply shaming. Kathryn provided a couple of key lines – she wrote them on the train down from Newcastle – which improved the song no end.

Did it turn out like you meant it to?

To call it a recognisable fulfillment of my intentions would be to do it a disservice – it’s way better than that. But most of the stuff in my halting little demo survived intact.

What are you most of proud of in the song?

There’s a chord progression in the middle 8 I’m pretty pleased with. I honestly didn’t know I had it in me. Also the little guitar lick between verse and chorus - that’s me. It took quite a number of goes.

Chris Difford and Ed Harcourt sent in messages of support for the appeal

Singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt, busy on tour with Marianne Faithful, sent us this message from the road:

Many people attach a stigma to mental illness without even realising it. There’s a certain general ignorance and lack of empathy regarding those who have never experienced depression or had mental illness. They seem to say, oh just get on with it, man up, carpe diem! It’s patronising & doesn’t do any good. This appeal is very important to diminish prejudice and false belief. I’ve lost friends and peers throughout the years and wished they had just called me. Because that’s all it takes, a friendly voice at the end of the line. Please donate, thank you.

Chris Difford, musician, songwriter and founding member of Squeeze said:

I’m delighted to support the Christmas appeal on mental health by co-writing this song for the Guardian. Co-writing with Tim was a new experience for me and bringing in Ed Harcourt and Kathryn Williams seemed to make everything sparkle. I hope it raises much needed funds for the charities.

You can stream and download the song here.

If you like it, you can donate to the Guardian and Observer Christmas appeal here.