More about: Ed Harcourt

Christmas songs can be a dire affair - often a string of clichés and hackneyed sentiment. But when Ed Harcourt penned 'The Way That I Live' for Burberry's festive ad, the results were so staggeringly raw, so heart-wrenchingly soulful, so typically Ed Harcourt, that the track is not only one for all year round, but one for all time. 

Watch Ed Harcourt perform 'The Way That I Live' for Gigwise in the video above

"I was asked to write the song by Burberry and it took me three attempts," Harcourt told Gigwise, performing for us at Joe Allen in London's Covent Garden. "The first two attempts just weren't right really - I think I was kind of flailing in the wind. I had a deadline, I work better under pressure. Sean, my manager, suggested that I, buy a bottle of rum, so I went out and bought a bottle of rum, a bag of ice, a lime and a knife, shut the door to my studio and by 4am I had the song."

If the results of rum are this beautiful, make ours a double. 

Watch Ed Harcourt perform 'The Way That I Live' for Gigwise in the video above

This session was recorded at Joe Allen, in London. 

'The Way That I Live' by Ed Harcourt is out now. To download, visit here. 

More about: Ed Harcourt