B-side "Sowing the Seed" Genre Electronic Label Virgin | Released 1983 Length 4:38 Writer(s) Ryuichi Sakamoto | |
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" is a 1983 instrumental by Japanese electronic composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. The song was originally made for the film of the same name. In recent years, the song has become a staple of holiday music in the USA, Britain and Japan. A vocal version of this song was released titled "Forbidden Colours" which featured the same instrumental music and vocals by former Japan frontman David Sylvian; it charted in the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart.
Covers
There is a 12" vinyl Italo disco cover version on the Italian record label Discomagic named "Clock On 5 - Theme From Furyo" which was released in 1984. In 2000, a re-mix of Ryuichi Sakamoto's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence called "Heart of Asia" was released in Europe by dance project Watergate, and it reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2004, Croatian pianist Maksim Mrvica included a piano remix of "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" on his third album, Variations Part I&II. Hikaru Utada also borrows the theme for her 2009 song, "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI" from the album This Is The One.
In 2008, a cover version of "Forbidden Colours" is included on Hollywood Mon Amour, a collection of songs made famous by their inclusion on soundtracks of movies made in the 1980s, rearranged by Marc Collin of Nouvelle Vague with Nadeah Miranda providing the vocals. Also in 2008, UK Hardcore producer Orbit1 remixed this song and called it Heart of Asia - named after the 2000 Watergate remix. It came out on the Hardcore Nation 2009. In 2009, British teen singer Faryl Smith recorded a version of the song for her album Wonderland, entitled "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (Somewhere Far Away)".
Part of the song is also pastiched in the theme song to the video game International Karate, written by Rob Hubbard. Japanese post-hardcore band Fact recorded a track by the title Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence on their self-titled album. Tokyo Brass Style, a Japanese Big Band recorded a cover of the title theme for their fifth album, 'Brass Style Xmas'.