Mary McCartney/MPL CommunicationsPaul McCartney has contributed a brand-new song called “In the Blink of an Eye” to the soundtrack of the animated British film Ethel & Ernest, which is based on the 1998 graphic novel by acclaimed author and illustrator Raymond Briggs. The film and album both were released in the U.K. today, and the soundtrack is available on CD and a digital download.
Ethel & Ernest tells the romantic story of Briggs’ parents, from their first chance meeting in 1928, through the 1934 birth of their son, to their deaths in 1971. In addition to the new McCartney tune, the soundtrack album features the film’s original score — by renowned composer Carl Davis — along with a variety of popular songs spanning from the 1920s to the 1960s.
The album also features a version of a song that McCartney’s father, James, wrote during the 1920s titled “Walking in the Park with Eloise,” which was rearranged for the movie by Davis and is performed by the Chamber Orchestra of London. Sir Paul recorded his own rendition of the tune in 1974 with country legends Chet Atkins and Floyd Kramer under the name The Country Hams.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Ethel & Ernest director Roger Mainwood revealed that he asked Briggs to write a letter to McCartney to see if he would contribute an original song to the project, and the rock legend agreed. Paul sang and played multiple instruments on “In the Blink of an Eye,” which also features strings conducted by Davis and played by the Chamber Orchestra of London. The tune can be heard over the end credits of the movie.
“It is an incredibly moving and fitting ending to our film,” Mainwood said, “and we were very honored to have both Paul and Carl on board.”
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