Music "Top Gun" composer dares to write a Christmas song
Film music composer Harold Faltermeyer (73) knows a thing or two about catchy tunes. His works for the Hollywood blockbusters "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Top Gun" have made him world-famous.
27.11.2025, 06:15
SDA
Now the reserved star from Baldham near Munich is venturing into new territory: with the Christmas song "The Sunny Side Of Christmas", sung by three-time ESC winner Johnny Logan ("Hold Me Now").
On Saturday evening, the Irishman will reportedly present the song on Florian Silbereisen's ARD show "Das Adventsfest der 100'000 Lichter".
Song from the archive
"The song lay dormant in my archive for many years," Faltermeyer told the German Press Agency. Then he was asked to do it for the animated film "Mission Santa - An Elf Saves Christmas". "I was supposed to write a song for the soundtrack, but I didn't have the time." Instead, he rummaged through his publishing archive and came across "Sunny Side Of Christmas", which he had already composed in 1998.
He was immediately taken with the melody. But: "The arrangement was outdated. We had to set completely new sound accents." The British band Coldplay served as inspiration for the new, contemporary sound - and he brought his son Florian and Graz-based arranger Dominik Hemmer on board as young co-producers for the fine-tuning work in the studio. The catchy number was composed by the duo Gernot Rothenbach and Eric Brodka.
Faltermeyer describes his own role in the project as "executive producer". As someone who has an eye on the big picture and sets the direction. He has largely kept out of the tedious day-to-day business behind the mixing console controls. But he has found what he considers to be the "perfect voice" for the song: Johnny Logan (71).
Faltermeyer: There is no guarantee of a hit
"The Sunny Side Of Christmas" has a catchy melody and a dynamic rhythm. Nevertheless, despite the good omens, there is no guarantee of a hit, emphasizes Faltermeyer. "All you can do is compose and produce good, purposeful music - then you have to wait and see. Ultimately, the audience makes a hit."
If radio legend Fritz Egner has his way, the song is likely to find many fans straight away. Faltermeyer's feel for hits is "infallible", says Egner. The song is characterized by a pleasantly positive mood. "The cheerful melody is immediately catchy," says the music expert. What's more, according to Egner, "Last Christmas" and co. are pretty hackneyed.
