The Sound of Enduring Romance Gliding Through a Winter Wonderland
For those of us whose musical memories are perpetually draped in the lush, soaring harmonies of the 1980s, the soft-rock giants Air Supply need no introduction. Yet, tucked away on their 1987 seasonal offering, The Christmas Album, is a recording that swaps out the stadium-sized heartbreak of their classic ballads for the quiet, intimate magic of a perfect winter’s day: the timeless classic, “Sleigh Ride.” This rendition, while not a charting single for the duo, is an essential piece of their later catalog, representing a moment when Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell turned their signature sound—the rich, orchestral arrangements and that inimitable vocal blend—toward the nostalgic comfort of a holiday standard.
The song itself, of course, predates the Australian soft-rock duo by decades, having been composed by Leroy Anderson in 1948 with lyrics added by Mitchell Parish in 1950. It’s a purely secular ode to winter fun, conjuring the idyllic, Currier and Ives vision of a horse-drawn sleigh, the sound of jingle bells, and the delightful ‘snorting’ of a horse. Air Supply‘s decision to include “Sleigh Ride” on The Christmas Album—an LP that mixed traditional carols like “Silent Night” with originals—was a masterstroke in packaging their brand of enduring, epic romance for the holiday season. The album was released by Arista Records and, like many Christmas compilations, continues to enjoy seasonal play, perpetually re-entering the hearts of listeners without needing a specific high-water mark on the singles charts.
The beauty of Air Supply’s version lies in its fidelity to the original’s charm, filtered through their own distinctive style. Instead of bombastic power chords, we get sweeping strings and gentle percussion that perfectly mimic the light snowfall and the rhythmic trotting of the horse. The arrangement by John D’Andrea and the production by Michael Lloyd (who was also the producer for Shaun Cassidy‘s Born Late, interestingly enough) ensures the recording is polished to a gleam, making it feel less like a novelty cover and more like a carefully crafted sonic snow globe.
For the older listener, this track is a warm, familiar echo that connects the romantic innocence of their younger days—the kind captured in Air Supply‘s biggest hits—to the simple, unvarnished joy of the holiday season. It’s the sound of a generation that slow-danced to “Lost in Love” now cozying up by the fire, reflecting on a life of shared moments. The duo’s voices—Hitchcock‘s clear, piercing tenor and Russell‘s warm counterpoint—transform the simple lyrics into an invitation to reconnect, to share that lovely weather for a sleigh ride together. It taps into a deeper truth: that the true meaning of the holidays, much like a classic Air Supply song, is all about enduring companionship and the simple, exquisite pleasure of being with the one you love. It’s a gentle reminder that even the grandest, most dramatic voices in soft rock can find their most meaningful expression in the softest, most reflective moments of winter.