Canadian singer/songwriter, composer, and producer powerhouse Chris Birkett is back and, this time, heās not alone: the multi-JUNO Award winner and Platinum-selling producer is out to save the world with his new collective, The Happy Campers ā and an arsenal of songs that take the musician in a brand-new direction creatively.
Birkett is one of the great music producers of our era, working with Buffy Sainte-Marie, Mel Brooks, Steve Earle, Bob Geldof, Alison Moyet, Dexys Midnight Runners, Talking Heads, The Pogues, and The Proclaimers ā not to mention, just celebrated the 30th anniversary of producing Sinead OāConnorās seismic release I Do Not Want What I Havenāt Got ā seamlessly weaves his prowess as a leader in the industry among the variety of projects he designs and oversees ā The Happy Campers and āSave Our Beautiful Worldā among them.
During a production session with Berber musician Madjid Chaoui in Paris, the pair collaborated on a powerful climate awareness track combining Chaouiās already written melodies with new lyrics written by Birkett. The result was āSave Our Beautiful Worldā, a tale timelessly told as an urgent reminder to protect Mother Nature.
Listening to the radio, Birkett heard a First Nations Elder describe the visible signs of melting permafrost in the Northwest Territories as āwavy roads everywhereā; he then used that very line in āSave Our Beautiful World.ā
Envisioning childrenās voices, he wrote the rest of the lyrics from a childās perspective. The song features six verses, each designed to paint an important portrait in what this generation sees ā and their pleas serve as a call to action.
The sincerity of the childrenās choir, and the innocence of each talented youngster who takes each verse to task, generates an entirely new perspective on the importance of recognizing our responsibility to the Earth. Their voices serve as a humbling reminder that a new generation will be inheriting this world that we pass down to them, and itās our duty to ensure that weāre protecting it.
During these sessions, Birkett had likewise been producing songs for music theatre performer, Colleen Aynn. āColleenās talented young daughter sings the first verse, followed by five other local kids, each singing a different verse,ā Birkett explains, revealing a behind the scenes look at the making of the track.
āThe accompanying video features the performances of these children, all from different cultural backgrounds,ā he adds. āTVO Green Heroesā director Joan Prowse combines fun animation created by Luke Murphy with beautiful scenes and wildlife images. It creates a heartfelt message from these cute kids that fills you with hope for the future.ā
āSave Our Beautiful Worldā is a refreshing anthem that takes an even deeper look at how weāre treating what weāve been given to enjoy, and implores each of us to do our part in sustaining its majesty.
āSave Our Beautiful World, She is all we have,ā chant the children on the chorus. āSave Our Beautiful World, Mother Nature needs Us.ā
