Music

The Killers release Christmas duet featuring Brandon Flowers' elementary school teacher

by Luke Ottenhof

For the past 10 years, The Killers have honoured their own Christmas tradition; each year, the band releases an original Christmas tune to celebrate (usually sarcastically) the season. From “Don’t Shoot Me, Santa” to “Dirt Sledding,” the Las Vegas rockers have cranked out typically sardonic, desert-themed Christmas anthems with some great guest stars. 2013’s offering, “Christmas in L.A.” featured alt-country rockers Dawes on the track, and affable airhead Owen Wilson in the music video.

This year, the band has gone with a slightly more obscure collaborator: Brandon Flowers’ grade four teacher, Ned Humphrey Hansen. The Killers frontman enlisted his old teacher’s help for a rendition of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” with a spoken-word introduction finding Flowers reminiscing fondly on his childhood in Vegas, and coming to understand the song thanks to Mr. Hansen’s explanation.

The release will be found on a compilation titled, Don’t Waste Your Wishes, which sees all 10 of the band’s holiday recordings bundled together. The album artwork features a Joshua tree adorned with a single limp strand of tinsel.Proceeds from the record’s sales are being directed to Bono’s (RED) campaign, which seeks to combat AIDS.

If you want to get extra depressed this holiday season with some sarcastic Christmas drear, you can find the unlikely duet and the compilation exclusively on Apple Music.