Forty years on from its chart success, Walking in the Air remains one of Britain’s most beloved Christmas songs , and the recording that introduced the nation to the unmistakable voice of Aled Jones.
Although The Snowman first aired in 1982, it was Aled Jones’s recording of Walking in the Air that truly captured the public imagination when it was released in 1985. The song first entered the UK Singles Chart in November 1985, beginning its climb around 17 November, before peaking at an impressive Number 5 in December 1985, just in time for Christmas.
A crucial moment in the song’s rise came when it was featured in a Toys “R” Us television advertisement, exposing it to a far wider audience. The advert transformed the track from a seasonal curiosity into a national phenomenon, cementing its place as a festive classic and turning its young singer into a household name.
At the time, Aled Jones was already a gifted musician, serving as a chorister at Bangor Cathedral. There, he received rigorous musical training rooted in centuries-old choral tradition, learning discipline, vocal control, and the expressive clarity that would define his performance. That cathedral background proved instrumental in shaping the pure, ethereal sound that listeners found so captivating.
The success of Walking in the Air marked the launch of Jones’s career as a boy soprano, leading to television appearances, record deals, and a trajectory that would later see him become one of the UK’s most recognisable classical singers and broadcasters.
Four decades later, the song’s appeal shows no sign of fading. Still played every Christmas, Walking in the Air continues to evoke wonder and nostalgia, its opening notes instantly recognisable across generations.
What began as a song from an animated short film, carried into living rooms by a toy-store advert, became a defining moment in British popular music. And at its heart was a young chorister from Bangor Cathedral, whose voice, quite literally, helped Britain walk on air.
