Sean Hannam: 
"This is our attempt to write an honest, beautiful love song in a '50s rock and roll style. We wanted to capture a Richard Hawley vibe and we think we've nailed it. It was written and recorded in our musical collaborator Will Dobson's cottage studio in the Kent countryside. Me and Matt wrote the lyrics and Matt wrote the music on an acoustic guitar. We hurriedly laid down a demo - Matt sang and played guitar, while Will played keyboards and came up with the spooky, yet angelic, 'female' backing vocals - very Joe Meek. The authentic 'vinyl' crackle was added at a later date. We love this song - it's one for the mums and the dads. We'd like to record a version with a string arrangement."


Out Of The Darkness (demo)

In late 2008, agents Hannam and Hill embarked on their most difficult mission yet – to compose a James Bond song that captured the flamboyant, melodramatic sound of the classic '60s 007 soundtracks, but with a modern, dark feel that suited Daniel Craig's gritty portrayal of England's greatest ever hero.
They felt that the most recent attempts at Bond songs by American rock artists simply didn't have a licence to thrill – that they were trying too hard to be rugged, masculine and alternative and that they lacked style, sophistication and charm.
Just like the makers of the last Bond film, Quantum of Solace, our agents decided to turn to Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, to find a title for their composition. They opted for The Property of a Lady – a little-known Fleming short story in which Bond investigates a Secret Service employee, Maria Freudenstein, who is a double agent about to be paid by her Russian keepers by auctioning a clock crafted by Peter Carl Fabergé at Sotheby's in her name.
The core of this story – the auctioning of a Fabergé egg at Sotheby's to raise funds - was incorporated into the Octopussy film, with the story's title being uttered in dialogue by Bond, but the title had never been used as either a Bond song or a film. Until now.
Hannam and Hill were attracted to the various connotations of the title; who is the lady? Could it be the Queen, could it be 'M', as portrayed by Dame Judi Dench, or could it refer to Bond himself, being the property of a lady?
With this in mind, agent Hannam penned a suitable lyric. "I wanted to capture the feel of an old Bond song like Goldfinger, but to also make it sound relevant to Daniel's Craig's new era of 007. I think my words mix the camp rhymes of say, Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, but with a touch of darkness and revenge, inspired by the last two Bond films – so the song's kind of retro modern, if that makes any sense," said agent Hannam.
With its cheeky rhyming of words such as 'danger' and 'stranger', The Property of A Lady does indeed hark back to the 'Goldfinger' / 'Cold finger' school of thought, but it also doffs a cap to the more recent films, bringing in Dench's M – 'she gives the orders', and references the demise of Vesper Lynd from Casino Royale – 'those that he's loved have all withered and died'.
If that's not enough to please 007 fans, it also throws in some classic Bond imagery and themes – exotic locations, girls, fire, revenge, death and destruction.
With the lyric completed, Agent Hill spent a long time composing the music to suit agent Hannam's lyric, starting out by writing on an acoustic guitar.
"I spent many hours working on the music. I usually write country or folk songs that use just a few simple chords, but The Property of A Lady is much more complex. In fact it's one of the most musically ambitious songs I have ever written." It is also agent Hill who can be heard crooning on the finished version – doing his best Matt Monro impression, but with a healthy dose of Dame Shirley Bassey, too.
Agent Hill came up with an acoustic demo of the track, with him singing and playing guitar, which he then took to new recruit agent Dobson, a songwriter himself and specialist in studio technology, production and keyboard wizardry – the 'Q' of the team, if you will.
Agent Dobson then spent many months labouring away on the track, hidden away deep in the Kent countryside. By a quirk of fate he discovered that his studio lair is just a mile or two away from the ancestral home of Ian Fleming's family. With this local Bond connection spurring him on, Agent Dobson set about composing an orchestral arrangement for strings, brass, woodwind and piano; later adding drums, bass, percussion and sound effects – transforming the acoustic demo into a fully-formed, bombastic Bond song production that some believe wouldn't be out of place gracing the opening credits of any existing 007 film, or indeed, any future one.
With the mission successfully completed, who knows what the future holds for The Property of A Lady? And what of agents Hannam, Dobson and Hill? – They will return.

The Property Of A Lady

Sean Hannam: 
"The lyric - in its original form - had been around for ages - I gave it to Matt a few years back, but we never got round to doing anything with it. Then, when we were in the studio recording our Bond song, Property of A Lady, we had some spare time, so we decided to try and nail it. Matt bashed out a tune on his acoustic guitar, sang a melody and I added some spoken word bits. At the time, I thought it sounded a bit like early Billy Bragg - quite raw, rough and ready. We got our producer friend Will Dobson to record it, so we had a basic demo, and then we went away and reconvened a few weeks later, after I'd had a chance to do a bit of a rewrite of the words - tightening them up and making them scan to Matt's tune.
"We then recorded a full 'band' version in Matt's flat a few weeks later - Matt sang lead vocals, played acoustic and electric guitar and bass - and programmed the drums. I did my spoken word vocals again - and we both helped out on the harmonies.
"I love this song. When I wrote the lyric, I wanted to capture the feel of classic Squeeze - Chris Difford is one of my lyrical heroes. I'd also envisaged it to be a bit Pet Shop Boys, but that idea never worked out. Instead, it's a good, pithy, jangly guitar pop tune with a wry sense of humour and a dark undercurrent.
"The song was inspired by a newspaper billboard sign I saw in Harrow-on-the-Hill on the way to work one morning, which simply read 'Death of A Popular Hairdresser'. I saw it, thought to myself 'I'm having that' and scribbled it down.I then imagined a whole tawdry scenario involving suicide, hairdressing and the downfall of minor celebrities - and promptly wrote a lyric around it.
"I think it's the best song title Morrissey never wrote - a mix of Death of a Disco Dancer and Hairdresser On Fire.
So, the final version is a little tribute to Squeeze and Mozzer, but with a smidgen of The Beatles, too, thanks to Matt's knack for writing a great pop song.
"And cut...."


Death Of A Popular Hairdresser (demo)

Sean Hannam: 

"This was the first song I ever wrote with Matt, who penned the music. He also sings and plays all the instruments on this demo, which was recorded on his 8-track machine in his old flat in Borough, London, a few years ago. It's a sad tale of love gone wrong, betrayal and, er, cigarettes. I envisaged it to sound like early REM - from Fables of the Reconstruction. It does, but with a healthy dose of Arthur Lee's Love too, so it's ended up as a psyche-country-pop-garage tune, which is fine by me."

Sparks Are Flying (demo)

If you're fed up of hearing the same old Christmas tunes year in, year out, then the best thing to do about it is to write a new one that will hopefully become a festive standard. Then you'll never have to work again. Here's our attempt.
Written one winter's afternoon in October 2011, in Glossop, Derbyshire, 'Christmas List' is a romantic tale of a love that blossoms from a chance encounter at Manchester's German market.
Performed and demoed by Matt Hill (vocals, guitar, bass and shakers), it's more heartwarming than a glass of mulled wine. Now we'll sit just sit back and wait for the royalty cheques to flood in...
Happy Christmas one and all.


Christmas List (demo)

Mr Wint & Mr Kidd is the moniker for the songwriting side-project of lyricist/journalist Sean Hannam and  singer/songwriter/musician Matt Hill - aka Quiet Loner (quietloner.com). We also write and record with our friend, musician and producer, Will Dobson: http://www.musicalmind.co.uk/  & http://www.thepropertyofalady.com/

This Soundcloud site is intended to showcase the songs in a demo format. If you like what you hear, please contact Sean Hannam at hannamsean95@gmail.com for further information. 

Mr Wint & Mr Kidd

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