Love Actually Turned Down Keane’s One Song That Band Had Hoped to Give Them Their Big Break 20 Years Back
Alternate rock band Keane was formed in 1995. The band comprised Tom Chaplin, Rim Rice-Oxley, Richard Hughes, Jesse Quin, and Dominic Scott, who ended up leaving in 2001. Despite starting off back in 1995, they failed to captivate the masses and did not find mainstream success until 2004 with the release of their debut album, Hopes and Fears.
The album topped the UK charts and ended up winning the 2005 Brit Award for Best British Album of 2004. Interestingly, it is one of the best-selling albums in the history of the UK. While it’s safe to say that the band’s big break came in 2004, they were hoping to get it a year earlier with a song they wrote for the 2003 movie Love Actually.
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Tim Rice-Oxley from Keane recalls making a song for Love Actually which was turned down
Love Actually is considered to be one of the elite Christmas movies. Released back in 2003, the movie follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London.
A song was written by Keane for the movie of the same name. However, the maker of Love Actually turned it down. As a result, the band’s hope of getting a big break was shattered. While recalling the same, Tim Rice-Oxley from the band recalled how they were an unsigned band when they wrote the song and said (Via Rolling Stone):
“In 2002 we were an unsigned band, and our friend and manager Adam was working for the producer of Love Actually. While they were making the film, Adam suggested we should quickly write a song, and he’d see if he could get it into Richard Curtis’ hands…and maybe we could sneak onto the soundtrack and get our big break! Needless to say, it didn’t turn out that way, but Richard always very graciously said he loved the song and wished he’d put it in the film.”
Love Actually’s director regrets not using Keane’s song in the movie
Richard Curtis, the director of Love Actually feels that it was a dreadful mistake on his part to not include the song written by Keane in his movie. However, as revealed by the director, he tried to use the song in the movie but it was a “bit deep” for the film. He said:
“Everyone makes mistakes even if they’re understandable ones. When I first listened to ‘Love Actually’ by this totally unknown combo called Keane, I thought it was beautiful. I tried really hard to put it in the film but in the end, it was a little melancholy and, dare I say, a bit deep for the film I’d made.”
Despite having their song rejected, Keane went on to become one of the most famous alternate rock bands in the world which is a true testament to their talent and hard work over the years.
