“Walking in the Air” was originally sung by Peter Auty.

Not Aled Jones.

Auty performed the song for the 1982 animated film The Snowman.

He was a thirteen-year-old choirboy at the time.

But three years later, Aled Jones recorded a version for a television advertising campaign.

That recording became a major UK hit.

And many people began assuming Jones had sung in the original film.

He hadn’t.

It’s one of British Christmas music’s most persistent misconceptions.

Who is Peter Auty?

An English singer who performed the original vocal in The Snowman.

Auty was a chorister associated with St Paul’s Cathedral.

Composer Howard Blake needed a boy soprano for the film.

Auty was recommended.

His performance became the central musical moment.

At the time, however, his contribution wasn’t prominently credited.

That allowed the identity of the original singer to become increasingly confused as the song developed a wider audience.

Who wrote “Walking in the Air”?

Howard Blake.

He composed the music for The Snowman.

The film was based on Raymond Briggs’ 1978 picture book.

The story follows a young boy who builds a snowman.

At night, the snowman comes to life.

The pair embark on a magical journey.

“Walking in the Air” accompanies the film’s famous flying sequence.

Blake’s composition became one of Britain’s most recognisable pieces of Christmas music.

When was The Snowman released?

1982.

The animated film became an immediate seasonal favourite.

Its visual style was unusual.

Rather than relying on conventional spoken dialogue, the story communicates largely through images and music.

That makes the soundtrack particularly important.

The music tells the audience how to experience the magical journey.

“Walking in the Air” becomes the emotional centre.

Why did Howard Blake choose Peter Auty?

Because the song required an extraordinary boy soprano.

The melody is demanding.

It needs clarity and control.

But the performance must also sound innocent and magical.

Auty’s voice was particularly suitable.

Blake has discussed the care involved in finding the right singer.

The recording needed to support one of the film’s most important moments.

It succeeded.

Why does everyone think Aled Jones sang it?

Because Jones recorded a successful version in 1985.

His performance was created for a Toys “R” Us advertising campaign.

It became an enormous seasonal hit.

The recording reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart.

Jones subsequently became strongly associated with Christmas music and television.

For many listeners, his version became the one they recognised.

That caused confusion.

The famous singer associated with the song wasn’t the performer heard in the original film.

Was Peter Auty credited in The Snowman?

Not prominently in the original presentation.

That contributed to the misunderstanding.

Auty’s contribution received more formal recognition years later.

By then, Jones’ association with the song had become deeply established.

It’s an unusual situation.

A performer creates a famous recording.

Another artist releases a successful cover.

Then the public begins confusing the two.

What does “Walking in the Air” actually mean?

The sense of wonder experienced during an extraordinary journey.

The boy and snowman fly above familiar landscapes.

Ordinary reality becomes something magical.

The music communicates the excitement and vulnerability of that experience.

The song also contains a sense of fragility.

The snowman cannot survive indefinitely.

That gives the beautiful journey another emotional dimension.

It’s a celebration of something temporary.

Why is the music so emotional?

Because the arrangement is restrained.

The melody is gentle.

The orchestration creates a floating atmosphere.

And the young voice provides a sense of innocence.

The song doesn’t need an enormous dramatic climax.

Its emotional effect comes from the contrast between beauty and vulnerability.

The viewer knows that something magical is happening.

But the moment cannot last forever.

Does Aled Jones appear in the original film?

No.

His famous recording came afterwards.

Jones was a boy soprano when he made his version.

That creates another reason for the confusion.

Both singers were young.

Both had high voices.

And both performances became associated with the same composition.

But the original film vocal belongs to Peter Auty.

What genre is “Walking in the Air”?

Orchestral music.

Film soundtrack music.

Classical-influenced vocal music.

The composition also became part of the wider Christmas music tradition.

It differs from conventional seasonal pop songs.

There are no sleigh bells or cheerful dance rhythms at its centre.

Instead, the music uses orchestration and a boy soprano to create atmosphere.

Who else has covered the song?

Many artists.

Its melody works across different arrangements.

Some performers emphasise the classical qualities.

Others create pop or rock interpretations.

The Finnish metal band Nightwish recorded a well-known version.

That demonstrates the composition’s flexibility.

A song originally written for a gentle animated film can survive a much heavier musical arrangement.

Why is The Snowman so popular every Christmas?

Because it combines magic with melancholy.

The story is accessible to children.

But its emotional ending can be powerful for adults.

The absence of extensive dialogue also makes the film easy to understand across generations.

Music carries much of the storytelling.

That helps explain why “Walking in the Air” became so important.

It’s almost impossible to separate the recording from the images of the boy and snowman flying together.

Songs like “Walking in the Air”

Try:

• Howard Blake – Walking in the Air
• John Williams – Somewhere in My Memory
• John Rutter – The Snowman-related choral tradition is complemented by his own Christmas works
• Enya – Oíche Chiúin
• Loreena McKennitt – In the Bleak Midwinter
• Celtic Woman – The Voice
• Nightwish – Walking in the Air
• Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on Greensleeves

These recordings explore different forms of atmospheric, classical-influenced and seasonal music.

Which version should you listen to first?

Start with Peter Auty’s original film performance.

Then Aled Jones’ 1985 recording.

Afterwards, explore one of the later interpretations.

The original has a particular emotional intimacy because of its connection with the animated film.

Jones’ recording helped establish the song as a standalone Christmas hit.

Both are important.

Who originally sang “Walking in the Air”?

Peter Auty in the 1982 film The Snowman.

Howard Blake wrote the composition.

Aled Jones recorded his famous version in 1985.

The later hit caused many listeners to assume Jones had performed the original.

But the voice accompanying the boy and snowman’s magical flight belongs to Auty.

It’s a small piece of Christmas music history worth getting right.