UPDATE: This post originally appeared on Wednesday, but now a free (legit) download of “Christmas Lights” is available, so I’m reposting under the “O Christmas Free” banner and have updated the link to the song.

It’s been well over a year (and very nearly two) since Chris Martin of Coldplay teased us with a taste of a new song, “Christmas Lights.” At the end of his 60 Minutes interview with Steve Kroft, which first aired in February 2009, Martin played a bit of the just-written tune for the correspondent.

On Wednesday, Coldplay released “Christmas Lights” as a single, the first new music from the foursome since the Prospekt’s March EP in November 2008. Recorded in the key of G, the song begins as a quiet bit of heartache, before building (in a quite-Coldplay way) into a hopeful, emotional plea on an epic scale. Listening back to the zygote-stage snippet of the song, this official version of “Christmas Lights” shares little in common lyrically. And that’s how the songwriting process goes.

The “Christmas Lights” video features the band performing the song to no one, and to all of London along the Thames. Colorful balloons and fireworks figure into the art direction, as do a trio of green-haired, white jump-suited Elvises playing violins:

Coldplay considers “Christmas Lights” a stand-alone song, and it arrives without word on when the band’s fifth album is due. But since we’re at the start of December, I’d say sometime in 2011 is a reasonable assumption.

Unlike The Killers’ new holiday tune, there’s no explicit donation angle to sales of “Christmas Lights,” but Coldplay has long donated 10% of its earnings to charity.

Free download of Coldplay – “Christmas Lights” via WXRT-FM/KROQ-FM.