"Wonderful Christmastime" is a Christmas song by the English musician Paul McCartney. It was recorded during the sessions for McCartney's third solo album, McCartney II (1980), and released as a non-album single in November 1979. It was McCartney's first solo single since "Eat at Home" in 1971. It is a synth-pop song driven by synthesisers. The song was supported by a music video featuring McCartney and the members of Wings. It was later included on reissues of McCartney II and Wings' final album Back to the Egg (1979).
"Wonderful Christmastime" reached the top 10 in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, and the UK, and the top 20 in Canada, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland. However, it failed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. Negatively received by music critics on release, its reception has remained polarising in later decades, appearing on lists ranking the best and worst Christmas songs. While some appreciate it for effectively spreading holiday cheer, others criticise its repetitive lyrics, style and structure. The song has become a holiday staple and continues to receive substantial annual festive airplay. It has been covered by numerous artists, including Diana Ross, Hilary Duff, Straight No Chaser and Kylie Minogue.
Background and recording Paul McCartney conceived "Wonderful Christmastime" during the sessions for his experimental album McCartney II (1980). He was partially inspired by the Christmas records he had recorded with the Beatles. In a 1980 interview, he said that since his Beatles days, a primary goal was to achieve a Christmas number one.Peebles, Andy. (26 May 1980). Paul McCartney: The Man and His Music. BBC1. He found himself in the middle of a hot day in June or July and decided to record an impromptu Christmas song, finding the idea "ridiculous" and "ironic". Recording took place at McCartney's newly purchased Lower Gate Farm in Peasmarsh, East Sussex, and the Spirit of Ranachan Studio in Campbeltown.
McCartney wrote "Wonderful Christmastime" in the key of B major. He used all 16 tracks on his Studer A80 16-track machine, filling them with snare drum, electric guitar, vocals and backing vocals, synthesisers and sleigh bells. A Yamaha CS-80 synthesiser created the "bouncy" and "festive" backing track. In a 1979 interview, McCartney said that Christmas was about "parties" and "good humour" between people. "So, the song's just basically about [that]. It's very simple." Commentators have characterised it as synth-pop.
Mixing took place in October 1979 at Abbey Road Studios in London. On 14 October, McCartney edited "Wonderful Christmastime" from 4:18 to 3:49 for release as a single. For its B-side, McCartney chose "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae", an instrumental remake of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" originally recorded on 12 May 1975.
Release "Wonderful Christmastime" was released as a non-album single on 16 November 1979 in the UK and on 20 November in the US. It was his first solo single since his and Linda McCartney's "Eat at Home" in 1971. Although the members of McCartney's band Wings are not on the recording, they appear in the accompanying music video, which was filmed at the Fountain Inn in Ashurst, West Sussex. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, the video depicts McCartney and the Wings members celebrating the song's festive message. It also includes footage shot at the Hippodrome Theatre, where McCartney and Wings rehearsed their 1979 UK tour. Wings performed the song during every show of the tour, during which Wings recreated the Christmas atmosphere with falling snowflakes. Following Wings' 1979 UK tour, McCartney retired "Wonderful Christmastime" from live performances until 2009, when he performed it during several pre-Christmas shows until 2018. He also performed it during an appearance on Saturday Night Live on 15 December 2012.
"Wonderful Christmastime" reached number six on the UK singles chart on the week ending 5 January 1980. In the US, it reached number 83 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart (week ending 12 January 1980) and number 94 on the Record World Singles Chart (week ending 29 December 1979), but it did not initially make the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It first appeared on a Billboard music chart in December 1984, when it reached number 10 for two weeks on the special Christmas Singles chart. Its next appearance on a Billboard chart came on the week ending 6 January 1996, when it both debuted and reached number 29 on the weekly Hot Adult Contemporary chart. "Wonderful Christmastime" finally debuted on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 2018, at number 47. It reached number 26 on the week ending 6 January 2024.
"Wonderful Christmastime" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae" were included on reissues of McCartney II and on the 1993 reissue of Wings' final album Back to the Egg; the 2011 deluxe edition of McCartney II also featured the full-length version of "Wonderful Christmastime". The single was also included on The 7" Singles Box in 2022. It was mixed into 5.1 surround sound for inclusion on the 2007 DVD The McCartney Years.
Reception and legacy "Wonderful Christmastime" received negative reviews from music critics on release. Melody Maker Chris Bohn called it "a sloppy, poorly-executed song" that he believed the other members of Wings were "undoubtedly too proud to associate themselves with". In the NME, Nick Kent wrote that the song surpasses "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (1972) as McCartney's worst recording ever, calling it a "grotesquely twee piece of festive nose-scrapings" that makes "Mull of Kintyre" (1977) sound like John Coltrane's "Naima" (1960). Robin Smith of Record Mirror similarly called it a "tarnished tinsel" song that was "just awful".
In later decades, the song is seen as one of the most polarising Christmas songs, frequently appearing on lists compiling the best and worst Christmas songs. It is also considered one of McCartney's most mediocre compositions. Many listeners primarily criticise its repetition and style, while others enjoy its "fun, feel-good energy". In his book The Paul McCartney Catalog (2020), Ted Montgomery derides the instrumentation as "amateurish and banal" and finds the lyrics "embarrassing", with his biggest complaint being an overuse of synthesisers. Composer and musicologist Nate Sloan argues that it stands amongst the worst pop songs of the late 1970s, but as a Christmas song is "fantastic". Other musicologists have criticised its repetitive lyrics, rhythm and song structure, with Nate Sloan saying that "it moves through the verse section of the song faster than a sleigh with no brakes". Matt Springer Ultimate Classic Rock said the song was an "abysmal seasonal horror" that "exemplified the worst synth excesses of an entire decade". Others have said that its production makes it feel dated. "Wonderful Christmastime" has been unfavourably compared to John Lennon's Christmas song "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" (1971), although some prefer the former to the latter.
Nevertheless, the song has its defenders. Author Luca Perasi argues that it has garnered retrospective acclaim "just like any other iconic ex-Beatle song". Critic and writer Annie Zaleski is also one of its supporters. In her book This Is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits (2023), she writes: "I think it speaks to Paul McCartney's strength... his ability to sort of cover this wide spectrum from serious to really fun and whimsical." She and a few other writers believe that the song's haters dislike that it came from a songwriter who is known for writing deep, meaningful songs. Allison Rapp of Ultimate Classic Rock agrees, noting how the same songwriter who wrote deep tracks like "Yesterday" (1965), "Hey Jude" (1968) and "Maybe I'm Amazed" (1970) also wrote sillier ones like "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" (1969), "When I'm Sixty-Four" (1969) and "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (1971). Rapp ultimately states: "If you like the Beatles and you like Paul McCartney, then you understand that spectrum has been in place for years." Paste magazine's Matt Mitchell argues that as a Christmas song, it should not be viewed in the same way as "Hey Jude" or "The Long and Winding Road", its purpose being to celebrate holiday cheer. Vice Andrew Winistorfer similarly attests that "Wonderful Christmastime", like all Christmas songs, is "cheesy" so "the subject matter doesn't have to be stone serious". He further argues that it proves McCartney is a great songwriter, able to successfully write deep and silly songs, while also crediting it as one of the first chillwave songs. Utimate Classic Rock Matthew Wilkening argues that it successfully captures and spreads holiday cheer without mentioning politics, religion or romance, so everyone can be appreciate it. Summarising its polarising nature, Beatles author Robert Rodriguez wrote: "Love it or hate it, few songs within the McCartney oeuvre have provoked such strong reactions." In a 2022 interview with PaulMcCartney.com, McCartney stated he does not care about the song's reception:
Despite its critical reception, "Wonderful Christmastime" has become a holiday staple and continues to receive substantial annual festive airplay. Including royalties from cover versions, it was estimated by Forbes in 2010 that McCartney makes $400,000 USD a year from the song, which puts its cumulative earnings at over $15 million USD.
Personnel According to Luca Perasi:
Paul McCartney – vocals, synthesisers, electric guitars, snare drum and sleigh bells
Charts +Weekly chart performance for "Wonderful Christmastime" Chart (1979–2025) Peakposition Australia (ARIA) 23 Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) 16 Denmark (Tracklisten) 30 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) 67 France (SNEP) 151 Greece International (IFPI) 35 Italy (FIMI) 68 Latvia (LaIPA) 10 Lithuania (AGATA) 25 Luxembourg (Billboard) 17 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 20 Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) 26 US Holiday 100 (Billboard) 15 US Cash Box Top 100 83 US Rolling Stone Top 100 21
Certifications
Kylie Minogue and Mika version
Australian singer Kylie Minogue and British singer-songwriter Mika covered the song for Minogue's reissue Kylie Christmas: Snow Queen Edition (2016). The song was released as the album's second single on 9 December 2016 by Parlophone.
The song was performed on 6 December 2016 by Minogue and Mika on the Italian programme Stasera Casa Mika.
Charts Chart (2016) Peakposition
Release history Region Date Format(s) Label Ref. Italy 9 December 2016 Contemporary hit radio Warner Music Group
Other cover versions
1994: Diana Ross on the album A Very Special Season, which reached No. 37 in the UK and was certified gold. 2002: Hilary Duff on her debut album Santa Claus Lane.Hilary Duff's Christmas Album Is A Classic 2007: Jars of Clay on the album Christmas Songs, released as a single. 2013: A cappella group Straight No Chaser (with Paul McCartney) on their EP Under the Influence: Holiday Edition. 2018: The Monkees on the album Christmas Party (sung by Micky Dolenz). 2023: Blessing Offor, and later released on the Snow Globe EP. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Airplay and Adult Contemporary charts.
References
Sources
External links Sold on Song (BBC Radio 2)