FEATURE:
Groovelines
Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime
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WHEN we think about…
PHOTO CREDIT: Mary McCartney
the all-time best Christmas songs, there are some common choices. The likes of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You and Wham!’s Last Christmas are in there. One that is divisive – though I never know why! – is Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime. Released on 16th November, 1979 following Wings' final album, Back to the Egg, it was recorded during the sessions for McCartney II (1980). Wonderful Christmastime is one of my favourite Christmas songs! I love the synth sound and the fact it does not incorporate the same musical elements and lyrical themes as others. More experimental than most, the messages are still positive and about togetherness. A joyful song that never gets the love it deserves, I wanted to dig deeper for the final Groovelines of the year. This article provides more details about a Christmas song that should nestle right alongside the most adored and played:
“It was recorded on August 30, 1979 at the end of the sessions for the upcoming McCartney II, which like its spiritual predecessor was a Pure Paul Project.
So, Paul wrote it all by himself, produced it all by himself and played keyboards, synthesizers, guitars, bass, drums, percussion and – of course – jingle bells, all by himself.
Despite that, the members of Wings popped in for the video, which was taped at the Fountain Inn in Ashurst, West Sussex.
When was 'Wonderful Christmastime' released?
Like 'Merry Xmas Everybody', while 'Wonderful Christmastime' was actually recorded in the summer it was of course held back until the runup to Christmas.
It was released on November 16, 1979, six months before McCartney II.
And the B-side? The incredible 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae'. Yes, really. A (thankfully) instrumental reggae-(ish) version of the Christmas classic.
Wedged between the release of two Macca albums as a standalone single, in later years it's been bundled into fancy reissues of both Wings' Back to the Egg AND McCartney II.
Wings toured the UK in November and December 1979, which was perfect timing, so while it was absolutely a solo Paul song, it was played live by the band during the shows.
What is 'Wonderful Christmastime' about?
Here's where audiences get a bit split.
Unlike the grand statements of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 1971 classic 'Happy Xmas (War is Over)', 'Wonderful Christmastime' is about, well... simply having a wonderful Christmastime.
That's about it, really.
"The choir of children sing their song / Ding dong, ding dong / Ding dong, ding, ooh, ooh"
That's about the measure of it, and plenty of Twitter jokers have had some fun with the song.
But hey, after a faceful of mince pies and a load of mulled wine, maybe people don't want or need to be preached to about world hunger or the horrors of war when they pop on their Christmas playlist.
Where did 'Wonderful Christmastime' get in the charts and how much does it earn in royalties every year?
'Wonderful Christmastime' got all the way to number 6 in the UK singles charts. On Christmas week itself it was at number 7 – the distinctly unseasonable 'Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2' by Pink Floyd was the Christmas number 1.
Unlike some artists, Paul McCartney's Christmas hit is far from his sole earner, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have a seasonal smash in your back catalogue.
Way back in 2010 it was estimated that the song raked in $400,000-$600,000 a year (£300,000-£450,000).
In the era of constant streaming Spotify Christmas playlists, that's likely only increased”.
I can never get my head around any antipathy for this song. Wonderful Christmastime is so festive and amazing. I always feel more upbeat when I listen to it. I don’t think critics were objective in 1979. There was antipathy towards McCartney lingering since the breakup of The Beatles (1970). McCartney II was slagged off too. All these years later, I think more people are starting to approve and embrace Wonderful Christmastime. This Wikipedia article discussed the chart impact and reception to a Paul McCartney standard that splits opinion:
“Following its release as a stand-alone single in the United Kingdom, "Wonderful Christmastime" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart on the week ending January 5, 1980. In the United States, the single peaked at number 83 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart (week ending January 12, 1980) and at number 94 on the Record World Singles Chart (week ending December 29, 1979), but it did not initially make the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Wonderful Christmastime" first appeared on a Billboard magazine music chart in December 1984, when it peaked at number 10 for two straight weeks on the magazine's special Christmas Singles chart. Its next appearance on a Billboard music came on the week ending January 6, 1996, when the song both debuted and peaked at number 29 on the magazine's weekly Hot Adult Contemporary chart. "Wonderful Christmastime" finally debuted on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 2018, at position number 47. It peaked at number 28 on the week ending January 2, 2021, following its 2020 chart re-entry two weeks earlier.
"Wonderful Christmastime" continues to receive substantial annual festive airplay, although some music critics consider it to be one of McCartney's mediocre compositions. Beatles author Robert Rodriguez has written of "Wonderful Christmastime": "Love it or hate it, few songs within the McCartney oeuvre have provoked such strong reactions."
Including royalties from cover versions, it was estimated in 2010 that McCartney makes $400,000 a year from this song, which puts its cumulative earnings at over $15 million”.
A beautiful and hugely spirited song recorded at Paul McCartney’s Lower Gate Farm Studio, I have heard it a few times already this year. With less than a week to go until Christmas Day, I hope that we hear Wonderful Christmastime a lot more. A song that deserves a chart relaunch. Get it to new ears. In spite of those who dislike the song, Wonderful Christmastime is still popular and is played every year. Last year, for his official website McCartney discussed the song. He was asked about the enduring legacy of Wonderful Christmastime and whether he ever thought it would stand the test of time:
“The party’s on, the feeling’s here... And a certain Paul McCartney holiday song is back in the charts! Written during the sessions for McCartney II, ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ didn’t make it onto the album but has since become one of Paul’s best-loved songs, making its annual return to radio and streaming playlists from November onwards. Whether you’re listening to the radio on your car journey home for the holidays or walking into a store to do some last-minute Christmas shopping, you’re guaranteed to hear that iconic synth intro at some point!
Over the past few years, we’ve shown ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ a lot of love. On the 40th anniversary of its release in 2019, we remastered the music video in HD, and last year it became the first Paul McCartney song to be released in Dolby ATMOS. Most recently, the single was reissued on 7” vinyl (with ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae’ on the B-side) as part of The 7” Singles Box.
One thing we haven’t done, however, is ask Paul what he thinks of the track and its popularity now. So, as the temperatures dropped here in London, we grabbed a hot drink and chatted to Paul about all things ‘Wonderful Christmastime’; got the lowdown on his own family Christmas traditions; and found out whether he might release another Christmas song (or album) one day…
PaulMcCartney.com: When you first released ‘Wonderful Christmastime’, did you think it was going to be a Christmas hit that would come back every year? Or does it surprise you that it’s still so popular now?
Paul: I like the idea of Christmas songs purely because they only come around at Christmas! They remind us of the fun atmosphere of the whole season, and when I was writing ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ I was trying to capture that party aspect. I did hope it would keep coming back – which it has. Sometimes people will go into a shop and hear it a little too much, but I don’t care! I’m happy!
PM.com: We really wanted to ask you about this ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ fan theory that has gone viral on social media. The theory suggests the song is about people practising witchcraft, chanting ‘the moon is right, the spirit’s up’, and when someone walks in, they must play it cool and pretend they are ‘simply having a wonderful Christmastime!’. Is this theory true?
Paul: Oh yeah. Well, thank goodness they found me out. This is completely true and in actual fact I am the head wizard of a Liverpool coven. (Paul laughs) Either that… or it’s complete nonsense. And you know it’s the latter!
PM.com: This theory may have come from people mishearing the lyrics. Could you confirm if the lyric is ‘the moon is right’ or ‘the mood is right’?
Paul: It’s ‘the mood’! This is the mood; I’ve gathered together the witches and wizards... I’ve got ‘the mood’, which is what we in wizardry call it (laughs). The thing is about this stuff, it’s so easy to convince half the people in the world. You do have to be a little bit careful!
No, it’s ‘the mood’. And you know what, I’m thinking about Liverpool Christmas parties, that’s really all I’m doing with that song. “The mood is right, let’s raise a glass, the spirit’s up” – you know, all the stuff you do at Christmas. Particularly with my old Liverpool family parties.
PM.com: You’ve spoken before about singing around the piano at parties in Liverpool, and in ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ the choir ‘sing their song’ - but do you have any memories of going carolling at Christmas?
Paul: I can’t remember ever having done it, so I probably didn’t. The fun thing about Christmas carolling, that probably would have influenced my decision NOT to do it, was that my dad always used to make fun of them. He'd say, ‘Here’s a shilling to go sing in the next street’. He was not a big fan of Christmas carols. I quite like them!
PM.com: Are there any Christmas traditions from your childhood which you have continued into adulthood, and shared with your own children and grandchildren?
Paul: I have actually started some new traditions. When the kids were little, I suddenly thought there wasn’t the ideal Christmas record, in my opinion. There’s some great Christmas records like the Phil Spector one, and Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby on the old standards, but I just wanted an instrumental of all the tunes. So, I ended up recording one for the family in my studio. And Eddie Klein, my engineer at the time, helped me. I now have this album I pull out every year, and it’s a bit of fun for the kids when we’re carving the veggie roast. I’ll stick it on and it means Christmas is here. It’s quite a cute little record actually! But it’s just for the family.
PM.com: Some fans already know this exists, it’s part of the Paul McCartney folklore! I think they’re hoping to hear it one day.
Paul: I’ve often thought it’s good enough if people would like it released, and I’ve thought I could do it for charity or something, but never really felt strongly enough to make a decision. It’s just a family record, and I’ll pull it out again this Christmas.
My main job is to carve the roast. That was one of the things I liked when we became veggie years ago. I said it would be nice for me to able to do what I thought of as the traditional ‘dad’ job, so that’s the carving of the turkey in the old days, and now it’s the carving of the veggie roast. I normally do that – unless someone gets in there first, and I get miffed! Steady on!
So yeah, I put on the Christmas record, carve the roast, and then we do all the normal Christmas things. Christmas crackers and reading out all the terrible jokes and trying to really be happy with the little gift that comes inside, which is something you’re never going to use or keep. This is the spirit of Christmas! We mainly do all the stuff that everyone else does at Christmas time.
Well, we might not be any closer to hearing that secret Christmas record, but at least we know the story behind ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ – and we can hold out hope for a magic-inspired song (with the Liverpool coven on backing vocals) in the future!”.
A track that I have a lot of affection for, it is always part of my Christmas playlist rotation. It is in my top-five that is sure! I hope that, years from now, Wonderful Christmastime gets all the due love it deserves. Recorded at a difficult time where Wings were breaking up and MacCartney was recording a new solo album, it was turbulent and strange. He managed to create a unique and instantly catchy Christmas song that would give an indication of what to expect with the as-then forthcoming McCartney II. A magnificent sluice of Christmas magic from Macca, take some time out now and listen to…
THE simply majestic Wonderful Christmastime.