Released 16 November 1979 Length 3:45 | Format 7-inch 45 rpm | |
B-side "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae" Recorded 30 August 1979, Lower Gate Farm, Sussex Genre Christmas
pop rock
synthrock | ||
"Wonderful Christmastime" is a 1979 Christmas song by Paul McCartney. It enjoys significant Christmas time popularity around the world. The song was later added as a bonus track on the 1993 CD reissue of Wings' Back to the Egg album.
Contents
- Background and recording
- Reception and legacy
- Personnel
- Kylie Minogue version
- Other notable versions
- References
The track was added as a bonus track to the 2011 reissue of the McCartney II album, with both full and edited versions included. The track was also mixed in 5.1 surround sound for inclusion on the 2007 DVD release The McCartney Years.
Background and recording
McCartney recorded the song entirely on his own during the sessions for his solo project McCartney II. Although the members of Wings are not on the recording, they do appear in the promotional music video, which was filmed at the Fountain Inn in Ashurst, West Sussex. It also includes footage filmed at the Hippodrome Theatre in Eastbourne, where McCartney rehearsed his 1979 UK tour.
"Wonderful Christmastime" can be heard in the 1998 animated film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie during Santa's takeoff on Christmas Eve. Wings performed the song during their 1979 tour of the UK.
Reception and legacy
Following its release as a stand-alone single in the United Kingdom, "Wonderful Christmastime" peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart the week ending 5 January 1980. In the United States the single peaked at No. 83 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart and No. 94 on the Record World Singles Chart, but did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100.
In December 1984, the single appeared at No. 10 for two weeks on Billboard's Christmas singles chart. It also reached No. 29 on Billboard's weekly Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart in early January 1996.
The song continues to receive substantial annual festive airplay, although some music critics consider "Wonderful Christmastime" 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 is estimated that McCartney makes $400,000 a year from this song, which puts its cumulative earnings at near $15 million.
Personnel
Kylie Minogue 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 album's second single on 9 December 2016 by Parlophone.
The song was performed on 6 December 2016 by Minogue and Mika on Italian programme Stasera Casa Mika.