His song does not lie. Paul McCartney simply was having a wonderful Christmas time. Gauging the opinions of Wonderful Christmastime sees defiant defenders of the festive track as well as horrified, furious interpretations of McCartney’s mulled wine-fuelled piece. The former Beatle and Wings man locks the door to his studio, grinning from ear to ear as he blasts out the greatest Christmas track put to tape. Crashing through with eerie charms that cement a Christmas legacy with sincerity, McCartney marked the festive period as a complete tonal balance to John Lennon’s stern protest woes. It is the equivalent of taking shots of jaeger during a sombre time of reflection. Nobody would dare stop McCartney.
It is clear nobody stepped in to prevent this from happening, and while Wonderful Christmastime is a sincerely great song, much of it relies on whether or not a listener can let themselves be eaten up by the fun that comes from McCartney wailing away. As simple as it gets for the festive period, with no reflection or message beyond having a good time down the pub, having one too many sherries as McCartney probably did before cracking this piece out. If it were not for Coming Up, then this Christmas track would be the best part of McCartney II. Hammering home the jolly repetitions of the period, McCartney is lavish in his recollection of the most wonderful time of the year and it makes for a sickly, fitting track.
McCartney is here tonight, and that’s enough. There is a genuine festive simplicity to this that relies on a love for the period. It isn’t Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, that is for sure. But aside from the crooners of old, what music is there for Christmas that can truly claim to be of that quality? McCartney relishes in a very simple structure to this track and it steers him through an engaged, festive bit of fun. Consider it a mediocre composition, consider it bad, but don’t forget the legacy that this holds. A legacy greater than Back to the Egg, as haunting as that may be. It says more about the commercial listener and their fear of McCartney’s Stevie Wonder-influenced Wings track, Arrow Through Me, than anything else.
The less said about Rudolph the Reggae Reindeer the better. A track that showcases how panicked McCartney was when he realised a B-Side to his nightmare Christmas classic was needed. Plodding, inarticulate and just plain dull, it does drag down the masterclass found on the A-Side somewhat, but for the sake of festive spirit, that can be forgiven. A Christmas classic through and through, regardless of any musical quality. McCartney marks a one-man Christmas track not just as a show of strength in musical and instrumental variance, but presumably also to pocket that cheeky £400k a year he makes in royalties. Now that is simply a wonderful Christmas time. Riotously good fun, completely free of statement and filled with jolly sentiment, only a Scrooge could truly hate a track this free, fun and empty of itself.
