The classic Christmas song, Wonderful Christmastime, was written because Paul McCartney thought there was a drought of strong festive tracks.
Wonderful Christmastime was a smash hit with listeners and still remains a Christmas classic, which was clearly the aim of this merry McCartney track. The song would feature on McCartney II and was released as a single on November 16, 1969, with the B-side Rudolph the Reggae Reindeer. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 in 2019, McCartney confirmed his desire to record a Christmas song was to counter the heavier context of some songs from Nat King Cole and Phil Spector’s Christmas album, A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector. McCartney said: “Years ago I thought, there’s not very good Christmas records. So I actually went into my studio over a couple of years and I made one.
“The kids like it. It’s something they’ve heard through the years, you know, and now it’s the grandkids getting indoctrinated with my carols record. I made a record when the kids were little because I realised it was very hard to buy a record that just had the Christmas songs.
“You would either get Nat King Cole sings Christmas or Phil Spector’s Christmas record – which I’ve got, and we use – but I just wanted straightforward Christmas songs [sings ‘Jingle Bells’ to us].”
McCartney would mention Nat King Cole again in the interview, citing The Christmas Song as his favourite festive track. He said: “Nat King Cole’s. So that is called The Christmas Song, but known by a lot of people as ‘Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire’.
“I think that’s my favourite. Nat King Cole’s version is so atmospheric. Not a bad singer, and I used his microphone at Capital Studios in LA for Kisses On The Bottom. And the guy came up to me and said, ‘Did you know that this is the microphone that Nat used?’ [Inhales heavily] ‘Ah, so no pressure!'”
McCartney would perform the song live as part of his Got Back UK tour in 2024, with Wonderful Christmastime featured in the middle of the set. The US leg of the Got Back tour has since come to an end, with McCartney alleged to have recorded a new album, set for release next year.
McCartney previously shared how he unwinds while touring, saying he watches films on his iPad and reads music biographies to pass the time on the road. In his You Gave Me the Answer Q&A post on his website, McCartney confirmed it was film and television which helped him pass the time best of all while travelling. He said: “I don’t knit, I imagine that would be quite cool, actually. Tom Daley knits and so does Michelle Obama, and I get why they do it; it must be a great release of tension.
“But I watch movies. So when I travel from London to New York, its normally a seven-hour journey so I end up watching about three movies, and in the middle of it all I try and have a meal. I just go to ‘New Releeases’ and unfortunately they’re not new – I’ve seen most of them!
“They don’t update them quick enough for me. I scan through and think ‘ah, I’ve been meaning to see that’.” When it came to being on a car journey, it was an iPad filled with films and television which kept McCartney occupied.
He continued: “On car journeys, I watch stuff on my iPad which can be films or series. I’m currently on Better Call Saul and it’s a good one. I don’t read on journeys so much, I read at home instead before going to bed.
“I get ready for bed and the last thing I do is read. Nancy will often look at a series at that time, but I think it’s not conducive to sleep because some of the things she’ll watch are a little too exciting, and the plot will keep you up all night! So I try to read biographies, which can be a little bit dry. After a few pages you start you yawn, the page goes fuzzy, so it’s light off and straight to sleep. I like that!”
