‘WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME’

‘WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME’ / ‘RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REGGAE’

PAUL McCARTNEY

UK release November 16 1979; Parlophone R 6029; chart high No.6.

US release November 26 1979; Columbia 3-11162; chart high No.8.

‘Wonderful Christmastime’ (McCartney)

Paul McCartney (bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion, vocals). Recorded at home studio, Peasmarsh, Sussex or The Barn, High Park Farm, Scotland.

‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae’ (Marks)

Paul McCartney (harpsichord, drums) Bob Loveday (violin). Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, England.

Both produced by Paul McCartney.

‘WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME’

McCartney’s attempt at a Christmas hit was, like most Christmas singles, recorded in the summer. It was made while he worked on McCartney II and became his first solo single since ‘The Back Seat Of My Car,’ marking the beginning of the end for Wings.

‘Wonderful Christmastime’ is the kind of ditty McCartney had previously knocked out for The

Beatles’ latter Christmas records. Although it has more substance than ‘Everywhere It’s Christmas’ or ‘Happy Christmas, Happy New Year’, it has limited appeal, even in the season of goodwill. Despite this, it did rather well and sold better than any of the singles taken from Back To The Egg.

Released to coincide with Wings’ British tour, which no doubt helped – it was performed nightly in front of packed houses – the single made its way deep into the Top 10. It was equally successful on the other side of the Atlantic, where it also went top ten. ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ became something of a favourite with compilers of Christmas albums, in particular EMI’s perennial Now That’s What I Call Christmas, on which it appeared several times. Because it gets added to playlists every December, Forbes has estimated that of 2012, McCartney earned about $15 million from the song since its release.

The solo instrumental reading of ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer’ was recorded in 1975 and dusted off for this B-side. Bob Loveday, who just happened to be delivering a violin to the studio, also plays. Even with a subtle change to the title, the arrangement is as far from reggae as you can get.

Reviews were mixed. Smash Hits wasn’t impressed but thought it might top the charts: “The bass player from Wings appears with his first solo outing in a few years just in time to scoop up your spare shekels. It’s simple, catchy, clever and thoroughly nauseating. Number one?”

Nick Kent, writing in NME, didn’t mince his words. He hated it: “No point in mincing pies about

this one. Paul McCartney dons Santa Claus drag, pulls out his pocket calculator and knocks off a grotesquely twee piece of festive nose-scrapings utilising a tune of his own creation so twee and so banal that it makes ‘Mull Of Kintyre’ sound like John Coltrane’s ‘Naima’ by comparison. God knows McCartney has hit some musical troughs in his time, but this hideous offering shuts down even ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’ as Our Macca’s worst recording to date.”

‘WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME’ data

Parlophone issued the single with generic labels and picture sleeve. Demonstration copies replicate the commercial pressing but with a large ‘A’ at 10 o’clock and ‘DEMO NOT FOR SALE’ on three lines above the spindle hole.

The Columbia issue came with generic labels and a picture sleeve identical to the British release. Columbia issued demonstration copies of the A-side with white labels with black text and the large Columbia logo in red, at top centre of the label.

In 1983, Columbia reissued the single (38-040127) with a ‘UPC’ logo printed on the label and a stereo B-side (original pressings have the B-side in mono). In 1994, Capitol Records re-released the single on red vinyl (S7-17643-A).