Wonderful Christmastime

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"Wonderful Christmastime"
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Single by Paul McCartney
B-side "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae (Instrumental)"
Released16 November 1979 (1979-11-16)
Recorded30 August 1979
Studio Lower Gate Farm (Sussex)
Genre
Length3:45
  • 4:18 (unedited version)
Label
Songwriter Paul McCartney
Producer Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney singles chronology
"Eat at Home"
(1971)		"Wonderful Christmastime"
(1979)		"Coming Up"
(1980)
Music video
"Wonderful Christmastime" on YouTube

"Wonderful Christmastime" is a Christmas song by the English musician Paul McCartney. It was recorded during the sessions for McCartney's second solo album, McCartney II (1980), and released as a single in November 1979. It was McCartney's first solo single since "Eat at Home" in 1971.

Contents

"Wonderful Christmastime" reached the top 10 in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, and the UK and the top 20 in Canada, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland. It is a popular song during the Christmas season [1] and has been covered by numerous artists.

"Wonderful Christmastime" was included on reissues of McCartney II and on the 1993 reissue of Back to the Egg, the final album by McCartney's band Wings. [2] It was mixed into 5.1 surround sound for inclusion on the 2007 DVD The McCartney Years .

Background and recording

McCartney wrote "Wonderful Christmastime" in the key of B major, and recorded it alone during the sessions for his album McCartney II . Although the members of McCartney's band Wings are not on the recording, they appear in the music video, [3] which was filmed at the Fountain Inn in Ashurst, West Sussex. [4] It also includes footage filmed at the Hippodrome Theatre in Eastbourne, where McCartney and Wings rehearsed their 1979 UK tour. [ citation needed ] Wings performed the song during every show of the tour. [5]

Reception and legacy

"Wonderful Christmastime" reached number six on the UK singles chart on the week ending 5 January 1980. [6] In the US, it reached number 83 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart (week ending 12 January 1980) and number 94 on the Record World Singles Chart (week ending 29 December 1979), but it did not initially make the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [7] It first appeared on a Billboard music chart in December 1984, when reached number 10 for two weeks on the special Christmas Singles chart. [8] Its next appearance on a Billboard chart came on the week ending 6 January 1996, when it both debuted and reached number 29 on the weekly Hot Adult Contemporary chart. [8] "Wonderful Christmastime" finally debuted on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 2018, at number 47. [9] It reached number 26 on the week ending 6 January 2024. [10]

"Wonderful Christmastime" continues to receive substantial annual festive airplay, although some music critics consider it to be one of McCartney's mediocre compositions. [11] [12] [13] The Beatles author Robert Rodriguez wrote": "Love it or hate it, few songs within the McCartney oeuvre have provoked such strong reactions." [12]

Including royalties from cover versions, it was estimated in 2010 that McCartney makes $400,000 USD a year from the song, which puts its cumulative earnings at over $15 million USD. [14]

Personnel

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Wonderful Christmastime"
Chart (1979–2025)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [15] 23
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [16] 10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [17] 26
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [18] 17
Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) [19] 16
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) [20] 43
Denmark (Tracklisten) [21] 30
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) [22] 67
France (SNEP) [23] 151
Germany (GfK) [24] 7
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [25] 15
Greece International (IFPI) [26]
2011 remaster		35
Hungary (Single Top 40) [27] 25
Hungary (Stream Top 40) [28] 8
Ireland (IRMA) [29] 8
Italy (FIMI) [30] 68
Latvia (LaIPA) [31] 10
Lithuania (AGATA) [32] 25
Luxembourg ( Billboard ) [33] 17
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [34] 10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [35] 20
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) [36] 35
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) [37] 26
Portugal (AFP) [38] 34
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) [39] 32
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [40] 13
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [41] 15
UK Singles (OCC) [42] 6
US Billboard Hot 100 [10] 26
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [43] 29
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [44] 32
US Holiday 100 ( Billboard ) [45] 15
US Cash Box Top 100 [46] 83
US Rolling Stone Top 100 [47] 21

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [48] Gold35,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [49] Platinum90,000‡
Germany (BVMI) [50] Platinum600,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [51] Platinum30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [52] 3× Platinum1,800,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece) [53]
2011 remaster 		Gold1,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Kylie Minogue version

  1. ↑ "Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" Climbs Billboard Charts Again in 2024". COMO News and Radio. 11 December 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  2. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewhine, "Paul McCartney/Wings Back to the Egg (Bonus Tracks)", Allmusic (retrieved 30 December 2012)
  3. ↑ Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ISBN   0-615-11724-4), p. 251.
  4. ↑ Sawday, Alastair (6 December 2007). "Top 10 cosy pubs". The Guardian . Guardian News and Media Ltd . Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  5. ↑ Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ISBN   0-615-11724-4), p. 254.
  6. ↑ "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 333. ISBN   978-0-89820-213-7.
  8. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920–2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 48. ISBN   0-89820-161-6.
  9. ↑ "John Lennon & Paul McCartney Holiday Classics Hit Hot 100 at Last, Among 20 Seasonal Songs on the Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Paul McCartney Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  11. ↑ Craig Outhier, "Paul McCartney's Worst Songs", Phoenix New Times , 25 March 2010 (retrieved 30 December 2012).
  12. 1 2 Robert Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980, Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2010; ISBN   978-1-4165-9093-4), p. 191.
  13. ↑ Alan Clayson, Paul McCartney, Sanctuary (London, 2003; ISBN   1-86074-486-9), pp 192–93.
  14. ↑ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (23 December 2010). "Paul McCartney Continues to Have a Wonderful (Financial) Christmas Time". Forbes. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  15. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Paul McCartney Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  19. ↑ "ARC 100 - Week 52 (25.12.2023.)". HRT. 25 December 2023. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  20. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 52,53. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  21. ↑ "Track Top-40 Uge 51, 2020". Hitlisten . Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  22. ↑ "Europe Official Top 100". 1 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  23. ↑ "Top Singles (Week 52, 2023)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  24. ↑ "Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  25. ↑ "Paul McCartney Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  26. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 52/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 31 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  27. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  28. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  29. ↑ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  30. ↑ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 52" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  31. ↑ "Mūzikas patēriņa tops gadu mijā" (in Latvian). LaIPA. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  32. ↑ "2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  33. ↑ "Paul McCartney Chart History (Luxembourg Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  34. ↑ "Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  35. ↑ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 26 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  36. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  37. ↑ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 20.12.2024–26.12.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS . Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  38. ↑ "Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  39. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 53,53. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  40. ↑ "Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  41. ↑ "Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  42. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  43. ↑ "Paul McCartney Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  44. ↑ "Paul McCartney Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  45. ↑ "Paul McCartney Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard . Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  46. ↑ "USA Cashbox Charts Summaries". popmusichistory. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  47. ↑ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone . 24 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  48. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  49. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  50. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Paul McCartney; 'Wonderful Christmastime')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  51. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime". Radioscope. Retrieved 20 November 2024.Type Wonderful Christmastime in the "Search:" fieldand press Enter.
  52. ↑ "British single certifications – Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  53. ↑ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Εβδομάδα: 50/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece . Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  54. 1 2 Minogue, Kylie (13 November 2015). Kylie Christmas (Liner notes). Kylie Minogue. Worldwide: Parlophone. Warner Music Group.
  55. 1 2 "Kylie Minogue – Wonderful Christmastime (with MIKA) (Radio Date: 09-12-2016)". 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  56. ↑ "Mika, per Natale duetto con Kylie Minogue e poi a Stasera Casa Mika". tvzap.kataweb.it/. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  57. ↑ "Kylie Minogue & Mika – Wonderful Christmastime" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  58. ↑ Hilary Duff’s Christmas Album Is A Classic
  59. ↑ "Paul McCartney, Straight No Chaser Tackle 'Wonderful Christmas Time'". Rolling Stone . 16 October 2013.
"Wonderful Christmastime"
Single by Kylie Minogue and Mika
from the album Kylie Christmas: Snow Queen Edition
Released9 December 2016 (2016-12-09)
Recorded2016
Studio
Genre Christmas
Length3:43
Label Parlophone
Songwriter Paul McCartney
Producer Steve Anderson
Kylie Minoguesingles chronology
"At Christmas"
(2016)		"Wonderful Christmastime"
(2016)		"Dancing"
(2018)
Mikasingles chronology
"Hurts (Remix)"
(2016)		"Wonderland Christmastime"
(2016)		"It's My House"
(2017)
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
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