"Xmas 93" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Saint Etienne | ||||
A-side | "I Was Born on Christmas Day" | |||
B-side |
| |||
Released | 6 December 1993 | |||
Studio | Cat Music (Mitcham, London) | |||
Genre | House | |||
Length | 14:52 | |||
Label | Heavenly | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Saint Etienne | |||
Saint Etienne singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"I Was Born on Christmas Day" on YouTube |
"Xmas 93" is a Christmas-themed single by English alternative dance band Saint Etienne. It was released in the United Kingdom on 6 December 1993 by Heavenly Recordings. The lead track "I Was Born on Christmas Day" features guest vocals from The Charlatans singer Tim Burgess, and peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart. [1] The song's title is a nod to band member Bob Stanley, who was born on 25 December 1964.[ citation needed ] The music video for the single was filmed in the vicinity of Kensington and Chelsea Register Office in London.
The main B-side, "My Christmas Prayer", is a cover of the 1959 Billy Fury original. The other two B-sides, "Snowplough" and "Peterloo", are both instrumentals. The B-sides "Snowplough" and "Peterloo" can be found in the So Tough reissue bonus disc, while "My Christmas Prayer" and "I Was Born on Christmas Day" on the Tiger Bay reissue bonus disc.
Tim Sendra from AllMusic described "I Was Born on Christmas Day" as a duet between Sarah Cracknell and Tim Burgess "set to a house beat." He added, "The melody is very sweet and the vocals blend together nicely, Burgess displaying a healthy (and unusual) dose of restraint." [2] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton stated, "It wouldn't be Christmas without at least one seasonal record in the charts. Saint Etienne have spent the entire year missing out on the success they so richly deserve." [3] Everett True from Melody Maker named it Single of the Week. [4]
Martin Aston from Music Week gave it four out of five and named it Pick of the Week in the category of Alternative, calling it a "seasonally-challenged" duet and "a catchy, if lightweight, slice of pop, with daytime radio appeal and press potential galore." [5] Danny Frost from NME said "this is a bit of a swizz", noting "a breathier than ever" Burgess. [6] Another NME editor, Jim Wirth, noted the "join-the-dots ABBA-isms" of the song. [7] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits wrote, "This starts off like a disco classic in the making. But then the weedy girl vocals of Sarah Cracknell come in followed by the weedy boy vocals of Tim Burgess from the Charlatans. And the whole disco classic is out the window." She concluded, "It's dead catchy and instantly singable". [8]
A music video was produced to promote the song. It was later made available on YouTube in May 2012. [9] In 2020, Sarah Cracknell talked about making the video, saying "We had such a laugh making the video for ‘I Was Born On Christmas Day’ and Tim was a real star. We shot the whole thing in sequence on a Sunday which ended up in a massive party. I'm sure I accidentally broke the hearts of many Charlatans fans who thought the wedding was real." [10]
All tracks produced by Saint Etienne.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Was Born on Christmas Day" (featuring Tim Burgess) | 3:14 | |
2. | "My Christmas Prayer" | Billy Fury | 3:28 |
3. | "Snowplough" |
| 3:43 |
4. | "Peterloo" |
| 4:27 |
Total length: | 14:52 |
Chart (1993–94) | Peak position |
---|---|
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [15] | 93 |
UK Singles (OCC) | 37 |
Saint Etienne are an English band from Greater London, formed in 1990. The band consists of Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They became associated with the UK's indie dance scene in the 1990s, beginning with the release of their debut album Foxbase Alpha in 1991. Their work has been described as uniting 1990s club culture with 1960s pop and other disparate influences. The name of the band comes from the French football club of AS Saint-Étienne.
Timothy Allan Burgess is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record label owner, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band the Charlatans.
So Tough is the second studio album by British band Saint Etienne, released in 1993. It is their highest-charting album to date, reaching No. 7 on the UK Album Chart.
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