| "December Will Be Magic Again" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kate Bush | ||||
| B-side | "Warm and Soothing" | |||
| Released | 17 November 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979, 1980 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:51 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kate Bush | |||
| Producer(s) | Kate Bush, Jon Kelly | |||
| Kate Bush singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"December Will Be Magic Again" is a festive-themed song by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was released as a single in the UK in November 1980.
"December Will Be Magic Again" was written and originally recorded in 1979 at Abbey Road Studio 2 London with Preston Heyman on drums, sleigh bells and maracas, Alan Murphy on guitar, Kuma Harada on bass and Bush on piano, but not released until 17 November 1980. The single peaked at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart, but due to its early release date had slipped before the Christmas week. [1] No promotional video was filmed for this single, but an alternative recording of the song was performed on Bush's 1979 Christmas television special. In addition to the version on the single release, another very different cut exists (on CD) with congas played by Tour of Life drummer Preston Heyman and slide whistles on the rhythm track. Neither has appeared on a Kate Bush album, except for the This Woman's Work box set, but both have found their way on to various Christmas compilations.
The B-side is "Warm and Soothing", a simple piece of Bush singing with just her piano accompaniment. This was the first song she recorded at Abbey Road Studios. [2]
Initial pressings of the 7" single have "Cut by Chris Blair", "Songs & arrangements by Kate Bush", and "Cover by Nick Price" centered on the rear sleeve. Reissues have these acknowledgements spread out across the bottom. Originals also have "Happy Christmas" etched into the dead wax on Side A. The song was featured on the 12" single of "Experiment IV" and later on the second of two CD editions of the "Moments of Pleasure" single in 1993 and had a slightly different mix. In 2005 the song was included on Elton John's Christmas album, Elton John's Christmas Party . [3]
Andy Gill of NME wrote: "Looks like we'll have to endure that fairy Kate Bush". [4] In 1990, Stuart Maconie deemed the song "one of the neatest Christmas tunes since Spector" in his This Woman's Work box set review. [5] Ronnie Gurr of Smash Hits described "novel with her optimistic December operetta". [6]
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA) [7] | 13 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [8] | 29 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts) [9] | 55 |
Catherine Bush is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female artist to achieve a UK number one with a solely self-written song.
Ronnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist.
Never for Ever is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush, released on 8 September 1980 by EMI Records, it was Bush's first No. 1 album and was also the first album by a British female solo artist to top the UK Albums Chart, as well as being the first album by any female solo artist to enter the chart at No. 1. It has since been certified Gold by the BPI. It features the UK Top 20 singles "Breathing", "Army Dreamers" and "Babooshka", the latter being one of Bush's biggest hits. Bush co-produced the album with Jon Kelly.
This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978–1990 is a compilation box set by the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. Released in 1990 on CD, vinyl and cassette; it comprises her six studio albums to that point together with two additional albums of B-sides, rarities and remixes. The box set was re-released on CD only in 1998 in different packaging.
Live at Hammersmith Odeon is a 1994 live album by the British singer Kate Bush. It is a re-release of an abridged video recording of the 1979 The Tour of Life, first released on home video in 1981, complete with a CD version of the video soundtrack.
The UK singles chart was first compiled in 1969. However, the records and statistics listed here date back to 1952 because the Official Charts Company counts a selected period of the New Musical Express chart and the Record Retailer chart from 1960 to 1969 as predecessors for the period prior to 11 February 1969, where multiples of competing charts coexisted side by side. For example, the BBC compiled its own chart based on an average of the music papers of the time; many songs announced as having reached number one on BBC Radio and Top of the Pops prior to 1969 may not be listed here as chart-toppers since they do not meet the legacy criteria of the Charts Company.
"The Tears of a Clown" is a song written by Hank Cosby, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder and originally recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla Records label subsidiary of Motown, first appearing on the 1967 album Make It Happen. The track was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in July 1970, and it became a number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending September 12, 1970. Subsequently, Motown released a partially re-recorded and completely remixed version as a single in the United States as well, where it quickly became a number-one hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts.
Tom Robinson Band (TRB) are a British rock band, established in 1976 by singer, songwriter and bassist Tom Robinson. The band's debut single "2-4-6-8 Motorway" was a top five hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and their third single, "Up Against the Wall", is seen by some as a classic punk rock single; while their debut album, Power in the Darkness (1978), is regarded as a definitive late-1970s punk album. Their song "Glad to Be Gay" is considered a British national gay anthem.
"That's My Goal" is the debut single by British singer Shayne Ward, the winner of the second series of The X Factor. It was released as his winner's single on 21 December 2005. Ward was the first X Factor winner to release an original song as his winner's single; all other winners released a cover version of another song, until Matt Terry's "When Christmas Comes Around" in 2016. "That's My Goal" was later included on Ward's debut studio album, Shayne Ward (2006).
Sir Elton Hercules John is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. Acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s and for his lasting impact on the music industry, his music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history.
"Sat in Your Lap" (1981) is a song by English art rock musician Kate Bush. It was the first single to be released from her fourth studio album, The Dreaming (1982), issued 15 months prior to the album's release. The single peaked at no. 11 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Experiment IV" is a song by the English singer Kate Bush. It was released as a single on 27 October 1986, in order to promote Bush's greatest hits album The Whole Story. The single peaked at 23 in the UK Singles Chart, charting simultaneously with "Don't Give Up", Bush's duet with Peter Gabriel, which reached number 9.
"Moments of Pleasure" is a song written and recorded by British musician Kate Bush, released in November 1993 by EMI Records as the third single from Bush's seventh studio album, The Red Shoes (1993). The song peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.
Elton John's Christmas Party is a Christmas-themed compilation album from English musician Elton John. It features his 1973 Christmas single, "Step into Christmas", and a new duet with Joss Stone, "Calling It Christmas". According to John's introduction in the liner notes, as opposed to doing an album of his versions of already famous songs, he chose to do a compilation with some of his favorite holiday songs by other artists.
"Rocket Man" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin and performed by John. It was originally released on 17 April 1972 in the US, as the lead single to John's album Honky Château. The song first charted in the UK on 22 April, rising to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a major hit single for John.
"Do Nothing" is a song by ska/2-tone band The Specials, released in December 1980 by 2 Tone Records as the second single from More Specials. The single peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Mad at You" is a song by the Joe Jackson Band, which was released in 1980 as the lead single from Jackson's third studio album Beat Crazy. The song was written and produced by Jackson.
"Merry Christmas" is a song by English singer-songwriters Ed Sheeran and Elton John. It was released through Asylum and Atlantic Records as a single on 3 December 2021. The song appears on the Christmas edition of John's collaborative album, The Lockdown Sessions, and originally appeared on the now-removed Christmas edition of Sheeran's fifth studio album, =. Sheeran and John wrote the song and it was produced by Steve Mac. "Merry Christmas" entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart during the chart week of 10 December 2021, becoming Sheeran's twelfth chart-topper in the country and John's ninth number-one single in the country. It also topped the charts in the Flanders region of Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
