"Christmas Time (Is Here Again)" is a

Christmas song Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject m ...

by the English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, originally recorded for their fifth fan club Christmas record, '' Christmas Time Is Here Again!'' (1967). One of the few Beatles songs credited to all four members of the band, it consists of a blues based backing track as well as

double-tracked Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. ...

vocals sung by them,

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Be ...

and

Victor Spinetti Vittorio Giorgio Andre "Victor" Spinetti (2 September 1929 – 19 June 2012) was a Welsh actor, author, poet, and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films ' ...

. The lyrics are mostly made up of the song's title refrain, repeated across nine verses. Following its December 1967 release, "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)" remained officially unavailable for decades. A planned release in 1984 faltered after the abandonment of the Beatles' then-upcoming album '' Sessions''. Apple released a shortened version of the song in December 1995 as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

to the song "

Free as a Bird "Free as a Bird" is a single released in December 1995 by the Beatles. The song was originally written and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon. In 1995, 25 years after their break-up and 15 years after Lennon's murder, his then s ...

". The 1967 version was

re-issue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Rec ...

d on '' The Christmas Records'', a 2017 limited-edition box set of the band's original Christmas records.

Background and composition

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

began recording Christmas records in 1963, which were distributed in December free-of-charge to members of their Official Fan Club. Earlier records include spoken messages to their fans, while later years incorporate skits and music. Described by Jordan Runtagh of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

'' as "the apex of their Christmas recordings", the Beatles' 1967 Christmas record, '' Christmas Time Is Here Again!'', was their most extensive holiday message to date, with the band preparing a script ahead of time. Serving as an homage to radio and television programmes, its central narrative is based around a fictional group named the Ravellers, auditioning for a

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

radio show. The skits include tap dancing, a fictitious advertisement, and the group playing piano and singing about "Plenty of Jam Jars", among others. The recording concludes with each Beatle, as well as producer

, offering season's greetings to their fans, followed by a poem from

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

titled "When Christmas Time is Over". Beatles writer John C. Winn describes it as a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

Yule Yule, actually Yuletide ("Yule time") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later undergoing Christianised reformulation resulting in the now better-known Christmastide. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indi ...

tide poem, while

Kenneth Womack Kenneth Womack (born January 24, 1966) is an American writer, literary critic, public speaker, and music historian, particularly focusing on the cultural influence of the Beatles. He is the author of the bestselling ''Solid State: The Story of A ...

calls the work a "

Joycean A text is deemed Joycean when it is reminiscent of the writings of James Joyce, particularly '' Ulysses'' or ''Finnegans Wake''. Joycean fiction exhibits a high degree of verbal play, usually within the framework of stream of consciousness. Works ...

... nonsensical poem". In addition to the script, the band wrote a

, "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)". The song is one of the Beatles' few releases credited to all four members, just as their earlier 1967 instrumental " Flying" had been. Played in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Char ...

, the song's structure is blues-based, repeating nine identical verses followed by an instrumental verse. Womack writes that the song's "comic spirit" is similar to the Beatles' " You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" – most of which had been recorded over the summer of 1967 – and was likely inspired by the

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band or The Bonzos) was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde art, ...

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

. Author Steve Turner opines that the song illustrates the band's interest in

children's songs A children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that children invent and share among themselves or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home or education. Although children's songs have been recorded and studied ...

that began with their 1966 track " Yellow Submarine" and reflects a combination of their nostalgia for 1940s

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

and the childlike tendencies of

psychedelic music Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and cannabis to ...

. Runtagh states that the song "is little more than a holiday mantra, but the Beatles sell it through their full-throated commitment and a clever arrangement reminiscent of their new single, '

Hello, Goodbye "Hello, Goodbye" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Backed by John Lennon's "I Am the Walrus", it was issued as a non-album single in November 1967, the group's first r ...

Recording

The Beatles recorded ''Christmas Time Is Here Again!'' on 28 November 1967 in Studio Three of EMI Recording Studios. Running from 6:00 pm to 2:45 am, Martin produced the session, assisted by balance engineer

Geoff Emerick Geoffrey Ernest Emerick (5 December 1945 – 2 October 2018) was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums ''Revolver'' (1966), ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1967) and ''Abbey Road' ...

. Having last been in the studio two weeks earlier to finish the final recording for their new EP ''

Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP ...

'', it was the band's first Christmas record not made amidst another project. Actor

was present at the session, helping Lennon prepare tapes for '' The Lennon Play: In His Own Write'', a stage adaptation of the band member's books, ''

In His Own Write ''In His Own Write'' is a 1964 nonsense book by English musician John Lennon. His first book, it consists of poems and short stories ranging from eight lines to three pages, as well as illustrations. After Lennon showed journalist Michael B ...

'' (1964) and ''

A Spaniard in the Works ''A Spaniard in the Works'' is a nonsense book by English musician John Lennon, first published on 24 June 1965. The book consists of nonsensical stories and drawings similar to the style of his previous book, 1964's ''In His Own Write''. The na ...

'' (1965). The band invited Spinetti to participate in the record's recording; he performed in the skits and sung on the song. Recorded in a single take, the basic recording features

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

on drums,

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian ...

on a

Gibson J-160E The Gibson J-160E is one of the first acoustic-electric guitars produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. The J-160E was Gibson's second attempt at creating an acoustic-electric guitar (the first being the small-body CF-100E"''As implied by its ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, Lennon on

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...

on piano. The Beatles, along with Martin and Spinetti, then

overdubbed Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...

manually

vocals onto the original take. Martin, again assisted by Emerick, returned to EMI the day after the session to

mix Mix, mixes or mixing may refer to: Persons & places * Mix (surname) ** Tom Mix (1880-1940), American film star * nickname of Mix Diskerud (born Mikkel, 1990), Norwegian-American soccer player * Mix camp, an informal settlement in Namibia * ...

its recordings. From 2:30 to 5:30 pm, they edited several mono remixes of the record, with the total number of remixes unknown. Edited together with the Beatles' skits, the finished version runs 6:08. Martin and Emerick copied their finished master version to tape, then sent it to Lyntone Records for pressing.

Release

Released on 15 December 1967, the Christmas record's title, ''Christmas Time Is Here Again!'', is a slight variation on the song's title. As with previous Beatles Christmas records, the

seven-inch In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

disc was only released to British fans, with Americans instead receiving a

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as woo ...

. The complete take of the song has never been officially released. On 23 April 1976, a full version running 6:42 was mixed for mono. The mix was originally only played to executives at

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

but first appeared on a bootleg in 1983 and has continued to circulate on CD. Emerick remixed the song again in 1984 for the Beatles' abandoned '' Sessions'' album. He mixed the song for

stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

, editing it down to 1:08 and cross-fading into a medley with "

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Following th ...

". The song was expected to appear as the

of the album's single, "

Leave My Kitten Alone "Leave My Kitten Alone" is a 1959 R&B hit, written by Little Willie John, Titus Turner and James McDougal, first recorded by Little Willie John. The song follows a 24-bar blues format. Little Willie John The original version of the song, by Li ...

", originally planned for a release around Christmas 1984. Never officially released, the two versions of the song began circulating as bootlegs in 1985 and 1986, respectively. Apple officially released the song as the fourth track of the "

" CD single in the UK and US on 4 and 12 December 1995, respectively. Womack writes that Martin remixed the song for this release, while Winn says it is the same stereo mix made for ''Sessions'', but edited down to the first 2:19. Lewisohn's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are descen ...

credit Martin as producer and Emerick as "Engineer/Remix Engineer". After the song fades out the recording incorporates speech from the 1966 fan club disc, '' Pantomime: Everywhere It's Christmas'', recorded on 6 December 1966, as well as Lennon's poem from the 1967 recording. As the B-side, the song did not chart in either the US or UK. On 15 December 2017, the original Christmas records were re-issued on a limited-edition box set, '' The Christmas Records''.

Personnel

According to

Ian MacDonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was a British music critic and author, best known for both ''Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed techniques from ...

, except where noted: The Beatles *

vocal,

double-tracked vocal, piano *

double-tracked vocal, acoustic guitar *

double-tracked vocal, drums Additional musicians *

double-tracked vocal *

double-tracked vocal

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * {{authority control 1967 songs The Beatles songs British Christmas songs Songs written by Ringo Starr Songs written by George Harrison Songs written by John Lennon Songs written by Paul McCartney Song recordings produced by George Martin Music published by Startling Music Apple Records singles 1995 singles