"It's Christmas Time Again" is a Christmas song by the American vocal group Backstreet Boys. The song was written by Backstreet Boys members Nick Carter and

Howie Dorough Howard Dwaine Dorough (born August 22, 1973) is an American singer. He is a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys. Early life Dorough was born August 22, 1973, in Orlando, Florida, where he met his friend and bandmate A.J. McLean throug ...

along with Mika Guillory and

Morgan Taylor Reid Morgan Taylor Reid is a Grammy Award nominated music producer, singer-songwriter and recording artist based in Los Angeles. As an artist, Reid's music has been licensed for television including his song "Brighter" that was featured in the Season ...

in early October 2012. It is the first song by the Backstreet Boys to feature Kevin Richardson's vocals in six years. Richardson left the group in 2006 and rejoined in 2012. It is also the first song released under the group's own label K-BAHN. It's also their second seasonal song following their original Christmas song " Christmas Time," which was released 16 years after it. A sneak preview of "It's Christmas Time Again" was posted on the group's official website on November 1, 2012, and AOL Music premiered the full song on November 5, 2012. "It's Christmas Time Again" was released digitally on November 6, 2012. The Backstreet Boys performed the song publicly for the very first time on November 4, 2012 at the taping of Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

. On November 14, 2012, the group debuted the song on national TV on '' The Talk'', and on December 19, 2012, they performed the song on ''

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon. About pag ...

''. In December 2013, the Backstreet Boys performed this song in the annual " Christmas in Washington" TV special which was also attended by the President of the United States

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

and his family. It now appears on the group's first holiday album,

A Very Backstreet Christmas ''A Very Backstreet Christmas'' is the tenth (ninth in the United States) studio album and the first Christmas album by the Backstreet Boys. Initially slated for release in 2021, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was released on Oct ...

, after ten years.

Background

The Backstreet Boys had been working on their eighth studio album since mid-2012. They originally aimed to have something out before the end of the year, but later pushed back the release date for the single to early 2013. When they got the opportunity to perform at Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, Disney gave them the option to sing their previous original Christmas song " Christmas Time" or a classic, but they figured they would write a new Christmas song instead which would also serve as a gift to their fans while they're waiting for the new album. Dorough and Carter wrote the song in early October 2012 with

and Mika Guillory in about two hours. Within a week, they had the song not only demoed and written but also recorded by the rest of the Backstreet Boys members. They then presented it to Disney, who quickly approved it.

Critical reception

Artistdirect gave the song a positive review and 5 out of 5 stars, describing the song as a "timeless Christmas anthem" with a smooth acoustic guitar build-up, resounding bells, and soaring five-part harmonies. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' also gave the song a positive review, noting that the song has a catchy tune, a little "boy band hook," and a five-part harmony.

Charts

The song peaked at No. 1 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s Holiday Digital Songs chart in November 2012.

Music video

The music video for this song is animated and premiered on artist direct. It features the members of the Backstreet Boys as cartoon characters. It follows the story of a couple who grow old together and how they spend their Christmas over the years.

References

{{authority control Backstreet Boys songs 2012 singles American Christmas songs Songs written by Nick Carter (musician) 2012 songs Songs written by Morgan Taylor Reid