My Favourite Christmas Song – BTW, It’s still Christmas, and will be until 6 January –
It was with sadness when the other half informed us last week that Rea had died; knowing that I had a fondness for the tune and for Rea.
It was only earlier in the past month, some of my clients were discussing their favourite Christmas music and songs. One of them—an engineer from northern Germany whom I greatly respect—said he loved “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea.
I concurred and was somewhat surprised, that even in northern Germany this song had an effect on people. I had to tell him, that I remember when this came out in the UK. And from what I remember, it wasn’t that big of a hit, but has certainly endured to become one of the most remembered & liked Xmas tunes in the UK.
As for Rea, I’m old enough to remember “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”, a strange late 70s song—not ballad, not easy-listening, just a decent pop song with that rasp in his voice. I still remember the album Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?. In fact, I recently found an interview where Rea revealed it was the only track he recorded that he didn’t play guitar on. So much so, that American reviewers at the time even compared him to Elton John!
I also recall him appearing in a star-studded UK comedy, directed by Michael Winner, where Rea was a hit man of sorts, and I quote from a review:
“Their most notable collaboration was the 1999 film Parting Shots, which was Winner’s final directorial effort and featured Rea in his only lead acting role. The film, a dark comedy about a man diagnosed with cancer who seeks revenge on those who wronged him, was widely criticized upon release and has since been described as one of the worst films ever made. Rea, who had no prior acting experience, was cast after Winner met him on a beach in Barbados, a decision that drew significant criticism for its mismatched casting.”
But what makes “Driving Home for Christmas” so special is its simplicity: it’s contemporary (“I’m driving…”), no bells, no snow, no reindeer, no tinsel—just a twinkling jazz piano and major‑seventh chords. Both make it my all-time favourite.
Interesting, Rea never performed the song until Christmas season 2014!
“In the Guardian interview, Rea stated that he never played the song live until 2014 at Hammersmith Odeon; he recalls: “the gig was on 20 December, so the road crew kept badgering me to do it. I went, ‘If I’m going to sing this fucking song, we’re gonna do it properly.’ So, we hired 12 snow cannons. When we started the song, you couldn’t hear it for the noise of the crowd, and we let go with the machines. We put three feet of artificial snow in the stalls. The venue charged me ÂŁ12,000 to clean it up“!
Interestingly, even a day or two before Rea’s untimely death last Monday, I found myself wondering why I’m so drawn to that song, and particularly modern Christmas tunes.
Usually, three things must come together—especially in British Christmas songs:
1 – It’s by a mainstream’ish artist
2 – It’s contemporary and fresh.
3 – The artist is at the peak of their game when they record it.
Great examples include “Last Christmas” (Wham!), Elton John’s “Step into Christmas”, and even Band Aid. These songs were modern, culturally relevant, and infectious. Please forgive me if you’re annoyed that The Pogue’s with their Irish blarney didn’t make my list. (Ed, – Why do they always talk about New York City, instead of Dublin?), or Mariah Carey’s chart schlock—both feel like heavy corporate promotion. That’s not really my scene. But there’s something about UK and Irish audiences—you can feel their love for Christmas singles.
Although, in my opinion, it’s been around 20 years since a decent, new tune clinched the Christmas number one—that being The Darkness in 2004? I haven’t really heard many standout, new tunes since then.
🎶 My All-Time Top Three Christmas Songs
- Chris Rea – “Driving Home for Christmas”
A masterclass in contemporary yet personal Christmas songwriting. - Jonah Lee – “How to Stop the Cavalry”
This anti-war gem has remained one of my favourite festive tunes as well. - Greg Lake – (Christmas piece borrowing from Prokofiev)
A beautifully orchestral offering that nods to classic composers.
Curious Bystander 