Christmas Time (Is Here Again): Introduction

“Christmas Time (Is Here Again)” is a song by The Beatles that was also a B-side to a single release in 1995. There are not many songs that give credit to Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starkey, but this one does.

In Detail

• Release Date: December 4, 1995 (UK), December 12, 1995 (US)
• Format: 7″ single B-side (A-side is “Free as a Bird”) vinyl, CD x 4 tracks
• Recorded: November 28, 1967
• Studio: EMI Studios, London
• Genre: Pop rock
• Track Duration: 3:03 (Single) 6:07 (Full version)
• Record Label: Apple Records 58497
• Songwriters: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey
• Producer: George Martin

Performers

• John Lennon: vocal, bass drum, organ, timpani
• Paul McCartney: vocal, piano
• George Harrison: vocal, acoustic guitar
• Ringo Starr: vocal, drums
• George Martin: vocal
• Victor Spinetti: vocal

Where To Find “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)”

It is still possible to get a hold of the song by looking for these releases:

Christmas Time (Is Here Again): Background

From 1963 to 1969, members of The Beatles’ official fan clubs in the UK would receive a Christmas message from the Fab Four via a flexi-disc. However, prior to 1968, American members only got a postcard message. So, American fans never got The Beatles’ 1967 “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)” flexi-disc. Be that as it may, the Anthology project from the mid-1990s corrects this in some way.

In 1995, some 25 years after The Beatles disbanded, we saw the release of the first single from them containing new material. This came about after Yoko Ono gave the surviving Beatles some of John Lennon’s home demos on a cassette tape in 1994.

Although the recordings were of poor quality, they did manage to clean them up to an acceptable standard. As a result, they released the “Free as a Bird” single together with this 1967 Christmas song on the B-side.

The original 1967 flexi-disc was over 6 minutes long, but after editing for the 1995 single, this became 3:03. The song title “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)” serves as a refrain throughout.

Recording Studio

The Beatles made so much music together, and they certainly had fun in the recording studio. In particular, they really enjoyed making their Christmas messages to their fans at Abbey Road Studios. The full 1967 Christmas message on flexi-disc was also an edit of the entire recording (6:37) from November 28, 1967. Editing was necessary in order to make the disc suitable for fans of all ages.

The full version starts with a light-hearted tune to begin with. Then it tells a tale where The Beatles arrive at a fictional BBC Radio building for auditions. They play the roles of various characters, such as game show contestants and actors in radio dramas. At one point, they go into the role of aspiring musicians while they perform a brief version of “Plenty of Jam Jars” by “The Ravellers,” a fictional group.

There is also a fictitious advertisement for the equally fictional “Wonderlust.” The song then ends with John Lennon reading one of his “nonsense poems” over the tune of “Auld Lang Syne.”

The only other Beatles’ song that comes close to this flexi-disc Christmas special would be “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” from the same year. All in all, this is The Beatles letting their mop-tops down!

Take A Listen

Once you give this track a listen, leave us a comment below.