<p id=”par-1_36″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/paul-mccartney/?swcfpc=1″>Paul McCartney</a> gave us one of the most <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/paul-mccartney-doesnt-care-wonderful-christmastime-overplayed.html/”>popular Christmas songs ever: “Wonderful Christmastime.”</a> His favorite Yuletide hit predates his career. Let’s take a look at whether or not Paul’s favorite Christmas song outperformed “Wonderful Christmastime.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-paul-mccartney-s-fave-christmas-song-came-out-way-before-wonderful-christmastime”>Paul McCartney’s fave Christmas song came out way before ‘Wonderful Christmastime’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_86″>He’s not Santa Claus or Jack Frost, but Paul will forever be associated with Christmas. His ubiquitous hit “Wonderful Christmastime” has warmed the hearts of millions for decades. If you’re a hardcore Beatles fan, you may have heard his repetitious disaster <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-beatles-best-christmas-songs-band-former-members.html/”>“Christmas Time (Is Here Again),”</a> which rightly languishes in obscurity, perhaps because it never appeared on any of the Fab Four’s studio albums or major compilations. While Paul made Christmas music in the 1960s and 1970s, his favorite Christmas song comes from an earlier generation. </p>
<p id=”par-3_50″>During a 2014 interview with <a href=”https://www.paulmccartney.com/news/you-gave-me-the-answer-christmas-edition-6821″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>PaulMcCartney.com</a>, the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/bruce-springsteen-told-paul-mccartney-disliked-silly-love-songs-1st.html/”>“Silly Love Songs” singer</a> was asked to name his favorite Christmas song. “Nat King Cole’s,” he said. “So that is called ‘The Christmas Song,’ but known by a lot of people as ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.’ I think that’s my favorite. </p>
<p id=”par-4_54″>“Nat King Cole’s version is so atmospheric,” he added. “Not a bad singer, and I used his microphone at Capital Studios in LA for ‘Kisses on the Bottom.’ And the guy came up to me and said, ‘Did you know that this is the microphone that Nat used?’ [Inhales heavily] ‘Ah, so no pressure!’”</p>
<p id=”par-5_53″>“The Christmas Song” is a standard that you’ll hear every holiday season until the end of the world. Some of the famous artists who have performed it <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/frank-sinatra-knocked-beatles-song-off-top-chart.html/”>include Frank Sinatra</a>, Bing Crosby, Glen Campbell, The Jackson 5, Christina Aguilera, Shawn Mendes, and others. However, Cole’s version remains the most popular on the radio.</p>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-paul-mccartney-revealed-his-father-paid-people-not-to-sing-christmas-carols”>Paul McCartney revealed his father paid people not to sing Christmas carols</h2>
<p id=”par-6_58″>During a 2022 interview with <a href=”https://www.paulmccartney.com/news/you-gave-me-the-answer-wonderful-christmastime-special” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>PaulMcCartney.com</a>, the cute Beatle was asked if he remembered going Christmas caroling. “I can’t remember ever having done it, so I probably didn’t,” he said. “The fun thing about Christmas caroling, that probably would have influenced my decision not to do it, was that my dad always used to make fun of them. </p>
<p id=”par-7_32″>“He’d say, ‘Here’s a shilling to go sing in the next street,’” <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/john-lennon-thought-paul-mccartneys-band-on-the-run.html/”>the “Band on the Run” singer</a> added. “He was not a big fan of Christmas carols. I quite like them!”</p>
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<iframe title=”Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/94Ye-3C1FC8?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/everyone-hates-paul-mccartneys-wonderful-christmastime.html/”>
Why Everyone Hates Paul McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-the-christmas-song-performed-compared-to-wonderful-christmastime”>How ‘The Christmas Song’ performed compared to ‘Wonderful Christmastime’</h2>
<p id=”par-8_58″>Paul seems to enjoy “The Christmas Song” more than “Wonderful Christmastime.” That raises an interesting question — which song was more popular? Cole’s song reached No. 9 on the <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/nat-king-cole/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a>, staying on the chart for 45 weeks. In the United States, it’s Cole’s biggest hit. If you know one song by him, it’s “The Christmas Song.”</p>
<p id=”par-9_62″>“Wonderful Christmastime” was a hit — but it wasn’t quite as big. So far, “Wonderful Christmastime” has reached No. 26 on the <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/paul-mccartney/chart-history/hsi/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a> and lasted on the chart for 13 weeks. Of course, “Wonderful Christmastime” might eventually overshadow “The Christmas Song.” Every year, numerous Yuletide classics rechart, so “Wonderful Christmastime” could plausibly become a top 10 single at some point. </p>
<p id=”par-10_14″>Christmas music doesn’t get much critical respect — but Paul likes “The Christmas Song.”</p>