"Christmas Time" is a song by Canadian rock singer-songwriter

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...

. It was written by Adams and

Jim Vallance James Douglas Vallance (born May 31, 1952) is a Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer. He is best known as the songwriting partner of Canadian musician Bryan Adams. Vallance began his professional career as the original drummer and main song ...

and became Adams' most popular Christmas song. It was originally released on clear, green vinyl with a picture sleeve. It was written and recorded in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. No music video was shot for the song when it was originally released, but on December 10, 2019, Adams released a video for the song on YouTube. Over thirty years after it was first recorded, the song still receives significant radio airplay each year during the Christmas season. It features prominently in the 2022 action comedy film ''

Violent Night ''Violent Night'' is a 2022 American Christmas action comedy film directed by Tommy Wirkola and written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It follows Santa Claus (portrayed by David Harbour) as he fights mercenaries who have taken a wealthy family ...

''. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

is "Reggae Christmas", written by

in 1978 after a chance meeting with

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

. Although Starr never recorded it, Adams went on to do his version in 1984, adding a new bridge section. It was first released as a fanclub-only single on colored vinyl in December 1984, with a Christmas message by Adams and his band on the B-side (entitled "Plum Pudding"). Subsequently, "Reggae Christmas" ended up as the B-side to all pressings of "Christmas Time", from 1985 onwards. There was a live video made by

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

for its "Reggae Christmas", featuring a guest appearance by

Pee-wee Herman Pee-wee Herman is a comedy character created and portrayed by the American comedian Paul Reubens. He starred in films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an ...

Track list

A-side

* "Christmas Time"

B-side

* "Reggae Christmas"

Albums

Despite being listed as a bonus track to the 1983 album ''

Cuts Like a Knife ''Cuts Like a Knife'' is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. Released on 18 January 1983 by A&M Records, the album was a huge commercial success in the United States and Canada. Three singles were released worldwide ...

'' on the Bryan Adams website, there is no official version of the album with "Christmas Time" on it. The song, along with its B-side "Reggae Christmas", appears on Bryan Adams' 2019 EP ''Christmas''. The song is also available on these compilation albums: *''The Christmas Hit Collection'' (Arcade, 1989) *''The Best of Rock Christmas'' (Polystar, 1995) *''A Musical Christmas from The Vatican'' DVD (2002) *''The Very Best of Rock Christmas'' (Polystar, 2005) *''A Canadian Christmas'' (2005) *''Christmas #1 Hits'' (2006) *''Now Christmas 3'' (Warner Music Canada, 2008) *''On Christmas Night'' (2016)

Personnel

– acoustic guitar, lead and backing vocals *

– bass guitar, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals * Keith Scott – lead guitar *

Mickey Curry Michael Timothy Curry (born June 10, 1956) is an American drummer. He has collaborated with singer-songwriter Bryan Adams since the early 1980s, but has also worked with Hall & Oates, Cher, Tina Turner, Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, ...

– drums

Chart positions

Certifications

References

{{authority control Bryan Adams songs 1985 singles A&M Records singles Christmas songs Songs about racism and xenophobia Songs written by Bryan Adams Songs written by Jim Vallance 1985 songs