November 1975.

Oh thank goodness! I was beginning to worry that the inner jukebox had forgotten about this one this year. Well, it’s getting awfully close to the jolly fella’s big night and, really, what’s Christmas without my favourite seasonal song of all time?…Oh, and it’s raining.

Written by Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield, founding members of prog rock giants King Crimson, this was never intended to be a typical Christmas song. Lake always claimed it was a protest at the growing commercialisation of Christmas, whilst Sinfield believed it was nothing more than an observation on the loss of childhood belief and innocence.

On its release the song was a huge commercial success in the UK (despite being a protest at commercialism), spending seventeen weeks on the chart and peaking at number two. It was held off the top spot by Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, with Lake himself being rather magnanimous about it and saying  “I got beaten by one of the greatest records ever made. I would’ve been pissed off if I’d been beaten by Cliff.”

Can’t really argue with him on that one.