I was 15 the first time I heard it, but it immediately became my favourite pop music Christmas song.
In an era of everything from Cory Hart singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein Deer” to Bruce Springsteen singing, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, for me nothing beats Bryan Adams’ “Christmas Time”.
More than 25 years later it is still my favourite.
The history of the song
Adams wrote “Christmas Time” with longtime partner Jim Vallance. They released it late in 1985, coming off the heels of a very successful year for Adams whose album “Reckless” had produced hit after hit after from “Run to You” and “Somebody” to the number one hit “Heaven” and the anthemic “Summer of ‘69”.
Adams wrote “Christmas Time” with longtime partner Jim Vallance. They released it late in 1985, coming off the heels of a very successful year for Adams whose album “Reckless” had produced hit after hit after from “Run to You” and “Somebody” to the number one hit “Heaven” and the anthemic “Summer of ‘69”.
Wikipedia reveals it was released on clear, green vinyl with a picture sleeve. I never did see the single in the record store though.
It reached number 31 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and number 39 in Canada, although it peaked at number four on the Billboard 100 Christmas chart. It earned a gold record in Canada too for selling 100,000 copies.
“Christmas Time” remains a song that receives regular airplay every year at, well, Christmas time.
No music video for "Christmas Time" was released in the 1980s. However in December of 2019, Adams released the above video on YouTube.
Christmas on the farm
I still remember the first time I heard it. I was in Grade 11, lying in my water bed on the farm. I used to have this ghetto blaster that I listened to music on. By then, it was mostly 1090 CHEC radio, because they played singles more than albums. My Dad usually went to bed around 9 p.m. Our farm house had paper thin walls, so after 9 p.m. we always turned the volume down on the TV and the radio. After I got that ghetto blaster, I also got a pair of head phones. I used those when listening to the radio after everyone went to bed. I recall hearing “Christmas Time” over my head phones. The next time I heard it, I just pinned the volume and made my head phones vibrate.
I still remember the first time I heard it. I was in Grade 11, lying in my water bed on the farm. I used to have this ghetto blaster that I listened to music on. By then, it was mostly 1090 CHEC radio, because they played singles more than albums. My Dad usually went to bed around 9 p.m. Our farm house had paper thin walls, so after 9 p.m. we always turned the volume down on the TV and the radio. After I got that ghetto blaster, I also got a pair of head phones. I used those when listening to the radio after everyone went to bed. I recall hearing “Christmas Time” over my head phones. The next time I heard it, I just pinned the volume and made my head phones vibrate.
That was not the last time I turned the volume right up when “Christmas Time” came on. In fact, this past Christmas season I pinned it again when the song came over CJOC 94.1 FM.
Parting thoughts
Every year, when “Christmas Time” comes up on the radio, I am taken back to Christmas time on the farm. It was such a good song.
Every year, when “Christmas Time” comes up on the radio, I am taken back to Christmas time on the farm. It was such a good song.
I think I love it most because it is not a cover like so many other pop classic Christmas songs. It is an original song written and performed by Bryan Adams himself. There are no expectations, nothing to compare it to, unlike a song that may have been recorded a dozen times by a dozen different performers.
It also has a positive message about the joy the Christmas season brings in a world of joy and freedom.
What more could you ask for in a Christmas song?
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