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The Story Of... 'Driving Home for Christmas' by Chris Rea
15 December 2023, 10:59
By Tom Eames
Since it was remotely acceptable to play Christmas music, we've been jamming along to one of our all-time favourites: 'Driving Home for Christmas' by Chris Rea.
"Top to toe in tailbacks..."
And it got us thinking, what was the backstory to this jaunty classic that we can't help but chuck on when we're on our way home for Christmas?
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Here's all you need to know about the festive classic by Chris Rea :
Who wrote 'Driving Home for Christmas'?
Chris Rea first wrote the song in 1978, 10 years before he released it.
He needed to get home to Middlesbrough from London's Abbey Road Studios. His wife had come down to drive him home in her Austin Mini to save money, as it was cheaper to drive than travel by train, and his record company was not willing to pay for the rail ticket.
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While stuck in heavy traffic and snow falling down, Chris started looking at the other drivers, who "all looked so miserable".
He said: "Jokingly, I started singing: 'We're driving home for Christmas...'. Then, whenever the street lights shone inside the car, I started writing down lyrics."
It was actually written for Van Morrison and he never intended to release it
Describing it as a "car version of a carol", Chris later revealed that he wrote it for Van Morrison in mind, but did not manage to get it to him.
Chris never planned to write a Christmas song. It wasn't until several years later, that during testing pianos with keyboard player Max Middleton, he found a tune which fitted the lyrics.
It was first released as a B-side to 1986' single 'Hello Friend', but was later re-recorded with some strings, Middleton's distinctive jazzy intro, and a typical 1950s Christmas carol-style arrangement.
Shockingly, it was a flop
Incredibly, the song only reached number 53 back in 1988, but slowly became a Christmas favourite over the years.
After downloads were included in the charts, it re-entered the top 40 in 2007, and eventually reached 26 in 2016.
With streaming now included, it has now reached a new peak of number 11.
Chris Rea rarely plays it live
Chris Rea - Driving Home for Christmas (Live at Hammersmith Apollo 2017)
It's probably fair to say that the tune isn't Chris's favourite!
But every now and then, he indulges his fans with a festive performance.
One year while playing at the Hammersmith Odeon, he was "badgered" into playing it by his road crew. And boy did he go big. Watch a recent performance of the song above.
He said: "I went, 'If I’m going to sing this f***ing song, we’re gonna do it properly.' So we hired 12 snow cannons. We put three feet of artificial snow in the stalls. The venue charged me £12,000 to clean it up."
There wasn't a proper video until 2009
Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas (Official Music Video) HD
While he recorded a video of sorts for Dutch TV show TopPop in 1986, there wasn't a 'proper' promo until over 20 years later.
In aid of the charity Shelter, various celebrities appeared in a new video, including Martin Shaw, Gail Porter, Jimmy Greaves, Matt Di Angelo and Lionel Blair.
Rea said: "I wanted to do something special this Christmas and what better way than to help keep a roof over people’s heads when they need it most – at Christmas. By teaming up with Shelter we can hopefully make a difference".
Who has covered it?
Stacey Solomon Driving Home for Christmas
Stacey Solomon covered the song in 2011 as her debut single. Originally intended to be used in commercials for Iceland, it was later released as a single to raise money for Alzheimer's Research UK and children's hospice charity Together For Short Lives.
It reached number 27, one place lower than Rea's chart peak.
The song has also been covered by the likes of Tony Hadley, Gavin James, Michael Ball and Joe McElderry.
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Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea
Songfacts®:
- This perennially popular Christmas tune was originally recorded by Chris Rea in 1986, peaking at #53 on the UK single chart two years later. Since 2007, the song has re-entered the UK Top 75 each year around Christmas time as well as several other European country's listings.
- Rea wrote the song many years before he first recorded it. The idea came to him when he was stuck in heavy traffic heading out of London in his wife's Austin Mini with the prospect of a long drive to his home town of Middlesbrough ahead. He told BBC Radio 4's Today program, "Driving Home for Christmas" is a "car version of a carol."
- The song was used in Christmas commercials for frozen food retail chain Iceland in 1997, 1998, and 2011 respectively, with the latter featuring a cover by singer and TV presenter Stacey Solomon. Her version was released as a single peaking at #27 in the UK. All the proceeds went to Alzheimer's Research UK and children's hospice charity Together For Short Lives.
- Being stuck in traffic has proved to be a fruitful experience for Chris Rea. Another of his most successful songs, " The Road To Hell (Part Two) ," was written by the singer while caught up in a jam on the M25.
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Chris Rea: how we made Driving Home for Christmas
‘The first time we played it live, we hired 12 cannons and put three feet of snow in the stalls. The clean-up cost me £12,000’
Chris Rea, singer-songwriter
The story of Driving Home for Christmas is like a classic festive story. It was 1978, coming up to Christmas. It was all over for me: I was just about out of my record contract, and my manager had just told me he was leaving me. I just needed to get home to Middlesbrough from London, but the record company wouldn’t pay for a rail ticket, and I was banned from driving.
You do some crazy things when you’re young. My wife got in our old Austin Mini, drove all the way down from Middlesbrough to Abbey Road studios to pick me up, and we set off back straight away. Then it started snowing. We had £220 and I was fiddling with it all the way home. We kept getting stuck in traffic and I’d look across at the other drivers, who all looked so miserable. Jokingly, I started singing: “We’re driving home for Christmas … ” Then, whenever the street lights shone inside the car, I started writing down lyrics.
We eventually got home at 3am. It was so cold inside the house that the snow tumbled on to the doormat and didn’t melt. There was one letter – from PRS America. My song Fool (If You Think It’s Over) had been a hit in the US, so there was a cheque for £15,000. We went from being down to our last £220 to being able to buy a house. The song went in my old tin full of unfinished stuff.
Some years later, my career had turned around and [keyboard player] Max Middleton and I were testing two new pianos. We started joking around, playing this Count Basie-type thing. I pretended I was Nat King Cole. Someone said: “That’s a great tune, that. You should get it down.” I went back to my tin, and the words to Driving Home for Christmas fitted perfectly.
I’d never intended to write a Christmas hit – I was a serious musician! So initially, the song came out on a B-side. Then a DJ flipped it over and started playing it, so Max suggested we re-record it and add some strings. Max played the distinctive jazzy intro, we did a classic 1950s Christmas carol-type arrangement, and loved it. At first, it was another radio hit – but then it started re-entering the Top 40 every year.
I had big companies using it in adverts, and it was in a video for Shelter . I used to be terrified the song would ruin any credibility I had left, but now we have a laugh with it. If I’m ever stuck on the M25 – the Road to Hell – I’ll wind the window down and start singing, “I’m driving home for Christmas” at people in cars alongside. They love it. It’s like giving them a present.
I’d never played it live until one year at Hammersmith Odeon: the gig was on 21 December, so the road crew kept badgering me to do it. I went, “If I’m going to sing this fucking song, we’re gonna do it properly.” So we hired 12 snow cannons. When we started the song, you couldn’t hear it for the noise of the crowd, and we let go with the machines. We put three feet of artificial snow in the stalls. The venue charged me £12,000 to clean it up.
Martin Ditcham, drummer
We recorded Driving Home for Christmas at Chris’s house near Maidenhead. He had a modest home studio – in what had been the garage, as I remember. As would often happen, I turned up for a coffee and a chinwag prior to doing something for him. The next thing I knew, I was in this little place laying down the drumbeat to this Christmassy track, even though it wasn’t Christmas. The song was already recorded and ready to go. I just overdubbed my parts: a bit of percussion, put some jingle bells in there, tucked away discreetly.
I thought it was a hooky little number, a pretty little song. I did lots with Chris, so at the time it was just another session, but it’s nice to be part of a song that’s turned out to be one of the most played Christmas singles of all time. You put on the radio or sit in the coffee bar, and it’s on. My daughter is 15. None of her friends know who the hell Chris Rea is but they know that song – as soon as it comes on, they start singing it. I’ve played with everyone from Status Quo to Talk Talk, but nothing impresses them as much as the fact that I play on Driving Home for Christmas.
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