FEATURE:
Come to Sparkle the Dark Up
Kate Bush’s December Will Be Magic Again at Forty-Two
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IT is that time of year…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at the British Rock and Pop Awards, February 1980/IMAGE CREDIT: Mirrorpix
when I talk about Kate Bush’s magnificent Christmas song, December Will Be Magic Again. The song was originally recorded in 1979 and premiered during the Christmas Special in December 1979. I am not sure why there was a delay after that, because December Will Be Magic Again was not officially released until 17th November, 1980. Released as the follow-up to Army Dreamers (from 1980’s Never for Ever), it was a really fruitful time. In 1979, Bush took The Tour of Life on the road.. Maybe there was some demand from EMI for her to release a Christmas single. It is not a case of this being something she was made to do, resulting in a song that is forced, commercial and lacking in heart. In fact, as I shall explore when coming to the lyrics, it is one of her most interesting and bewitching songs. A beautiful number that has plenty of warmth, beauty and Christmas images, the sweetness is never too cloying. Whilst some regard December Will Be Magic Again as one of Bush’s weaker singles, others have placed it quite high in the pack. I think that it can definitely be placed when you hear the vocal. Similar in pitch to songs like Army Dreamers, there is a child-like innocence together with something more sensual and grown up. It is a wonderful song that I have a lot of affection for!
Reaching thirteen in Ireland and twenty-nine in the U.K., it was a fairly successful single from Bush. Not bothering the higher places on the chart, it did at least place fairly well and can be considered successful. Christmas singles are hard, as there is not a specific market for them and they are very much limited in their appeal and longevity. Harder to make distinct and enduring, I can see why Bush did not release too many Christmas songs. She did release another, Home for Christmas, but December Will Be Magic Again is her best of that particular type. Many would have liked the song to feature on an album or wider afield. That said, it did feature as part of the remastered series, where Bush put out her studio albums and lesser-heard songs/B-sides etc. No music video was ever made for the song. I can imagine something magical and incredible! Maybe inspired by The Snowman, an animated video would bring the lyrics and vocals to life in a very memorable way. The audio is phenomenal, but I do wonder why no video was ever released. Bush performed December Will Be Magic Again on television twice: the first performance took place during the Christmas Snowtime Special, broadcast by the BBC on 22nd December, 1979. In Bush, looking fabulous in a red suit, sits in a large wicker chair with red velvet upholstery, definitely made an impression! The second performance, during the Christmas Special, Kate, broadcast on 28th December, 1979, features Kate on piano and Kevin McAlea on keyboards and electric piano.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in London on 27th September, 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Bill Kennedy/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
The imagery Bush deploys leading into the chorus is incredible! I really love the chorus too and, again, the sort of images one imagines: “Ooh, dropping down in my parachute/The white city, she is so beautiful/Upon the black-soot icicled roofs/Ooh, and see how I fall/See how I fall/("Fall!") [backwards]/Like the snow/Come to cover the lovers/(Cover the lovers, But don't you wake them up)/Come to sparkle the dark up/(Sparkle the dark up/With just a touch of make-up)/Come to cover the muck up/(Cover the muck up/Ooh, with a little luck)/December will be magic again”. There is a mix of the traditional and uniquely Kate Bush in December Will Be Magic Again. It is a hard balance making sure a Christmas song appeals and stands out. If it too generic and obvious then it will not memorable. Make it too weird, oblique, or abstract and that will alienate a large amount of people. I think that Kate Bush got the balance just right! Written and recorded at Abbey Road Studio 2 with Preston Heyman on drums, sleigh bells and maracas, Alan Murphy on guitar, Kuma Harada on bass, and Bush on piano, the fact that December Will Be Magic Again was released two weeks before December and over five weeks before Christmas meant the song did not stay on the chart long. It would have been interesting seeing how the song fared had it been released closer to Christmas. In 1980, the number one song at Christmas was There's No One Quite Like Grandma by the Stockport-based primary school choir, St Winifred's School Choir. The song was a Christmas number-one single in both the U.K. and Ireland. In the UK, it pushed John Lennon's last single, (Just Like) Starting Over, to number two.
Not related to Kate Bush’s Christmas single, but I don’t think there was too much cheer in the air in December 1980. John Lennon was murdered on 8th December 1980, and I think that many artists were feeling the shock. Kate Bush herself would have been impacted. In general, some of the usual cheer and excitement for Christmas music might have been lost! It was a strange and tragic end to the year. Maybe it is as well that December Will Be Magic Again was released on 17th November, 1980 and it did at least provide some cheer and Christmas anticipation before quite a dark month for the world! December Will Be Magic Again’s B-side was Warm and Soothing. It is quite a basic song that is a typical B-side. Even so, it was the first song she recorded at Abbey Road Studios. So it is important in that sense. I love how lines like “Light the candle-lights/To conjure Mr. Wilde/Into the Silent Night/Ooh, it's quiet inside/Here in Oscar's mind” manage to be both literary and Christmassy. Bush is a lyricist who can project contrasting and arresting images with very few words. A song that I always say deserves more attention and respect in terms of her cannon and best work, you will hear radio stations start to play the song in the next couple of weeks. In fact, when we get to 1st December, I think that is when it will really rev up! Both chilly with its snowy imagery and warming in terms of the beauty and comfort Bush provokes with her vocals and composition, the majestic December Will Be Magic Again is…
A truly magical song.