| "Step into Christmas" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Late 1970s US reissue | ||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| B-side | "Ho, Ho, Ho (Who'd Be a Turkey at Christmas)" | |||
| Released | 23 November 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 11 November 1973 | |||
| Studio | Morgan (London) | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, Christmas music | |||
| Length | 4:30 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official video | ||||
| "Step into Christmas" on YouTube | ||||
"Step into Christmas" is a Christmas song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was released as a stand-alone single in November 1973 with the song "Ho, Ho, Ho (Who'd Be a Turkey at Christmas)" as the B-side. Upon its original 1973 release, the song peaked at No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart, and it reached a new peak of No. 8 on the same chart in 2019.[1] In the United States, the single reached No. 56 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart[2] and No. 1 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart.[3][note 1]
"Step into Christmas" was later included as a bonus track on the 1995 remastered reissue of the album Caribou, even though it was released in the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road era. It also appears on the albums Elton John's Christmas Party, Rare Masters, To Be Continued, Diamonds and various Christmas compilation albums. Two versions with different vocals are known to exist: the original single mix and a version recorded for John's 1973 performance of "Step into Christmas" on The Gilbert O'Sullivan Show television programme (which featured Bernie Taupin standing in for Ray Cooper on percussion).[5]
In 2009, "Step into Christmas" was listed as the ninth-most-played Christmas song of the 2000s in the UK.[6] In December 2023, the song was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for sales and streams of 1,800,000 units. In September 2021, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales and streams of 500,000 units.
- ^ "Step into Christmas | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles Week ending DECEMBER 29, 1973". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel. Top Pop Singles 1955–1996 (1997):316
- ^ Whitburn, Joel. Top Pop Singles 1955–1996 (1997):xi
- ^ Elton John – Step into Christmas (Gilbert O’Sullivan Show, 1973) on YouTube
- ^ "Mariah Is Our Christmas Number 1". Prsformusic.com. 22 December 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
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