Fans can really take ideas and run with them. It only takes one person to submit an interesting take on a song and soon the rest of its listeners will get on board with it. One particularly interesting case of that happening is Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.” This holiday anthem has a dark twist, according to some fans. Learn more about the creepy theory behind this track–and what McCartney’s take on it is–below.
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The Creepy Theory Behind “Wonderful Christmastime” – and Paul McCartney’s Take On It
The mood is right
The spirit’s up
We’re here tonight
And that’s enough
Simply having a wonderful Christmastime
Simply having a wonderful Christmastime
If you take this song at face value, it’s relatively simple. McCartney seems to be reveling in some festive fun. However, some fans have read something far more sinister between the lines. As the theory goes, the verses see McCartney and his fellow partygoers practicing dark magic while the chorus is their cover up scheme. In that context, the group attempts to act nonchalant when someone walks in, pretending to simply be having a wonderful Christmastime.
McCartney was once asked about this phenomenon. In response, he let the theorists down easy with a playful answer.
“Oh yeah,” McCartney once said. “Well, thank goodness they found me out. This is completely true and in actual fact I am the head wizard of a Liverpool coven. (Paul laughs) Either that… or it’s complete nonsense. And you know it’s the latter!”
Elsewhere in the same conversation, it was suggested that the theory stemmed from a misheard lyric. Instead of lines about having the right atmosphere for a great party, some listeners heard references to the moon and other witchy imagery.
“It’s ‘the mood,’” McCartney clarified. “This is the mood; I’ve gathered together the witches and wizards… I’ve got the mood,’ which is what we in wizardry call it (laughs). The thing is about this stuff, it’s so easy to convince half the people in the world. You do have to be a little bit careful!”
“I’m thinking about Liverpool Christmas parties, that’s really all I’m doing with that song,” he added. ‘The mood is right, let’s raise a glass, the spirit’s up’ – you know, all the stuff you do at Christmas. Particularly with my old Liverpool family parties.”
[RELATED: The One Musician Paul McCartney is Jealous Of]
So it seems there is little truth to this pervasive theory. However, in all fairness to the fans, the accompanying music video is a tad off. There is something mystical about it that lends itself well to this outlandish idea. Revisit the song and its visual, below.
The party’s on
The feeling’s here
That only comes
This time of year
Simply having a wonderful Christmastime
We’re simply having a wonderful Christmastime
Simply having a wonderful Christmastime
(Photo by Jeremy Grayson/Radio Times via Getty Images)
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