You know that feeling when the first few notes of a saxophone start blaring through a tinny grocery store speaker in mid-November? That’s Roy Wood. Specifically, that’s Wizzard. It is almost impossible to imagine a British December without the wall-of-sound chaos that is I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day. It’s loud. It’s messy. It’s got a school choir that sounds like they’ve had way too much orange squash.
But here’s the thing. Despite being one of the most played songs in the history of UK radio, it never actually hit Number One. Not once. Not in 1973, and not in the fifty years since.
The 1973 Chart Battle That Changed Everything
In 1973, the UK was a bit of a mess. We had the three-day week, power cuts, and miners' strikes. People needed an escape. Roy Wood, the mastermind behind Wizzard and a founding member of ELO, decided to create the "ultimate" Christmas record. He wasn't just writing a song; he was trying to out-Phil-Spector Phil Spector. He wanted layers. He wanted bells. He wanted enough reverb to drown a cathedral.
Then came Slade.
While Wizzard was busy filming Top of the Pops in heavy face paint and fake snow, Slade dropped "Merry Xmas Everybody." It was a total slugfest. Two glam rock giants going head-to-head. Slade had the working-class anthem; Wizzard had the psychedelic winter wonderland. Honestly, Slade won the battle. They took the top spot, leaving Wizzard at Number Four. It’s a bit of a tragic irony that the song most people associate with the peak of glam rock festivities was technically a runner-up.
Why the Sound is So Dense
If you listen to the track on a high-quality pair of headphones, you’ll realize it’s actually kind of a technical nightmare. Roy Wood played almost everything. We’re talking guitars, cello, recorder, percussion—the works. He wanted that "Wall of Sound" technique. It’s thick. It’s muddy in places. That was intentional. He was obsessed with the 1960s production style of records like "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes.
Wood even brought in a group of kids from Spon Lane School in West Bromwich to sing the chorus. If you listen closely to the very end of the track, you can hear one of the kids shouting. It isn't polished. It isn't "Let It Go." It’s raw, slightly out of tune, and perfectly captures the feeling of a chaotic primary school nativity play. That’s exactly why it works. It feels human.
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The Financial Reality of a Seasonal Hit
People always joke that Roy Wood probably lives in a mansion made of gold coins because of the royalties from I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day. The reality is a bit more nuanced. While the song is a "pension" for songwriters, the streaming era changed the math.
Back in the 70s and 80s, you had to go out and buy the physical 7-inch vinyl. Now? You just add it to a "Christmas Party" playlist on Spotify. It gets millions of plays every year, but the payout per stream is fractions of a penny. However, because the song is a staple for television adverts, mall background music, and compilation albums, it remains a massive earner. Industry estimates suggest the song brings in somewhere between £150,000 and £250,000 in royalties annually.
Not bad for a song recorded in the middle of a scorching hot summer in August.
Yeah, that’s another fun fact. To get into the spirit, the band allegedly brought Christmas trees and decorations into the studio and turned the air conditioning down as low as it would go. They were shivering in coats while the sun was beating down outside in London.
The Forgotten B-Side and Musical Complexity
Most people ignore the B-side, "Rob Roy's Nightmare (A Bit More H.A.)." It’s a weird, jazzy instrumental that shows Wood's true colors as an experimentalist. You see, Roy Wood wasn't just a pop star. He was a multi-instrumentalist who could play basically anything with strings or reeds.
When you look at the structure of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, it’s actually quite sophisticated for a pop tune:
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- The key change into the solo is seamless but jarring in a good way.
- The use of the baritone sax gives it a weight that most "jingly" Christmas songs lack.
- The lyrical structure is a bit darker than you remember. "When the snowman brings the snow / You might like to know / He's a puttin' on a great big show." It’s almost theatrical, like the holidays are a performance we all have to participate in.
There is a certain melancholy hidden under the bells. The idea of it being Christmas every day is actually a terrifying concept if you think about it for more than four seconds. It would be an endless cycle of overeating, consumerism, and family arguments. But Wood manages to make that nightmare sound like the best party on earth.
Why It Still Charts Every Single Year
Since 2007, when digital downloads started being counted toward the UK Official Singles Chart, the song has reappeared every December. It’s like a clock.
2007: Number 15.
2011: Number 28.
2020: Number 10.
It actually reached a new peak of Number 10 during the pandemic years. Why? Because people were stuck at home and wanted the comfort of something familiar. It’s a "safe" song. It reminds people of their childhood, of old episodes of Top of the Pops, and of a time when glam rock was king.
The Covers That Didn't Quite Hit
Loads of people have tried to cover it. The Spice Girls did a version. Wilson Phillips tried it. Even Nick Lowe gave it a go. None of them catch the lightning in a bottle that Wizzard did. The problem is that modern recordings are too clean. They use digital samples of sleigh bells. They autotune the kids.
The original Wizzard version is messy. It’s got "dirt" on the recording. That’s the magic. You can’t manufacture the sound of a bunch of guys in 1973 wearing six-inch platform boots and enough glitter to be seen from space.
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Cultural Legacy and the "Roy Wood" Factor
Roy Wood is often the forgotten man of British pop. While Jeff Lynne took ELO to global superstardom, Wood remained a bit of a cult figure in comparison. But this song ensures his immortality.
Interestingly, Wood has often said in interviews that he doesn't mind the song overshadowing his other work. He knows it’s a gift. It allows him to keep making music and living his life without having to worry about the "day job." It is the ultimate insurance policy for a musician.
But there’s a slight bitterness in the history of the song's production. The band Wizzard eventually folded because they were so expensive to keep on the road. All that makeup, all those instruments, and the massive touring parties meant that even with hits, the money vanished quickly. The song survived the band.
Making the Most of the Anthem Today
If you’re a fan or a creator, there are ways to engage with this track beyond just hitting play on a playlist.
- Listen to the 2006 Remaster: It cleans up some of the hiss without losing the "grit" of the original 1973 sessions.
- Watch the Original Video: Pay attention to Roy Wood’s hair. It’s a work of art. He used to use actual poster paint and glitter to get those colors, which apparently took hours to wash out.
- Analyze the Arrangement: If you’re a musician, try to chart the brass section. It’s much more heavily influenced by 1950s rock and roll than the disco or prog-rock that was starting to emerge at the time.
The song remains a masterclass in "maximalist" production. It’s a reminder that sometimes, more is actually more. You don't need a subtle acoustic guitar ballad to capture the heart of the public. Sometimes you just need a big sax, a loud choir, and a wish for the party to never end.
Practical Steps for Your Holiday Playlist
If you want to curate the perfect experience using this track, don't just bury it in the middle of a 500-song shuffle. Use it as a transition. Because it’s so high-energy, it works best after a slower classic like "White Christmas" or "The Christmas Song." It acts as a sonic "reset" button that gets everyone back on their feet.
Also, check out the various "Original Version" vs. "Edit" versions on streaming services. Some radio edits cut the long outro with the children’s choir, but the outro is where the real soul of the record lives. Always go for the full-length version if you want the true 1973 experience.
Understanding the history of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day makes you realize it wasn't just a cynical grab for holiday cash. It was a genuine attempt by a musical genius to create something that would last forever. And looking at the charts fifty years later, it’s pretty clear Roy Wood got exactly what he wished for.