Driving Home for Christmas
| "Driving Home for Christmas" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Chris Rea | ||||
| from the album New Light Through Old Windows | ||||
| Released | November 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1986 (original version) 1988 (re-recorded) | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, Christmas | |||
| Length | 4:35 (original version) 4:00 (re-recorded) | |||
| Label | Magnet | |||
| Songwriter | Chris Rea | |||
| Producers |
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| Chris Rea singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Driving Home For Christmas (Official Lyric Video)" on YouTube | ||||
"Driving Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written and composed by the English singer-songwriter Chris Rea. The first version was originally released as the B-side to his single "Hello Friend" in 1986. In October 1988, a re-recorded version served as one of two new songs on Rea's first compilation album New Light Through Old Windows. It was issued as the fourth single from the album in November 1988, where it peaked at number 53 on the UK Singles Chart as the lead track of The Christmas EP.
Despite its original modest chart placement, and the fact Rea never performed it live on tour until 2014, the song has made a reappearance on the UK Singles Chart every year since 2007 when it peaked at No. 33, and is featured among the Top 10 Christmas singles. It reached a new peak of number 10 on the UK Singles Chart in 2021. The 2004 single version started to receive certifications by BPI only since 2014, raising from Silver to 4× Platinum by 2025.
In a UK-wide poll in December 2012, it was voted twelfth on the ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song.