Paul McCartney is setting the record straight regarding speculation that his hit song "Wonderful Christmastime" is about witchcraft.
Canadian actor Ryan George began circulating the theory on Twitter, saying that the 1979 single "is about friends practicing witchcraft but then someone walks in and they have to suddenly play it cool."
Responding to the theory, which has gone viral, McCartney said it was "complete nonsense."
"Well, thank goodness they found me out," he said jokingly when asked about the topic in an interview that appeared on his website. "This is completely true and in actual fact I am the head wizard of a Liverpool coven. Either that … or it's complete nonsense. And you know it's the latter!"
McCartney was then asked whether it was possible that the theory arose from the mishearing of lyrics.
"Wonderful Christmastime" begins with the lyrics "the mood is right/ the spirit's up/ we're here tonight/ And that's enough" but George suggested that the actual lyric is "the moon is right" not "the mood is right."
McCartney dismissed the speculation during the interview.
"It's 'the mood!' This is the mood," he confirmed before jokingly adding: "I've gathered together the witches and wizards … I've got 'the mood', which is what we in wizardry call it."
McCartney continued, "No, it's 'the mood'. And you know what, I'm thinking about Liverpool Christmas parties, that's really all I'm doing with that song. '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."
"Wonderful Christmastime" has become a holiday staple but it is also regularly listed as one of the worst Christmas songs — or as journalist Jeff Vrabel wrote for Golf Digest, it is "the worst song ever written by a human, Beatle or otherwise, the worst melody, the worst synthesizer, the worst production, the worst Wings song, the worst pronunciation of the word 'here,' the worst lyrics, the worst scent."
Various other critics, websites and outlets including Esquire and Slant have agreed and the reason for this may be because of the song's "simple to a fault" structure, as well as its "inconsequential" lyrics, musicologist and performer Nate Sloan explained to Mental Floss. That has not stopped the song from being a hit — something that Sloan believes it deserves.
"In the increasingly rigid annual rotation of holiday songs, 'Wonderful Christmastime' stands out for its timbral palette and inventive chord structure," he said. "And for that reason, I find it a welcome relief from the familiar strains of Mariah and Bing."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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