music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Xmas 93" is a Christmas-themed single by English alternative dance band Saint Etienne. It was released in the United Kingdom on 6 December 1993 by Heavenly Recordings. The lead track "I Was Born on Christmas Day" features guest vocals from The Charlatans singer Tim Burgess, and peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] The song's title is a nod to band member Bob Stanley who was born on 25 December 1964. The music video for the single was filmed in the vicinity of Kensington and Chelsea Register Office in London.

"Xmas 93"
Single by Saint Etienne
A-side	"I Was Born on Christmas Day"
B-side	"My Christmas Prayer" "Snowplough" "Peterloo"
Released	6 December 1993 (1993-12-06)
Studio	Cat Music (Mitcham, London)
Genre	House
Length	14:52
Label	Heavenly
Songwriter(s)	Bob Stanley Stanley Pete Wiggs
Producer(s)	Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne singles chronology
"Hobart Paving" (1993) "Xmas 93" (1993) "Pale Movie" (1994)
Music video
"I Was Born on Christmas Day" on YouTube

The main B-side, "My Christmas Prayer", is a cover of the 1959 Billy Fury original. The other two B-sides, "Snowplough" and "Peterloo", are both instrumentals. The B-sides "Snowplough" and "Peterloo" can be found in the So Tough reissue bonus disc, while "My Christmas Prayer" and "I Was Born on Christmas Day" on Tiger Bay reissue bonus disc.

Critical reception

Tim Sendra from AllMusic described "I Was Born On Christmas Day" as a duet between Saint Etienne vocalist Sarah Cracknell and Tim Burgess "set to a house beat." He added, "The melody is very sweet and the vocals blend together nicely, Burgess displaying a healthy (and unusual) dose of restraint."[2] Music writer James Masterton stated in his weekly UK chart commentary, "It wouldn't be Christmas without at least one seasonal record in the charts. Saint Etienne have spent the entire year missing out on the success they so richly deserve."[3] Martin Aston from Music Week rated it four out of five, calling it a "seasonally-challenged" duet and "a catchy, if lightweight, slice of pop, with daytime radio appeal and press potential galore."[4] Jim Wirth from NME noted the "join-the-dots ABBA-isms" of the song.[5] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits wrote, "This starts off like a disco classic in the making. But then the weedy girl vocals of Sarah Cracknell come in followed by the weedy boy vocals of Tim Burgess from The Charlatans. And the whole disco classic is out the window." She added that "it's dead catchy and instantly singable".[6]

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the song. It was published on YouTube in May 2012.[7] In 2020, Sarah Cracknell told about making the video, "We had such a laugh making the video for ‘I Was Born On Christmas Day’ and Tim was a real star. We shot the whole thing in sequence on a Sunday which ended up in a massive party. I’m sure I accidentally broke the hearts of many Charlatans fans who thought the wedding was real."[8]

Track listings

All tracks produced by Saint Etienne.

Charts

Chart (1993-94)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13]	93
UK Singles (OCC)	37

References

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