Can't Stop Christmas

"Can't Stop Christmas" is a song by British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, released as the second single from his twelfth studio album The Christmas Present (2019). The track was not on the original release of the album but was added as the opening track on the second CD of the 2020 reissue. The single was released in the United Kingdom on 20 November 2020. The song was written by Williams, Karl Brazil, Owen Parker, Benjamin Roy Castle and Chris Heath and produced by Guy Chambers and Richard Flack.

"Can't Stop Christmas"
Single by Robbie Williams
from the album The Christmas Present
Released20 November 2020
GenreChristmas
Length3:23
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)

Owen Parker

Producer(s)
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"Strange Days"
(2020)		 "Can't Stop Christmas"
(2020)		 "Angels (XXV)"
(2022)

Background

Williams released his twelfth studio album The Christmas Present on 22 November 2019. On the same day he also released the first single from the album, "Time for Change", with an accompanying music video.[1]

The second single from the album, "Can't Stop Christmas", was released on 20 November 2020.[2]

Williams stated: "It was a lot of fun to write and I hope we got the tone right and I hope that it just makes people smile. I hope people find it mildly amusing and uplifting."[3] He added that the days of him being up in the singles charts have moved on: "I'm an albums kind of person now, which is wonderful. But I don’t even look at the charts now. And I wouldn’t even think that I would get anywhere near up there. But if I did, it would be a Christmas miracle and I'd be very grateful."[3]

In an interview with the Irish Independent, Williams stated: "I was made to write the song by my wife, I had written 50 songs for The Christmas Present and I didn’t want to do any more but she said, ‘You’re missing a trick. Look, you know, you’ve got to document what’s going on in the world right now — and do it with some humour." He added "I said, ‘I’m not doing that because all the musicians in the world are going to be doing that right now and I can’t be bothered, thank you very much’. And then she made me and then she gave me the title and some of the lyrics. So, it's kinda Ayda Williams's project lived out by me."[4]

Reception

"Can't Stop Christmas" was included on a list of the worst songs of 2020 published by Variety, with the song described as a "holiday-spirit-killing hokum".[5]

Music video

An accompanying music video directed by Dan Massie was released on 14 December 2020.[6] The video sees Williams parodying the British government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] Williams appears as Boris Johnson in the video, which also includes a dancing Theresa May and a tribute to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".[7]

Charts
Chart performance for "Can't Stop Christmas"
Chart (2020–2023) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 71
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[9] 2
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[10] 29
Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 59
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 19
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[13] 9

References
  1. "Time for Change Official Video". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2019-11-23.
  2. "Robbie Williams tackles coronavirus on new festive single 'Can't Stop Christmas'". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  3. "Robbie Williams interview: "I don't look at the charts anymore, it would be a miracle if I got there'". Smooth. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  4. "Robbie Williams on his Phoenix Park concert in front of 120,000 fans: 'I can't remember it'". independent. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  5. Willman, Chris (2 January 2021). "Year in Review: The Worst Songs of 2020". Variety. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  6. "Robbie Williams - Can't Stop Christmas (Official Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2020-12-15.
  7. Clarke, Patrick (14 December 2020). "Watch Robbie Williams play Boris Johnson in video for festive single 'Can't Stop Christmas'". NME. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  8. "Robbie Williams – Can't Stop Christmas" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  9. "Robbie Williams – Can't Stop Christmas" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  10. "Robbie Williams – Can't Stop Christmas" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  11. "Robbie Williams – Can't Stop Christmas" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  12. "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 52". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  13. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
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