KATE BUSH - DECEMBER WILL BE MAGIC AGAIN

Released: November 17, 1980

Charts:  UK: #29 

Released in November 1980, “December Will Be Magic Again” finds Kate Bush bringing her singular imagination to the festive season, crafting a Christmas song that feels intimate, dreamlike, and unmistakably her own. Reaching No. 29 on the UK charts, the single remains one of Bush’s most beloved non-album releases—an atmospheric ode to winter nostalgia and childhood wonder.

The song was first unveiled on Kate, her BBC Christmas special broadcast on 28 December 1979. Sitting at the piano, Bush painted her wintry tableau: snow settling on soot-stained rooftops, lovers beneath mistletoe, and Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas.” Delivered with her characteristic theatricality, the performance captured an idealised, almost enchanted vision of the holiday season. Just days later, Bush offered a strikingly different interpretation on the BBC Christmas Snowtime Special. This version featured percussionist Preston Heyman on bongos, with Bush performing an expressive, interpretive dance instead of playing piano.

The studio recording—without bongos—had been completed earlier at Abbey Road’s Studio 2, with Heyman on drums, Alan Murphy on guitar, and Kuma Harada on bass. Released nearly a year later, it arrived as a standalone single following “Never For Ever”’s “Army Dreamers”. 

Bush’s literary leanings surface in the second verse with a nod to Oscar Wilde, whose writing profoundly influenced her. Though not known for Christmas stories, Wilde’s winter-themed children’s tales—particularly “The Happy Prince”—left a lasting impression on the young Bush. Fittingly, the single appeared near the 80th anniversary of Wilde’s death.

“December Will Be Magic Again” was chosen by Elton John for the 2005 compilation of his favorite Christmas songs “Elton John’s Christmas Party”.