Xmas 93

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"Xmas 93"
Saint Etienne - Xmas 93.png
Single by Saint Etienne
A-side"I Was Born on Christmas Day"
B-side
  • "My Christmas Prayer"
  • "Snowplough"
  • "Peterloo"
Released6 December 1993 (1993-12-06)
StudioCat Music
(Mitcham, London)
GenreHouse
Length14:52
LabelHeavenly
Songwriter(s)
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

"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.

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] Martin Aston from Music Week gave 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."[3] Jim Wirth from NME noted the "join-the-dots Abba-isms" of the song.[4] 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".[5]

Track listings[]

All tracks produced by Saint Etienne.

CD single and 12" single[6][7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Was Born on Christmas Day" (featuring Tim Burgess)
3:14
2."My Christmas Prayer"Billy Fury3:28
3."Snowplough"
  • Stanley
  • Wiggs
3:43
4."Peterloo"
  • Stanley
  • Wiggs
4:27
Total length:14:52
7" single and cassette single[8][9]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Was Born on Christmas Day" (featuring Tim Burgess)
  • Catt
  • Stanley
  • Wiggs
3:14
2."My Christmas Prayer"Fury3:28
Total length:6:42

Charts[]

Chart (1993) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 37

References[]

  1. ^ "Saint Etienne | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  2. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Saint Etienne – I Was Born on Christmas Day". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  3. ^ Aston, Martin (4 December 1993). "Market Preview: Alternative - Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 13. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  4. ^ Wirth, Jim. "ST ETIENNE – London Kentish Town Forum". NME. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  5. ^ Daniels, Leesa (4 December 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 57. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  6. ^ Xmas 93 (UK CD single). Saint Etienne. Heavenly Recordings. 1993. HVN 36CD.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Xmas 93 (UK 12" single). Saint Etienne. Heavenly Recordings. 1993. HVN 3612.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Xmas 93 (UK 7" single). Saint Etienne. Heavenly Recordings. 1993. HVN 36.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Xmas 93 (UK cassette single). Saint Etienne. Heavenly Recordings. 1993. HVN 36CS.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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