The festive smash ‘Step Into Christmas’ by Elton John has today been certified Triple Platinum by the BPI, 50 years since its release in 1973. The news comes a week after Elton teamed up with Blood Records to release a limited edition vinyl of his Step Into Christmas EP, which sold out in under an hour. An extended version of the Step Into Christmas EP is available to stream here.
To celebrate the milestone, Elton has unveiled a visualizer for the final track on the EP ‘Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer,’ taken from his iconic “Christmas Party” concert at Hammersmith Odeon on 22nd November 1973 where, halfway through the set, a playful Elton led his band into an instrumental version of the holiday classic, to the delight of those in attendance.
To add to the seasonal celebrations, it’s also announced that next week’s Rocket Hour show on Apple Music 1 on 23rd December will be a Festive Special. Elton John will draw an eclectic mix of songs out for the show, ranging from Christmas classics from The Ronettes, Elvis Presley and Greg Lake, to some of his favourite new Christmas songs from contemporary artists including RAYE, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens, as well as some lesser-known deep cuts. Head to Apple Music 1 at 5pm GMT to catch it live, or listen back anytime.
Speaking of the forthcoming Rocket Hour Festive special, Elton says: “It will be a great privilege to play you all this Christmas music. I’ve had the most amazing year. 2023 was very very good to me, and I hope it’s been good to all of you. I want to say to everyone all around the world – happy Christmas and thanks for being so supportive of me during my career”.
Originally released on November 23, 1973, ‘Step Into Christmas’ peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart in the US and No. 24 during its initial seven-week run on the UK Singles Chart. Like many other Yuletide classics, ‘Step Into Christmas’ has returned over the past decade or so to become a seasonal favourite. It has spent a total of 44 weeks to date on the Billboard Holiday Airplay chart and, in the UK, has charted each December since 2011. In the 2020-21 winter season, the single obtained its highest position to date when it reached No. 8, three years after receiving the British Phonographic Industry’s Silver certificate (200,000 copies sold).
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