W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas (1986)

Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.

Normally, I would be posting something that is 'cheerful and joyful' for my Christmas WOCK post, but instead I feel compelled to honour the life and music of Chris Rea at this moment. 

Singer Chris Rea, widely known for the festive hit "Driving Home for Christmas", sadly passed away yesterday aged 74. Rea's success came despite the singer suffering a string of health issues. A pancreatic cancer diagnosis at just 33-years-old was followed by operations on his liver and then a stroke later in life.

A somewhat reluctant popstar, the Middlesbrough native was shy of the spotlight, and even admitted rallying against the record label's decision to release his biggest hit - though accepted he was thankful when they eventually did in 1986.

Rea's love of cars and driving was the inspiration behind many of his songs - but when he wrote arguably his biggest hit, "Driving Home for Christmas", the singer was actually serving a driving ban.

Chris Rea in the 80's

During an appearance on the 2020 Christmas special of TV series Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Rea recalls:

"In 1978, I had come to the end of my record contract and had parted ways with my manager.

The record company wouldn't even pay for a train ticket for me to get from London to my home in Middlesbrough, so my wife drove down to pick me up up in her old Austin Mini.

On the way back up, it started snowing and we kept getting stuck in traffic and  "I'd look across at the other drivers, who all looked so miserable.

Jokingly, I started singing 'We're driving home for Christmas...' then, whenever the street lights shone inside the car, I started writing down the lyrics.

It's one of those moments that songwriters get - sometimes you can spend years and years writing. That one was five to 10 minutes. When you have a successful song, you don't remember thinking about it - it just comes out.".

Reluctant or otherwise, he even resisted a more marketable name swap, the fame the track brought Rea is indisputable; nearly 40 years on, the single took a spot at #30 in this year's UK Christmas top 40.

A proud guitarist with influences stretching deep into the blues, Rea recorded 25 solo albums, two of which topped the UK albums chart.

Chris Rea performing 2017

A post on his social media accounts reads: "Chris’s music has created the soundtrack to many lives, and his legacy will live on through the songs he leaves behind". [extracts from BBC news with thanks]

So, this December's WOCK posting ticks the Christmas box as usual, but also the enjoyment that Chris Rea brought to our lives through his music and lyrics.

I hope you enjoy these 1986/2025 releases of his hit single "Driving Home For Christmas" (in FLAC format) and may you all have a safe and joyful Christmas.

Driving Home For Christmas Link (58Mb)