How wrong can you get?" The record continued to sell and in 19 reached 84 and 98, respectively, on the UK Singles Chart. When it got to No 1 before we'd even brought ours out, I thought it would be long gone by Christmas. I thought 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was rubbish, and still do. I would've been pissed off if I'd been beaten by Cliff (Richard)." However, orchestrator Godfrey Salmon said: "I was surprised the single wasn't more successful. Lake commented: "I got beaten by one of the greatest records ever made. It was kept from number one by Queen's " Bohemian Rhapsody".
The song was recorded by Lake in 1974 and released separately from ELP in 1975, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart. Peter Sinfield described the song as "a picture-postcard Christmas, with morbid edges." Release The instrumental riff between verses comes from the "Troika" portion of Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé Suite, written for the 1934 Soviet film Lieutenant Kijé this was added at the suggestion of Keith Emerson (an adaptation of the same song was used on Emerson's later Christmas album). There was a feeling of forgiveness, acceptance. Christmas was a time of family warmth and love. "I find it appalling when people say it's politically incorrect to talk about Christmas, you've got to talk about 'The Holiday Season'. He explained in a Mojo magazine interview: While the song is against the commercialisation of Christmas, it has often been misinterpreted as an anti-religious song and, because of this, Lake was surprised at its success. Lake wrote the song at his west London home, after tuning the bottom string of his guitar from E down to D.