"Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" | ||||
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Single by The Darkness | ||||
from the album Permission to Land (Christmas Edition) | ||||
B-side | "I Love You 5 Times" | |||
Released | 15 December 2003 | |||
Format | CD single, Digital download | |||
Genre | Glam metal, Christmas music | |||
Length | 3:39 | |||
Label | Must Destroy, Atlantic | |||
Writer(s) | Justin Hawkins, Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poullain, Ed Graham | |||
Producer(s) | Bob Ezrin | |||
The Darkness singles chronology | ||||
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"Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" is a single released by British hard rock band The Darkness. The single was released on 15 December 2003, to fall in with the UK Christmas Number One Race. The track was later included on a "Christmas Edition" of their debut studio album, Permission to Land, issued in some areas of Europe on 22 December 2003.
The band re recorded the song in December 2013.
The song is a take on the usual structure of Christmas songs. It features the usual mention of festivities, Santa Claus and bells, delivered with Justin Hawkins' trademark falsettos. The school choir that provide backing vocals, which can be heard on the song and seen in the video, are from Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College school, in New Cross, London, which Justin and Dan's mother once attended. Following the humour and tone of The Darkness' other work, the song also includes a strong level of parody, most notably the double meaning of the line 'Bells End' and 'Ring in peace'. The song appeared as the backing track for the Christmas version of Adult Swim's iOS game, Robot Unicorn Attack, which was released in November 2010. The song was also used to advertise Sky One's Christmas programming in 2003.
When asked about the meaning of the song on a television special, Hawkins stated "we managed to get bellend into a Christmas song without it getting banned! (And ringpiece!)"
The video features the band unwrapping presents. Justin Hawkins thinks of his girlfriend, played by his then-girlfriend and The Darkness's manager, Sue Whitehouse, as pictured in a bauble and in the fire. Justin goes outside and is joined by the rest of the band playing the song. He opens the door to find a choir standing outside singing the song. Justin joins in and invites them inside. Dan Hawkins gives Justin a present; a car key. Justin runs outside and gets into the car while Dan winks to the audience. Inside the car is Justin's girlfriend. They kiss as the spaceship seen in the videos for 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' and 'Growing on Me', and on the cover of debut album Permission To Land, flies across the sky, showing some glittery words, which read 'Merry Christmas'.