A time for “Mistletoe and Wine”

This quintessential Christmas sing-a-long was written by Jeremy Paul, Leslie Stewart and Keith Strachan for a musical called “Scraps”, which was an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl” set in Victorian London.
“Scraps” was initially performed at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, London, in 1976.
The concept was conceived to create a song that sounded like a Christmas carol, intending it to be sung with a strong sense of irony. Once the musical reached the small screen it had become a lusty pub song sung by the local whore, as played by Twiggy.
Cliff Richard’s 99th(!) single become his 12th UK #1 single, spending 4 weeks at the top in December 1988, selling 750 000 copies in the process. It actually became the best selling single of 1988 in the UK. Another spectacular feat regarding his career in his awe inspiring achievement of number one hits in five consecutive decades. This festive triumph is important to this record as it is his only #1 hit of the eighties.