Chris Rea on stage in 2017 Patrick/RedfernsChris Rea died today, leaving behind a legacy of 25 solo albums and several number one hits but most especially, his 1988 Christmas classic Driving Home for Christmas. “Jokingly, I started singing: ‘we’re driving home for Christmas...’ then, when street lights shone inside the car, I started writing down lyrics.”AdvertisementTheir arrival home was life-changing“We eventually got home at 3am. We went from being down to our last £220 to being able to buy a house.”A Christmas miracle, if you will. The song was shelved for almost a decadeAfter encouragement from his bandmate Max, Chris revisited his old festive song: “I’d never intended to write a Christmas hit – I was a serious musician! “If I’m ever stuck on the M25 – the Road to Hell – I’ll wind the window down and start singing, “I’m driving home for Christmas” at people in cars alongside.

Source: Huffington Post December 22, 2025 18:04 UTC