It's Only Christmas

"It's Only Christmas"
Single by Ronan Keating featuring Kate Ceberano
from the album Winter Songs & Merry Christmas
Released	11 December 2009
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2009
Genre	Pop, folk
Length	3:26
Label	Polydor Records
Songwriter(s)	Ronan Keating, Paul Barry, Ceberano
Producer(s)	Stephen Lipson
Ronan Keating featuring Kate Ceberano singles chronology
"Stay" (2009) "It's Only Christmas" (2009) "Believe Again" (2010)
"Stay" (2009) "It's Only Christmas" (2009) "Believe Again" (2010)

"It's Only Christmas" is a song by Irish pop singer and Boyzone frontman Ronan Keating, released as the second single from his sixth studio album, Winter Songs, exclusively in Australia and New Zealand. The version of the song featured on the British version of Winter Songs features vocals from Hayley Westenra, however, the version of the song featured on the Australian version of the album replaces her vocals with those of Kate Ceberano, and thus, whose vocals appear on the single.^[1] Although not an international hit like his previous singles, Keating's version of the song failed to make the Top 100 of the Australian Singles Chart, peaking at #134 after one week on the chart.

Critical reception

In terms of reviewing Winter Songs, the BBC had the following to say about "Scars" and "It's Only Christmas". They claimed: "A pair of new Keating originals – Scars and It’s Only Christmas – are unlikely to become festive favourites in the vein of some of his other numbers here, most obviously the traditional picks. But they suit the mood of the album well. While this is a celebratory affair, of sorts, it’s also shot through with melancholy. Christmas, after all, arrives at one of the bleakest times of year, and some of these songs would be well matched with imagery of snow-blasted scenery and lonely souls left in the cold while those on the other side of iced-over windowpanes exchange gifts beside a roaring fire. While Keating – a solid singer, with a warmth and richness to his voice that conveys a sincerity often absent in his pop peers – doesn’t quite make the covers his own, the picks are much more interesting than most records of a similar pop-does-Santa slant. This, you feel, is not simply a seasonal money spinner. The variety of tracks is such that it could only have come together with Keating taking a very active, personal role in its compiling."^[2]

Music video

A music video featuring Keating and Ceberano was uploaded to YouTube on 21 December 2009.^[3] The video shows Keating and Ceberano in a festive recording studio performing the song into two large mic stands. It also features Keating playing the guitar. The video clocks in at a total of three minutes and twenty seconds.^[3]

Track listing

1. "It's Only Christmas" (Edit) - 3:26

Chart performance

References