Elton John Celebrates 50th Anniversary of 'Step Into Christmas'

Earlier this month, Elton John was presented with a plaque commemorating the RIAA Multi-platinum certification of more than 2 million copies of Diamonds with Universal Music Group Chairman & CEO Sir Lucian Grainge and Universal Music Enterprises President & CEO Bruce Resnikoff in Los Angeles, CA.

Elton is currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of his beloved holiday tune, “Step Into Christmas,” originally released November 23, 1973, and can be found on Diamonds. In honor of the song’s anniversary, Elton has released a brand new digital “Step Into Christmas” EP featuring Elton’s top holiday hits.

Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas” has become a timeless and enduring holiday classic, adding a touch of musical magic to holiday celebrations worldwide. Originally released as a stand-alone single in 1973, with “Ho, Ho, Ho (Who’d Be a Turkey at Christmas)” on the B-side, the track was intended to be an audible holiday card for his fans following the monumental release of his chart-topping, record-breaking album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

The catchy tune, recorded on a Sunday and released less than a week later, was Elton’s first single aside from “Rock And Roll Madonna” in 1970. The catchy tune peaked on the UK Singles Chart at No. 24 upon release; however, proving it has become a perennial favorite for listeners around the world, it reached a new peak at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart 46 years later in 2019, and certified double platinum in 2021.

In the United States, the single hit the top of the Billboard Christmas Singles Chart in 1973, and it was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2021.

“Step Into Christmas” has become an essential part of the Christmas music canon, and its cheerful and festive spirit continues to delight audiences during the holiday season.

Listen to Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas” EP now HERE:

About Elton John:

Elton’s career achievements to date are unsurpassed in their breadth and longevity. Elton is one of the top-selling solo artists of all time. In the UK and US charts alone, he has 1 diamond, 33 platinum or multi-platinum, and 22 gold albums, as well as over 85 Top 40 hits. He has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.

He holds the record for the biggest-selling physical single of all time, “Candle in the Wind 1997”, which sold over 33 million copies. Released in 2017 ‘Diamonds’ the Ultimate Greatest Hits album, became Elton’s 43rd UK Top 40 album and has spent over 300 consecutive weeks in the top 75 of the UK album charts, with over 190 of these in the top 20. This release celebrated 50 years of his songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin. It reached a UK peak position of No. 2 in July 2023, achieving 4 times platinum status in the process, and is the longest charting album of Elton’s career 62-deep catalog.

August 2018 saw Elton named as the most successful male solo artist in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart history, having logged 67 entries, including nine No. 1s and 29 Top 10s. ‘The Lockdown Sessions,’ an album of collaborations recorded during the COVID-19 Pandemic, was released in October 2021 and went straight to No. 1 in the UK album Charts, becoming Elton’s 8th UK No. 1 album in the process.

Its lead single, “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) with Dua Lipa,” became a bona fide global hit, reaching No. 1 in over 20 charts worldwide, including the UK and Australia. Its success meant that Elton became the first ever solo artist to score a UK Top 10 hit single in six consecutive decades. In America, he holds the record for the longest span between Billboard top 40 hits at 50 years.

He currently has logged 71 entries, including nine No. 1s and 29 Top 10s. Elton also holds the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart record with 18 No. 1s and 76 total songs. The summer of 2022 saw another global smash single, as Elton and Britney Spears released ‘Hold Me Closer’, a Top 5 hit in the UK and a No. 1 hit in the Australian single charts.

Elton announced the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour at New York’s Gotham Hall in January 2018. The tour kicked off on 10th September 2018 in North America and subsequently saw Elton play 330 shows to over 6.25 million fans across the UK, Europe, North America, and Australasia.

The shows marked his retirement from touring after more than 50 years on the road. In 2019 it was named Billboard's Top Rock Tour and Pollstar’s Major Tour Of The Year. The U.S. leg of the tour concluded with 3 sell-out shows at Dodger Stadium. The concert was live-streamed on Disney+ in every single territory the channel broadcasts in, a global first.

Elton headlined Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in June 2023, the final UK show before the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour concludes. The Sunday night closer was widely heralded as one of the greatest performances in the festival's rich history, attracting one of the largest crowds ever witnessed at the festival. It also received the biggest-ever televised audience for a Glastonbury set, reaching 7.6m overnight on BBC1.Elton has delivered more than 4,600 performances in more than 80 countries since launching his first tour in 1970.

2019 also saw the release of ‘Rocketman’ and the global bestselling autobiography, ‘ME.’ An epic fantasy musical motion picture of Elton’s life, 'Rocketman' has been a commercial and critical hit, taking close to $200m at the box office. It has won an Oscar, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Critics’ Choice Award and garnered four BAFTA nominations. The soundtrack was also nominated for a GRAMMY Award.

Among the many awards and honors bestowed upon him are six GRAMMYs, including a GRAMMY Legend award, a Tony and two Oscars, a Best British Male Artist BRIT Award, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Kennedy Center Honor, Legend of Live Award, 13 Ivor Novello Awards and a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II for “services to music and charitable services”.

In 1992, Elton established the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which today is a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. So far, the Foundation has raised more than $565 million for HIV/AIDS grants, funding more than 3,000 projects in over 90 countries. In June 2019, President Emmanuel Macron presented Elton the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest award, for his lifetime contribution to the arts and the fight against HIV/AIDS. Elton was awarded the Companion of Honour in the 2021 New Year Honors list in the UK. The highest acknowledgment in the list, Elton became one of only 64 people to hold the Honour. September 2022 saw President Biden awarding him the National Humanities Medal in recognition of his storied career and advocacy work to end AIDS.

Always a tireless champion of new artists, Elton has been a leading industry voice in lobbying the government for young artists' visa-free touring rights in Europe post-Brexit.

Photo Credit: Matthew Baron

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