Elton John and Irish singer CMAT revisit the 1973 Christmas favourite with a new recording exclusive to Amazon Music, while physical editions include two previously unreleased live performances from December 1973.
Elton John has teamed up with Irish singer CMAT for a new version of Step Into Christmas, giving his 1973 festive favourite a fresh interpretation more than 50 years after its original release.
The collaboration is available exclusively on Amazon Music. Physical editions, including a Christmas Card CD, 7-inch vinyl and CD single, are also available for pre-order.
The new recording retains the lively rock ‘n’ roll rhythm and singalong character of the original, with CMAT bringing her distinctive vocal style to the Christmas standard.
Elton John said he had been a fan of CMAT for several years.
“I’ve loved CMAT since I first heard her and saw her videos years ago. She has this incredible personality, and a wicked sense of humour. You can tell she has Rock n Roll and Country and Americana at the heart of what she does – we’re kindred spirits in so many ways. And that’s why I was so thrilled with the idea of us collaborating on Step Into Christmas. She’s done an amazing job.”
Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Step Into Christmas was first released in November 1973, backed by Ho, Ho, Ho (Who’d Be a Turkey at Christmas). Gus Dudgeon produced the recording, which was made on 11 November 1973 at Morgan Studios in London.
The production deliberately drew on Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound approach, reflecting the influence of classic Christmas recordings by The Ronettes and other girl groups of the era.
Step Into Christmas initially peaked at No. 24 on the UK singles chart. Its popularity has grown through successive Christmas seasons, with the song reaching a new chart peak of No. 7 in the UK in 2025.
The recording has become one of Elton John’s most enduring seasonal releases. It has earned 4× Platinum certification in the UK and Platinum status in the United States, alongside further certifications in Australia, Canada, Denmark and New Zealand.
The song was later included as a bonus track on the 1995 remastered edition of Caribou and has appeared on numerous Elton John collections, including Elton John’s Christmas Party, Rare Masters, To Be Continued and Diamonds.
The physical editions of the CMAT collaboration add further historical interest. The Christmas Card CD pairs the new recording with the 2017 remaster of the original studio version and includes two previously unreleased live recordings from December 1973.
One is a performance of Step Into Christmas recorded at Elton John’s Christmas Party at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. The other is a Honky Tonk medley of Christmas favourites recorded for a BBC Radio 1 session.
The original Step Into Christmas promotional film featured Elton John and his band performing in the studio. Elton played a piano decorated with a red feather boa, while Bernie Taupin made a brief appearance playing tubular bells.
The clip received a modern reworking in 2024, when Cara Delevingne starred in a recreation of the original video, wearing an outfit inspired by Elton John’s 1973 appearance. The idea developed after the pair met at Glastonbury Festival earlier that year.
The CMAT collaboration provides another chapter in the history of a song that has become a regular feature of the Christmas music season. Rather than replacing the original, the new recording brings a different vocal personality to a composition that has remained part of Elton John’s catalogue for more than five decades.
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