About The Song
“Come On Christmas” is a holiday song written and recorded by American country singer Dwight Yoakam. It serves as the title track and opener of his Christmas album Come On Christmas, released by Reprise Records on August 26, 1997. The album is considered Yoakam’s eighth studio release and his first full Christmas project, arriving during a period when he was experimenting beyond straight neo-traditional country. While the song did not chart as a separate single, the album itself reached No. 32 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, giving the track a clear place in his mainstream discography.
The album Come On Christmas was produced by longtime collaborator Pete Anderson and recorded with many of the musicians who had shaped Yoakam’s earlier work, including bassist Taras Prodaniuk, drummer Jim Christie, guitarist and producer Anderson, and multi-instrumentalist Skip Edwards. The record combines traditional carols such as “Silent Night,” “Silver Bells,” and “Away in a Manger” with two Yoakam originals: the title track and “Santa Can’t Stay.” This mixture of covers and new material allowed him to put a personal stamp on a seasonal release, with “Come On Christmas” setting the emotional tone for the rest of the album.
In terms of basic song details, “Come On Christmas” is credited solely to Dwight Yoakam as songwriter and typically runs a little over three minutes, depending on the edition (around 3:21–3:24). It appears as track one on standard CD and digital versions of the album. The arrangement features Yoakam on lead vocals and guitar, supported by electric guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and occasional horn accents. The performance sits within his usual country framework but introduces a subtle holiday atmosphere through arrangement choices rather than heavy orchestration or choir backing.
Lyrically, the song presents Christmas as a kind of refuge from personal troubles. The narrator appeals for the holiday season to arrive quickly and provide temporary escape, even imagining staying hidden away until early January. Rather than focusing on family gatherings, nostalgia, or religious imagery, the text emphasizes the desire to step out of everyday life and its emotional burdens for a short, clearly defined period. This approach sets “Come On Christmas” apart from many country Christmas originals, which often center on homecoming or straightforward celebration.
Musically, “Come On Christmas” blends Yoakam’s Bakersfield-influenced country sound with elements of rock and rhythm-and-blues. The tempo is moderate, with a steady backbeat and twangy guitars, but the production leaves space around the vocal, which highlights the understated melancholy in the lyric. Anderson’s arrangement avoids excessive seasonal effects; instead, the song feels like a mid-tempo Dwight Yoakam track that happens to be about Christmas, matching the album’s general strategy of treating holiday material with the same aesthetic choices as his regular studio work.
Critical commentary on Come On Christmas has often singled out the title track as one of its key moments. Reviews have described the song as a more reflective, even slightly haunting piece that contrasts with the higher-energy treatment of rock-and-roll and traditional carols elsewhere on the album. This contrast helps structure the record: “Come On Christmas” introduces a more introspective mood, while covers like “Run Run Rudolph” and “Here Comes Santa Claus” provide the upbeat counterbalance typical of Christmas releases.
From a chart perspective, there is no evidence that “Come On Christmas” itself entered the Billboard country singles charts. The only track from the album to do so was Yoakam’s version of “Santa Claus Is Back in Town,” which reached No. 60 on the Hot Country Songs chart. However, the album’s Top 40 placement on the country albums list and the continued presence of the title song on digital platforms and holiday playlists have kept it in circulation. Within Yoakam’s broader career, “Come On Christmas” illustrates how he adapted his established country style to seasonal material while maintaining a consistent writing voice and musical identity.
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Lyric
Come on Christmas
Please take me away
Keep me hidden safe
‘Til January’s second day
Come on Christmas
Come on Noel
I’ll wrap myself up in the cheer
That’s so abundant
This time of year
Come on Christmas
Come on Noel
Even though it’s just September
I can forget to remember
All the empty nights
Still in my way
Come on Christmas
Embrace me with some joy
‘Til the last few lonely moments
Of this year have been destroyed
Come on Christmas
Come on Noel
I’ll just let visions of the season
Blind these worn-out sights
Still in my mind
Come on Christmas
Come on Noel
Come on Christmas