About
Can’t Stop Christmas was released in November 2020 as a stand-alone single appended to The Christmas Present. Conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic, it offered a topical, light-footed update to the album one year after its original 2019 release.
Written by Robbie Williams with Karl Brazil, Owen Parker, Ben Mark and Chris Heath, and produced by Guy Chambers and Richard Flack, the track was recorded with a small, family-and-band “bubble” to reflect public-health restrictions at the time. Children’s voices and sleigh bells sit over brisk pop orchestration, keeping the focus on uplift rather than lament.
Lyrically, Can’t Stop Christmas captures the domestic realities of lockdown, from video calls to empty high streets, while repeating the central reassurance of its title. The chorus turns public-health language into seasonal hooks, balancing wry humour with inclusivity.
“I hope we got the tone right and that it just makes people smile.”Robbie Williams
The video, created by Electric Light Studios and directed by Dan Massie, parodies UK government briefings, with Williams in full prosthetics as the Prime Minister, a Theresa May lookalike dancing through the set, and split-screen gags about buffering Zoom calls. The visual underlines the song’s satirical edge while maintaining a broadly festive feel.
While primarily a cultural time-stamp rather than a chart-chasing release, Can’t Stop Christmas extended the life of The Christmas Present and demonstrated Williams’s knack for reframing pop tradition to meet the moment.
Lyrics
But what a time to be alive
Sadly some friends disappeared
It's never been like this before
It feels like we're at war
So I wonder who's gonna decide
If we can do the Auld Lang Syne
I wish that I could do what I like
With this family of mine
We're going out of our minds
So what are we to do
About your FaceTimes and your Zooms
There's a room inside my mind
And it's always here for you
Nothing's gonna stop Christmas
No chance
You can't take away our season
Like you can take away the why's
(Santa's on his sleigh
But now he's two metres away)
The people gonna need something to believe in
After a year of being in
(We've got a wish list
To catch the Christmas time)
If you're wondering what I like
Stacks of sanitiser will do fine
I guess you do your shopping online
The high street lights are out
There's nobody about
So where will we all be
Come this time next year
I know you'll be with me
And I'll be here
Nothing's gonna take Christmas
You can't take away our season
Like you can take away the why's
(Santa's on his sleigh
But now he's two metres away)
The people gonna need something to believe in
After a year of being in
(We've got a wish list
To catch the Christmas)
(Why, oh why are we all waiting?
The whole damn world anticipating)
Beyond boredom and frustration
The planet's locked in what ifs and maybes
You can't take away our season
Like you can take away the why's
(Let's lie to Santa Claus
Tell him it's nineteen eighty four)
The people gonna need something to believe in
After a year of being in
We've all missed this
So here's our wish list
You can't stop Christmas time
Credits
-
Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Robbie Williams, Chris Heath, Ben Castle, Karl Brazil, Owen Parker -
Producer
Guy Chambers, Richard Flack