Chris Rea had “just been banned from driving” when he wrote ‘Driving Home For Christmas’

"I still sing it at other drivers when I’m stuck on the motorway"

Chris Rea has said he was under a driving ban when he wrote his classic single ‘Driving Home For Christmas’.

The singer-songwriter first released the festive track in 1986 as the B-side to ‘Hello Friend’. A re-recorded version arrived two years later, and appeared on his compilation ‘New Light Through Old Windows’.

In 2022, ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ entered the top 10 of the UK singles chart for the first time, peaking at Number 10 (via Official Charts).

During a new interview with the Daily Express, Rea – who originally wrote the tune for Van Morrison – said: “It’s a frustrating song, but it’s also hopeful and comforting.

“It’s funny, because I’d just been banned from driving when I wrote it. But I was feeling good at the time too, and people say they can hear that infectious feel-good mood when they hear it.”

Rea explained: “I still sing it at other drivers when I’m stuck on the motorway.”

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The musician called ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ “a story everyone can relate to”, which is about being “stuck in traffic” on the way to spend the festive period with loved ones: “Everyone in the country is doing the same thing at the same time.”

He also spoke about the single being featured in the 2008 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, and how it “started going into the top 40 year after year” due to the rise in streaming.

In 2020, ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ began trending online as the UK introduced new COVID restrictions for the festive period. The song reached Number 11 at the end of that year.

Rea suffered a stroke in 2016, resulting in reduced movement in his arms and fingers. It also left him with slurred speech. In 2017, the singer returned to the stage, but later collapsed during a show in Oxford. He hasn’t performed live publicly since.

He has previously been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The treatment left him with diabetes, meaning he needs daily injections.