Paul McCartney is setting the record straight on the rumors surrounding his hit Christmas song.
The former Beatle addressed theories that his 1979 holiday tune “Wonderful Christmastime” encourages witchcraft and wizardry in a new Vevo Footnotes music video for the song released Dec. 18.
“There is a theory online that the song is about people practicing witchcraft, getting found out, and trying to cover it up,” McCartney, 83, wrote.
“Thank goodness they found me out,” he joked. “This is completely true and in actual fact, I am the head wizard of a Liverpool coven. Either that…or it’s complete nonsense. And you know it’s the latter!”
McCartney, who performed “Wonderful Christmastime” with his band Wings toward the end of the group’s 1971 to 1981 run, previously opened up about the wild witchcraft theories surrounding the song in 2022.
At the time, the “Band on the Run” hitmaker explained that fans were most likely mistaking the line “the mood is right” for “the moon is right.”
“The thing is about this stuff, it’s so easy to convince half the people in the world,” he acknowledged. “You do have to be a little bit careful!”
Elsewhere in the newly released Vevo Footnotes video, McCartney explained the true inspiration behind his holiday classic.
“I like the idea of Christmas songs purely because they only come around at Christmas!” the 19-time Grammy winner shared.
“They remind us of the fun atmosphere of the whole season, and when I was writing ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ I was trying to capture that party aspect,” he added.
McCartney went on to explain that he wanted to capture the holiday season he experienced in Liverpool, where he and his former Beatles bandmates all grew up before becoming global superstars.
“I’m thinking about Liverpool Christmas parties, that’s really all I’m doing with that song,” he said before listing off the track’s lyrics. “You know, all the stuff you do at Christmas. Particularly with my old Liverpool family parties.”
The music video for “Wonderful Christmastime” was reportedly filmed at two separate locations as Wings prepared for its 1979 tour across the UK: the Fountain Inn in Ashurst, West Sussex, and the Hippodrome Theatre in Eastbourne.
Directed by Russell Mulcahy of future “Highlander” fame, the video featured McCartney, his then-wife and Wings bandmate Linda McCartney and guitarist Denny Laine.
“Sometimes people will go into a shop and hear the song a little too much, but I don’t care!” the “Jet” singer wrote. “I’m happy!”
McCartney has only played “Wonderful Christmastime” live around 12 times since its release more than 45 years ago, per Rolling Stone.
The music legend performed it most recently during a show in Manchester, England, in December 2024.
Before that, he played the holiday hit in 2018 and, before that, during a memorable appearance with the cast of “Sing” on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in 2016.
