Stop The Cavalry singer Jona Lewie has been earning a fortune from his festive hit since it was released in 1980, and the star recently opened up about his earnings from the classic track
Jona Lewie is undoubtedly one of the legends of Christmas music, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mariah Carey, Slade, and Wham! His iconic hit, Stop The Cavalry, remains a staple of the festive season, enjoying regular airplay on the radio despite being released a staggering 45 years ago.
However, the 78-year-old star, who resides in London with his partner, never anticipated the single’s massive success, and it wasn’t even intended to be a Christmas song. “I had no inkling it would become a Christmas classic. Its release coincided with the tragic death of John Lennon – he was shot on the day Stop The Cavalry came out,” he revealed to the Daily Express in 2015.
“The following week, two of his tracks held the top two spots and my record was third,” Jona added. “It’s wonderful to have a single that ranks alongside White Christmas and Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody, getting airplay every December. Sometimes I hear it in a shop and I think, ‘Blimey, that’s me!”.
Interestingly, the single was only released at Christmas due to a single line in the song. Jona recently shared with the Daily Mail: “It featured the line ‘wish I was at home for Christmas’ so the record company released it in early December.”, reports the Mirror.
However, Jona expressed his frustration with the single’s success in the years that followed. “I spent the 80s and 90s trying to move past my success with that song. It sold around three or four million copies, so I never had to find regular employment! I’ve kept myself occupied, though.”
Despite his frustrations, he can’t ignore the financial benefits the track brings him annually – it’s estimated to generate around £120,000 in royalties each year, and this figure could potentially increase this year as it’s prominently featured in the Christmas advert for supermarket giant Morrisons.
Jona revealed to the Guardian that Stop The Cavalry actually constitutes about half of his personal income, stating: “50% of my real income. The thing is, I do everything on the track. I write the lyrics and the melody, so that’s all of the publishing.
“And because I’m a musician I can do all the backing track, so that’s all the recording royalty. I was a one-man show. And if you can get a track associated with Christmas, you get annual regurgitation, and potential for earning every year.”
However, Stop The Cavalry almost didn’t see the light of day – as Jona was nearly left out in the cold before his first major hit. “I was on the brink of being dropped from Stiff [Records] until my 1980 hit You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties cemented my position,” he explained.
“It sold about 200,000 copies and rose to number 16. The lyrics resonated with people. It was fantastic to be back on Top Of The Pops after an eight-year break. The idea of being a pop star was somewhat daunting, though.”
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