I HEAR YOU KNOCKING
by DAVE EDMUNDS

Welsh-born singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Edmunds had already tasted Christmas Top Five glory as part of the trio Love Sculpture and their sole hit Sabre Dance in 1968. I Hear You Knocking was written by American bandleader and musician Dave Bartholomew, and was originally recorded by blues singer Smiley Lewis in 1955 and had become a sizeable hit by several other acts in America before Dave Edmunds took it on to be his debut solo single in November 1970.

It was also the first single to be released on MAM Records, which was co-owned by fellow Welsh hitmaker and Christmas Number 1 cohort Tom Jones. Entering the UK Official Singles Chart at Number 16, it shot up to the top the following week to spend six weeks at the top across the festive period until the start of January. In a nod to the original, Dave Edmunds references Smiley Lewis when he calls out various names ("Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Chuck Berry, Huey Smith, Bob Dylan!") during the song’s instrumental break.