Songfacts®:

• "DJ Play A Christmas Song" is a yuletide dance track. Cher paints a picture of a festive party where everyone is letting loose and having a good time. She conjures up a night that's anything but silent.
• Sarah Hudson, Jesse Saint John, Brett McLaughlin, James Abrahart, Mark Schick, and Lionel Crasta wrote the song.
  
  American songwriter Sarah Hudson's resumé includes Katy Perry's "Dark Horse," Iggy Azalea's "Black Widow" and Dua Lipa's "Levitating."
  
  US Singer-songwriter Jesse Saint John has contributed to songs by Lizzo ("Truth Hurts") and Andy Grammer ("Freeze").
  
  American songwriter Brett "Leland" McLaughlin's credits includes Daya's "Hide Away," Troye Sivan's "Youth" and Kelsea Ballerini's "Miss Me More."
  
  British songwriter/producer James "JHart" Abrahart has collaborated with the likes of Martin Garrix ("Don't Look Down," OneRepublic ("Didn't I") and Maneskin ("The Loneliest").
• Cher recorded "DJ Play A Christmas Song" for her first holiday album, Christmas. It was back in 2018 that Cher first decided she's got yule, babe, and would release a festive record. No progress was made for several years, in part because of the pandemic. Finally the pop icon previewed the upcoming album over the 2023 summer on her Twitter account before releasing it on October 20, 2023.
• Christmas was primarily recorded in Los Angeles and London. It was helmed by Cher's longtime producer Mark Taylor, who had previously collaborated with the singer on her 1998 album Believe.
• Cher debuted "DJ Play A Christmas Song" on October 3, 2023, at Silencio nightclub in Paris, performing at a private event hosted by Rabanne and H&M. She released it as the lead single from Christmas three days later. The following month, Cher performed the song during the New York Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 23, 2023. A troupe of silver-clad dancers surrounded her on stage outside Macy's.
• "DJ Play a Christmas Song" climbed to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart dated December 9, 2023. It was Cher's first visit to its summit since "If I Could Turn Back Time" spent a week at the top in September 1989.
  
  The song's merry move made history as it broke the record for the longest break between #1s in the chart's history: 34 years and two weeks. Cher usurped Elton John, who went 23 years, 11 months and one week between "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" in 1997-98 and "Merry Christmas" with Ed Sheeran in December 2021.
• At 77 years, 7 months old, Cher became the oldest solo female performer to enter the Top 40 on the UK's Official Singles Chart when "DJ Play a Christmas Song" leapt from #41 to #20 on the chart dated December 24, 2023. The previous record holder was Shirley Bassey, who was 70 years, 4 months old when "The Living Tree" reached #37 in 2007.
  
  Additionally, Cher became the first female solo artist to have a Top 40 hit in the UK in seven consecutive decades.
• Cher performed "DJ Play A Christmas Song" on the December 20, 2025 episode of Saturday Night Live, returning to the show as a musical guest for the first time in 38 years.