Written by the band's guitarist and singer David Paton and produced by Alan Parsons, it was released by EMI Records in January 1975[1] as the follow-up to the band's breakthrough single, "Magic".

"January" gave Pilot their only number-one single in the UK, Ireland and Australia.

In a video interview in 2012 for Radio Borders, David Paton explained the song was not about the month, but about a girl named January, the name being taken from a female protagonist in a book his wife was reading at the time.

The verse is unrelated to the chorus and talks about the success of "Magic" and how it had opened up the world for him.

[3] The song also charted in the United States in early 1976, making a minor impression on the Billboard Hot 100.