"(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag" is a Christmas song written in 1950 by Irving Taylor,

Dudley Brooks Dudley Brooks (December 22, 1913 – July 17, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. Biography Brooks was born on December 22, 1913, in Los Angeles, California.

, and Hal Stanley. The "man with the bag" is a reference to

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

, who drops off presents from his sleigh to people who have been "extra special good". The song was originally made popular by

Kay Starr Katherine Laverne Starks (July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016), known professionally as Kay Starr, was an American singer who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1940s and 1950s. She was of Iroquois and Irish heritage. Starr performed multip ...

and regularly appeared on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s list of most popular Christmas songs in the early 1950s. Hal Stanley was Kay Starr's husband at the time. He had an interest in a club in South-Central Los Angeles where Dudley Brooks often performed, and had collaborated with Irving Taylor on several television projects. He brought the two together, took credit as a co-writer, and published it under his and Starr's publishing company, StarStan.

Versions

The song has been covered by many artists, including

The Brian Setzer Orchestra The Brian Setzer Orchestra (sometimes known by its initials BSO) is a swing and jump blues band formed in 1990 by Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer. In 1998, for their breakout album '' The Dirty Boogie'', the group covered Louis Prima's "Jump, ...

. The TV show '' Ally McBeal'' borrowed the song's title for a December 11, 2000 episode that featured

Vonda Shepard Vonda Shepard (born July 7, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, music director and actress. She appeared as a regular in the television show '' Ally McBeal'', as a resident performer in the bar where the show's characters drank, danced and c ...

singing the song. Her version was included in the holiday album ''Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas.'' The album received positive reviews and several critics cited Shephard's version of the song as the album's highlight.

Jane Monheit Jane Monheit (born November 3, 1977"Jane Monheit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 33. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2001. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 2017-05-07.) is an American jazz and pop singer. Early life Monheit was b ...

recorded the song for her 2005 album ''The Season,'' and performed it on her 2019 Holiday tour.

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creator ...

recorded the song for his 2014 album '' Holiday for Swing''. The song has also been covered by Voctave, a central Florida a capella group.

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...

covered the song for an advert for

Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Boot or Boots may also refer to: Businesses * Boot Inn, Chester, Cheshire, England * Boots (company), a high-street pharmacy chain and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom * The Boot, Cromer Stre ...

during Christmas 2015. The version was released as a single titled "Man with the Bag", and charted on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number 70 in 2020 and number 85 in 2021. It 2022 it was certified Silver by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI).

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series ''Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

and

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...

performed a duet of the song for Criss' album, A Very Darren Crissmas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Everybody's Waiting For The Man With The Bag 1950 songs American Christmas songs Kay Starr songs Songs about Santa Claus Songs written by Irving Taylor (songwriter)