"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a

Christmas song Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject m ...

featuring

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

written by J. Fred Coots and

Haven Gillespie James Lamont Gillespie (February 6, 1888 – March 14, 1975) pen name Haven Gillespie, was an American Tin Pan Alley composer and lyricist. He was the writer of "You Go to My Head", "Honey", "By the Sycamore Tree", "That Lucky Old Sun", " Breezi ...

. The earliest known recorded version of the song was by banjoist Harry Reser and his band on October 24, 1934. It was then sung on

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences ...

's radio show in November 1934. This version became an instant hit with orders for 500,000 copies of sheet music and more than 30,000 records sold within 24 hours. The version for Bluebird Records by George Hall and His Orchestra (vocal by Sonny Schuyler) was very popular in 1934 and reached the various charts of the day. The song has been recorded by over 200 artists including

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

The Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", " ...

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

, Chris Isaak,

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

, The Carpenters,

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

Luis Miguel Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (born 19 April 1970) is a Puerto Rican-born Mexican singer, often referred to as ''El Sol de México'' (The Sun of Mexico), which is the nickname his mother gave him as a child—"mi sol". Luis Miguel has sung in mu ...

, and

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

Melody and lyrics

Haven Gillespie's lyrics begin "You better watch out, better not cry / You better not pout, I'm telling you why / Santa Claus is coming to town". Cantor's original performance, broadcast at the height of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, included verses not in the standard version of the song, encouraging listeners to be charitable and help the less fortunate at Christmas.

History

Recordings

The earliest known recorded version of the song was by banjoist Harry Reser and his band on October 24, 1934 (Decca 264A) featuring

Tom Stacks Thomas De Armen Stacks, known professionally as Tom Stacks (November 9, 1899 – February 19, 1936) was an American musician who was the lead singer, drummer, and sound effects man for many of Harry Reser's late-1920s jazz and novelty bands that i ...

on vocal, the version shown in the Variety charts of December 1934. The song was a sheet music hit, reaching number 1. The song was also recorded for Victor Records (catalog No. 25145A) on September 26, 1935, by

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

& His Orchestra with vocals by Cliff Weston and

Edythe Wright Edythe Wright (August 16, 1916 – October 27, 1965) was an American singer who performed from 1935 to 1939 with the band led by Tommy Dorsey. Early life Wright grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey. Early career Wright debuted on radio in Mar ...

. The song is a

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

standard and has been covered by numerous recording artists.

and

the Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

reached the ''Billboard'' charts briefly in 1947 with it.

1960s

In 1962, the Four Seasons version charted at number 23 on ''Billboard''. In 1963, producer

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

included a version of the song on his rock album ''

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector ''A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector'' (originally released as ''A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records'') is an album of Christmas songs, produced by Phil Spector, and originally released as Philles 4005 in 1963. Spector treate ...

'' performed by

. In 1965,

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

' version charted at number 4 in Singapore.

1970s to 1990s

In 1970, Rankin-Bass produced '' Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town'', an hour-long animated TV film based on the song, with

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

narrating the origin of

. The same year,

included the song on their best-selling album '' Jackson 5 Christmas Album''. The Jackson 5 version would chart 50 years later on Billboard 100 at #46. In 1971,

The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom starring Shirley Jones and featuring David Cassidy. Jones plays a widowed mother, and Cassidy plays the oldest of her five children, in a family who embarks on a music career. It ran from S ...

included the song on ''

A Partridge Family Christmas Card ''A Partridge Family Christmas Card'' is a Christmas music, Christmas album (and the fourth studio album) by the Partridge Family, released in November 1971. The album's case contains a reproduction of a Christmas card signed by the whole The Part ...

''. An eccentric 1972 live recording by Joseph Spence has been described as "a performance for the ages" by music critic Peter Margasak. The Carpenters released the song as a single in 1974. A rock version by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band was recorded on December 12, 1975, at C. W. Post College in

Brookville, New York Brookville is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 3,465 at the time of the 2010 census. History The geographic Village of Brookv ...

, by Record Plant engineers Jimmy Iovine and Thom Panunzio. This version borrows the chorus refrain from the 1963 recording by The Crystals. It was released first in 1982 as part of the ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

'' compilation album ''

In Harmony 2 ''In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record'' and ''In Harmony 2'' are two compilation albums of children's music performed by various artists, released in 1980 and 1981, respectively. Of the two albums, only the first album charted, reaching No. 156 ...

'', and again in 1985 as a B-side to " My Hometown", a single from the '' Born in the U.S.A.'' album. Springsteen's rendition of the song has received radio airplay perennially at Christmastime for years; it appeared on ''Billboard'' magazine's Hot Singles Recurrents chart each year from 2002 to 2009 due to seasonal air play. Live performances of the song often saw the band encouraging the audience to sing some of the lyrics with—or in place of—the band's vocalists (usually the line "you'd better be good for goodness sake", and occasionally the key line "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" as well). Sometimes, concert crowds would sing along with the entire song, and the band, who were known to encourage this behavior for the song, would do nothing to dissuade those audiences from doing so, instead welcoming the crowds' enthusiasm. This version remains a Springsteen concert favorite during the months of November and December (often concluding the show), and the band is among the few that keep it in their roster of songs during the holidays. Other well-known versions of this song include

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...

from the album ''

Merry Christmas The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late Novemb ...

'' (1994) and the Pointer Sisters version off the album '' A Very Special Christmas'', also borrowing from the Crystal's arrangement.

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

performed the song on his album ''

I Still Believe in Santa Claus ''I Still Believe in Santa Claus'' is a Christmas album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released by Curb Records in 1990. It was his fourth solo album of Christmas music, following ''The Andy Williams Christmas Album'' (1963), ''Mer ...

'', which was released on October 1, 1990.

2000 and after

recorded the song in Spanish as "Santa Claus Llegó a La Ciudad" for his Christmas album ''

Navidades ''Navidades'' () is the 17th studio album by Mexican singer Luis Miguel, released on 14 November 2006 by Warner Music Latina. It is Miguel's first Christmas album, in which the singer interprets traditional English-language carols in Spanish. The ...

'' (2006). His version of the song peaked at number 26 on the ''Billboard'' Latin Pop Songs chart. The song has also been recorded in A capella versions. First by Straight No Chaser on their 2008 album ''Holiday Spirits'', and later by

Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangem ...

on their 2014 album '' That's Christmas to Me''. In October 2015,

EMI Music Publishing EMI Music Publishing Ltd. is a British multinational music publishing company headquartered in London, owned by parent company Sony Corporation of America. In May 2018, Sony Music Publishing agreed to increase its stake in EMI to 90%, pendi ...

lost the rights to J. Fred Coot's stake in the song. EMI had earned the rights to the song via Leo Feist's publishing company in the 1980s. In September 2017, the family of Haven Gillespie sued

Memory Lane Music Group Memory Lane Music Group is a worldwide independent music publishing company established in 1923 by Larry Spier Sr. History The company began in 1923 when Larry Spier Sr., composed "Memory Lane" with Con Conrad, and Buddy DeSylva (words). It wa ...

for $700,000, asking for an 85% stake in "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town". Sebastián Yatra recorded a Spanish version for Christmas 2019 and released it as a single. The song charted on ''Billboard''

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, ra ...

and in Spain and was certified Disco de Oro by RIAA in the US.

Charts

The Supremes version

The Jackson 5 version

Michael Bublé version

Glee Cast version

Mariah Carey version

Various artists version

Bruce Springsteen version

Luis Miguel Spanish version

Sebastián Yatra version

Frank Sinatra version

Certifications and sales

The Jackson 5 version

Michael Bublé version

Bruce Springsteen version

Sebastián Yatra version

Mariah Carey version

References

External links

* (original lyrics) * {{Authority control Songs about Santa Claus 1934 songs Songs with lyrics by Haven Gillespie Songs with music by John Frederick Coots American Christmas songs Bing Crosby songs Bluebird Records singles Bruce Springsteen songs Eddie Cantor songs Mariah Carey songs Michael Bublé songs The Andrews Sisters songs The Carpenters songs The Crystals songs The Four Seasons (band) songs The Jackson 5 songs Song recordings produced by Phil Spector Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements

Melody and lyrics

History

Recordings

1960s

1970s to 1990s

2000 and after

Charts

The Supremes version

The Jackson 5 version

Michael Bublé version

Glee Cast version

Mariah Carey version

Various artists version

Bruce Springsteen version

Luis Miguel Spanish version

Sebastián Yatra version

Frank Sinatra version

Certifications and sales

The Jackson 5 version

Michael Bublé version

Bruce Springsteen version

Sebastián Yatra version

Mariah Carey version

See also

References

External links