In the post-Soviet space, this musical composition has never been a hit, but in the USA and some other countries it remains a mega-hit for many decades.
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town went down in history as one of the first non-religious Christmas songs to achieve huge popularity, and in 2014 ASCAP estimated that it was the most played song during the holidays. According to this indicator, she surpassed even the legendary tracks White Christmas and The Christmas Song.
Interestingly, at first no one wanted to perform Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, but immediately after the premiere, it was a resounding success.
The story of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
“Santa Claus Goes to Town” was written in 1934 by Haven Gillespie. By that time, he was already a well-known songwriter who had composed several popular works.
Gillespie recalled:
[I write her] at the request of a publisher friend who said my vocabulary could be understood by children.
This publisher was Edgar Bittner of Leo Feist, Inc. in New York. To take up the music, he invited the composer John Frederick Coots (John Frederick Coots).
Haven said that he worked on the lyrics of the song Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, recalling his childhood years:
It was about a week before Christmas. One day I went into the house and ask my mother if Santa Claus has appeared. “So, young man,” she said, “if you don’t wash behind your ears, I’ll tell Santa Claus everything.”
Enquirer 1974
On the subway ride home, Gillespie spent fifteen minutes jotting down the text on the back of the envelope:
You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why:
Santa Claus is comin’ to town.
Fred Coots put the words to music in ten minutes, and the authors sent the finished composition to the publisher. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town seemed to Edgar Bittner to be too frivolous, but he accepted it, since he did not initially expect much from a simple children’s song.
Release and achievements
Finding the artist of the song was not an easy task. Well-known artists refused, considering it frivolous, and the producers were sure that it would not be possible to make money on it.
The famous singer Eddie Cantor also did not want to take on Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, but, they say, his wife persuaded him.
The song was featured on Kantor’s Christmas radio show and immediately became a hit. The sheet music of the song sold tens of thousands of copies a day, and by the end of the holidays, sales exceeded half a million copies.
Cover versions
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is considered the standard for Christmas music. Over the years, it was performed by at least two hundred singers and groups.
Consider the Bing Crosby and The Andres Sisters version.
In 1962, The Four Seasons version reached number 23 on the Billboard charts.
In 1963, Phil Spector spent $56,000 to record the album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, which included The Crystals’ Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. On the day of the release of the record, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, which prevented her from becoming popular.
In 1970, Rankin-Bass released the cartoon Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, in which Fred Astaire sang the song.
Perhaps the most popular version of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town to date is performed by Bruce Springsteen. He sang it in concert in New York on December 12, 1975, but it wasn’t until a few years later that the track was included on the In Harmony 2 compilation and was released on the back of the My Hometown single.
For the album Merry Christmas, the song Santa Claus Is Coming to Town was recorded by Mariah Carey.
Interesting Facts
- Bruce Springsteen also sang the song Santa Claus Is Fooling Around about Santa Claus who is ready to kidnap your girlfriend.
- The composition sounds in many films, including “Home Alone”, “Polar Express”, “Four Christmases” and others.
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Lyrics
You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He’s making a list
He’s checking it twice
He’s going to find out
Who’s naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows when you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake
Lyrics Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Alternate
You better be on your guard
You better not cry
Better not pout
And that’s why:
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He makes a list.
He checks it twice.
He knows for sure
Who dabbled, and who was obedient.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He sees you when you sleep.
He knows when you wake up.
He knows if you were bad or good.
So be good, for heaven’s sake!
