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Changes: Santa Claus is Coming to Town (song)

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[[File:MuppetFamilyChristmas-MuppetBabies.jpg|thumb|250px|The Muppets view a home movie of [[wikipedia:Muppet Babies|their younger selves]] singing the song in ''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]'']]
  
[[File:MuppetFamilyChristmas-MuppetBabies.jpg|thumb|250px|The Muppets view a home movie of [[wikipedia:Muppet Babies|their younger selves]] singing the song in ''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]'']]
  +
[[File:Dominic Roberti and Jamal Robinson-Brown's Christmas CD Single.jpg|thumb|250px]]
 
"'''Santa Claus is Coming to Town'''" (sometimes with "Coming" changed to '''"Comin' "''') is a [[Christmas]] song written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934. It became an instant hit with orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music the next day and more than 400,000 copies sold by Christmas. It is often used to tell children that [[Santa Claus]] knows when they've been bad or good and that they should be good.
  
"'''Santa Claus is Coming to Town'''" (sometimes with "Coming" changed to '''"Comin' "''') is a [[Christmas]] song written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934. It became an instant hit with orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music the next day and more than 400,000 copies sold by Christmas. It is often used to tell children that [[Santa Claus]] knows when they've been bad or good and that they should be good.
   
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==Appearances in Christmas specials==
  
==Appearances in Christmas specials==
 
* ''[[Santa Claus is Comin' to Town]]''
  
* ''[[Santa Claus is Comin' to Town]]''
−
* "[[The Nutcracker Scoob]]"
 +
* ''The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries'': "[[The Nutcracker Scoob]]"
−
* ''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]'' - The Muppets watch an old home movie of their baby selves singing the song. Unfortunately, due to Henson only securing the music rights for television, the US video releases of the special cut the song out.
 +
* ''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]'' - The Muppets watch an old home movie of [[w:c:muppet:Muppet Babies|their baby selves]] singing the song. Unfortunately, due to Henson only securing the music rights for television, the US video releases of the special cut the song out.
 
* ''[[We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Kidsongs)|We Wish You a Merry Christmas]]''
  
* ''[[We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Kidsongs)|We Wish You a Merry Christmas]]''
 
* ''[[The Santa Clause]]''
  
* ''[[The Santa Clause]]''
 
* ''[[I'll Be Home For Christmas (1998 film)|I'll Be Home For Christmas]]''
  
* ''[[I'll Be Home For Christmas (1998 film)|I'll Be Home For Christmas]]''
 
* ''[[Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas]]''
  
* ''[[Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas]]''
  +
* ''Futurama'': "[[Xmas Story]]" - Everybody celebrates by singing a parody of the song called "Santa Claus Is Gunning You Down".
−
* "[[Xmas Story]]"
  
 
* ''[[The Santa Clause 2]]''
  
* ''[[The Santa Clause 2]]''
 
* ''[[Elf (film)|Elf]]''
  
* ''[[Elf (film)|Elf]]''
  +
* ''[[The Polar Express]]'' - The first half of the Frank Sinatra-covered version starts playing on the loudspeakers when Santa opens the doors at the annual pre-launch celebration. However, the song is edited and slowed down on the chorus part in order to get the important moment for [[Hero Boy (Chris)|Hero Boy]].
−
* ''[[The Polar Express]]''
  
 
* ''[[Fred Claus]]''
  
* ''[[Fred Claus]]''
 
* ''[[Four Christmases]]''
  
* ''[[Four Christmases]]''
 
* ''[[A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa]]''
  
* ''[[A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa]]''
−
* ''[[Merry Madagascar]]'' - King Julien retitles the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Madagascar", and changes "good" in the lyric "So be good for goodness sake" to "bad"
 +
* ''[[Merry Madagascar]]'' - [[King Julien]] retitles the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Madagascar", and changes "good" in the lyric "So be ''good'' for goodness sake" to "bad".
 
* ''[[Nativity!]]''
  
* ''[[Nativity!]]''
−
* ''[[Arthur Christmas]]''
 +
* ''[[Arthur Christmas]]'' - Covered by Justin Bieber with the elements of "ABC" and "I Want You Back"
  +
** Brief portions are heard in the background in the opening scene. It cuts out when the clock tolls.
⚫
* ''[[Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas]]'' - Santa sings it while referring to himself in first person
  
  +
** The full version (used as the main music) is heard over the first half of the second set of the closing credits sequence.
  ⚫
* ''[[Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas]]'' - Santa sings it while referring to himself in first person.
 
* ''[[Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice]]''
  
* ''[[Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice]]''
  +
* ''[[A Fairly Odd Christmas]]'' - Rachel Crowe's performance appears as background music as [[Timmy Turner|Timmy]] takes charge of Santa's workshop in the film's climax.
−
* ''[[A Fairly Odd Christmas]]''
  
  +
* ''[[The Grinch (2018 movie)|The Grinch]]'' - In the nighttime ice maze scene, when the camera shows the maze's centerpiece, the ice sculpture of Santa Claus, the choir, which is incorporated into {{w|Danny Elfman}}'s score, sings the title.
   
 
==Album releases==
  
==Album releases==
−
{| class="sortable wikitable" border="1"
 +
{| class="sortable wikitable"
  ⚫
! Album !! Year !! class="unsortable" | Notes
−
! Album
  
−
! Year
  
⚫
! class="unsortable" | Notes
  
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Christmas with the Chipmunks]]'' || 1961 ||
 +
|''[[Christmas with the Chipmunks]]'' || 1961
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm Singing Songs of Christmas]]'' || 1965 ||
 +
|''[[Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm Singing Songs of Christmas]]'' || 1965
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Christmas with the Brady Bunch]]'' || 1970 ||
 +
|''[[Christmas with the Brady Bunch]]'' || 1970
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Merry Christmas from Sesame Street]]'' || 1975 || Sung by [[Grover]] as part of the second medley
 +
| ''[[Merry Christmas from Sesame Street]]'' || 1975
  +
|Sung by [[Grover]] as part of the second medley.
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Sesame Street Christmas Sing-Along]]'' || 1984 || Sung by [[Big Bird]]
 +
|''[[Sesame Street Christmas Sing-Along]]'' || 1984
  +
| rowspan="2" |Sung by [[Big Bird]].
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Christmas on Sesame Street]]'' || 1986 || Same version as on ''Sesame Street Christmas Sing-Along''
 +
|''[[Christmas on Sesame Street]]'' || 1986
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[We Wish You a Merry Christmas (album)|We Wish You a Merry Christmas]]'' || 1993 ||
 +
|''[[We Wish You a Merry Christmas (album)|We Wish You a Merry Christmas]]'' || 1993
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Have Yourself a Looney Tunes Christmas]]'' || 1994 ||
 +
|''[[Have Yourself a Looney Tunes Christmas]]'' || 1994
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[A Pooh Christmas]]'' || 1994 ||
 +
|''[[A Pooh Christmas]]'' || 1994
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[A Sesame Street Christmas]]'' || 1995 || Same version as on ''Merry Christmas from Sesame Street''
 +
|''[[A Sesame Street Christmas]]'' || 1995
  +
|Same version as on ''Merry Christmas from Sesame Street''.
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Nick at Nite: A Classic Cartoon Christmas]]'' || 1996 ||
 +
|''[[Nick at Nite: A Classic Cartoon Christmas]]'' || 1996
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Rudolph, Frosty and Friends' Favorite Christmas Songs]]'' || 1996 ||
 +
|''[[Rudolph, Frosty and Friends' Favorite Christmas Songs]]'' || 1996
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[A Flintstones Motown Christmas]]'' || 1996 || Performed by {{w|The Supremes|Diana Ross and the Supremes}}
 +
|''[[A Flintstones Motown Christmas]]'' || 1996
  +
|Performed by {{w|The Supremes|Diana Ross and the Supremes}}.
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Jingle Jangle Jingle with Hi-5 (album)|Jingle Jangle Jingle with Hi-5]] ''|| 2004 || Performed by {{w|Hi-5}}
 +
|''[[Jingle Jangle Jingle with Hi-5 (album)|Jingle Jangle Jingle with Hi-5]] '' || 2004
  +
|Performed by {{w|Hi-5}}.
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[The Polar Express]]'' || 2004 || Performed by {{w|Frank Sinatra}}
 +
|''[[The Polar Express]]'' || 2004 || Performed by {{w|Frank Sinatra}}
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Bob! from Sesame Street: Christmas Sing Along]]'' || 2006 || Performed by {{w|Bob McGrath}}
 +
|''[[Bob! from Sesame Street: Christmas Sing Along]]'' || 2006
  +
|Performed by {{w|Bob McGrath}}.
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[A Looney Tunes Sing-A-Long Christmas]]'' || 2006 || Sung by [[Foghorn Leghorn]]
 +
|''[[A Looney Tunes Sing-A-Long Christmas]]'' || 2006 || Sung by [[Foghorn Leghorn]]
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Phineas and Ferb Holiday Favorites]]'' || 2010 || Sung by [[w:c:phineasandferb:Love Händel|Love Händel]]
 +
|''[[Phineas and Ferb Holiday Favorites]]'' || 2010
  +
|Sung by [[w:c:phineasandferb:Love Händel|Love Händel]]
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Jingle Bell Fun]]'' || 2012 || Sung by [[Mickey Mouse]], [[Donald Duck]], and [[Goofy]]
 +
|''[[Jingle Bell Fun]]'' || 2012
  +
|Sung by [[Mickey Mouse]], [[Donald Duck]], and [[Goofy]].
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Chipmunks Christmas]]'' || 2012 || Sung by the Chipmunks
 +
|''[[Chipmunks Christmas]]'' || 2012 || Sung by the Chipmunks
 
|-
  
|-
−
| ''[[Merry Nickmas (album)|Merry Nickmas]]'' || 2012 || Performed by {{w|Rachel Crow}}, this version was featured in ''[[A Fairly Odd Christmas]]''. She also performed it at the 2012 {{w|Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade}}.
 +
|''[[Merry Nickmas (album)|Merry Nickmas]]'' || 2012
  +
|Performed by {{w|Rachel Crow}}, this version was featured in ''[[A Fairly Odd Christmas]]''. She also performed it at the 2012 {{w|Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade}}.
 
|}
  
|}
   

Revision as of 00:40, 26 December 2019

MuppetFamilyChristmas-MuppetBabies

The Muppets view a home movie of their younger selves singing the song in A Muppet Family Christmas

Dominic Roberti and Jamal Robinson-Brown's Christmas CD Single

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (sometimes with "Coming" changed to "Comin' ") is a Christmas song written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934. It became an instant hit with orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music the next day and more than 400,000 copies sold by Christmas. It is often used to tell children that Santa Claus knows when they've been bad or good and that they should be good.

The song was so popular that Rankin/Bass made it into an animated TV special in 1970. The song itself has been recorded hundreds of times, the most popular versions include those by the Andrews Sisters with Bing Crosby, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra, Cyndi Lauper with Frank Sinatra in an electronically enhanced duet (Sinatra also sang this solo), the Beach Boys, the Pointer Sisters (covering a Phil Spector-produced version by the Ronettes), Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and Rachel Crow. A version sung by Mariah Carey was included as a bonus feature in the 2005 DVD release of the Rankin/Bass special.

Lyrics

[Chorus]
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 and checking it twice
He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice
Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows that you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake

[Chorus]

With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rudy toot-toots and rummy tum-tums
Santa Claus is coming to town

And curly haired dolls that cuddle and coo
Elephants boats and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is coming to town

The kids in girl and boy land
Will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland town
All around the Christmas tree

[Chorus]

Appearances in Christmas specials

Album releases

Album Year Notes
Christmas with the Chipmunks 1961
Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm Singing Songs of Christmas 1965
Christmas with the Brady Bunch 1970
Merry Christmas from Sesame Street 1975 Sung by Grover as part of the second medley.
Sesame Street Christmas Sing-Along 1984 Sung by Big Bird.
Christmas on Sesame Street 1986
We Wish You a Merry Christmas 1993
Have Yourself a Looney Tunes Christmas 1994
A Pooh Christmas 1994
A Sesame Street Christmas 1995 Same version as on Merry Christmas from Sesame Street.
Nick at Nite: A Classic Cartoon Christmas 1996
Rudolph, Frosty and Friends' Favorite Christmas Songs 1996
A Flintstones Motown Christmas 1996 Performed by Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Jingle Jangle Jingle with Hi-5 2004 Performed by Hi-5.
The Polar Express 2004 Performed by Frank Sinatra
Bob! from Sesame Street: Christmas Sing Along 2006 Performed by Bob McGrath.
A Looney Tunes Sing-A-Long Christmas 2006 Sung by Foghorn Leghorn
Phineas and Ferb Holiday Favorites 2010 Sung by Love Händel
Jingle Bell Fun 2012 Sung by Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy.
Chipmunks Christmas 2012 Sung by the Chipmunks
Merry Nickmas 2012 Performed by Rachel Crow, this version was featured in A Fairly Odd Christmas. She also performed it at the 2012 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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