| "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" | |
|---|---|
 One of the covers for the 1934 sheet music | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1934 by Leo Feist, Inc. |
| Songwriter(s) | J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie |
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first recorded by Harry Reser and His Orchestra.[1] When it was covered by Eddie Cantor on his radio show in November 1934 it became a hit; within 24 hours, 500,000 copies of sheet music and more than 30,000 records were sold.[2][3] 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.[4] The song has been recorded by over 200 artists including Mariah Carey, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, the Crystals, Neil Diamond, Fred Astaire, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Mitch Miller, Boxcar Willie, Bill Evans, Chris Isaak, the Temptations, The Pointer Sisters, the Carpenters, Michael Bublé, Luis Miguel, Michael Bolton, and the Jackson 5.[5]
- ^ "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town Composed by Haven Gillespie / J. Fred Coots". AllMusic. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Collins, Ace (October 5, 2010). Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas. Zondervan. ISBN 9780310597476. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Collins, Ace (October 5, 2010). "4 Santa Claus Is Coming to Town". Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas. Zondervan. pp. 224. ISBN 978-0310327950. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 189. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ The Richest Songs in The World (Television production). BBC. 2012.