Recordings
Who had the first measurable hit in 1951?
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
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 on vocal, the version shown in the Variety charts of December 1934. The song was a sheet music hit, reaching #1. The song was also recorded on September 26, 1935, by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra. The song is a traditional standard at Christmas time, and has been covered by numerous recording artists. The 1951 version by Perry Como was the first measurable hit, and in 1963 the Four Seasons version charted at #23 on Billboard. In 1970 Rankin-Bass produced an hour-long animated television special based on the song, with narrator Fred Astaire telling the original story of Santa Claus. Many contemporary artists have recorded and performed various versions of the song, including a rock and roll version by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. The song was recorded in a 1975 live version and eventually released in 1985 as a B-side to "My Hometown", a single from the "Born in the U.S.A." album. Luis Miguel recorded the song in Spanish as "Santa Claus Llegó a La Ciudad" for his Christmas album "Navidades" (2006). His version of the song peaked at #26 on the "Billboard" Latin Pop Songs chart. Other well-known versions of this song include Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (1943), Frank Sinatra (1948), the Ray Conniff Singers (1959), Alvin and the Chipmunks (1961), The Crystals (1963), The Beach Boys (1964), The Jackson 5 (1970), The Carpenters (1978), The Pointer Sisters (1987), Neil Diamond (1992), Mariah Carey (1994), George Strait (1996), Faith Hill (2008), Miley Cyrus (2008), Andrea Bocelli (2009), Love Händel from "Phineas and Ferb" (2010), Justin Bieber (2011), Michael Bublé (2011), Mark Salling and Cory Monteith on "Glee" (2011), Colbie Caillat (2012), Rod Stewart (2012) and Dannii Minogue (2013).