Here Comes Santa Claus (song)

Autry got the idea for the song after riding his horse, Champion, in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade in Los Angeles, during which crowds of spectators chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus". This inspired him to write a song that Haldeman set to music. A demo recording was made by singer/guitarist Johnny Bond, whose recording made use of ice cubes to mimic the sound of the jingling sleigh bells. This inspired the use of real sleigh bells in Autry's own recording of the song.

Autry first recorded the song in 1947; released as a single by Columbia Records, it became a #5 country and #9 pop hit. He recorded it again for Columbia in 1953 and once more for his own Challenge Records label in 1957.

Other artists to record the song include:

• Doris Day (1949)
• Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (1950)
• Elvis Presley (1957)
• The Ray Conniff Singers (1959)
• Alvin and the Chipmunks (1961)
• Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans (1963)
• Willie Nelson (1979)
• The Wiggles (1997)
• Billy Idol (2006)
• Dora Márquez (2008)
• Bob Dylan (2009)
• Mariah Carey (2010)

Lyrics[]

Appearances in Christmas specials[]

• The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
• A Chipmunk Christmas (1981)
• Disney's Very Merry Christmas Songs (1988)
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas (1997)
• The Simpsons: "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (1997) - Sung by the Simpsons as they are driving their new car (though Homer switches to "Jingle Bells" after the first line).
• I'll Be Home For Christmas (1998)
• The Simpsons: "'Tis the Fifteenth Season" (2003)"
• The Polar Express (2004)
• Malcolm in the Middle: "Hal's Christmas Gift" (2004)
• Fred Claus (2007) - The 1949 version is used as a background running gag for some of the film's running time.
• Nativity! (2009)
• Bones: "The Goop on the Girl" (2009)
• The Cleveland Show: "A Cleveland Brown Christmas" (2009)
• Christmas in Compton (2012)
• glee: "Previously Unaired Christmas" (2013)
• Get Santa (2016)
• The Big Bang Theory: "The Clean Room Infiltration" (2014)
• Office Christmas Party (2016)
• Riverdale: "Chapter Twenty-Two: Silent Night, Deadly Night" (2017)
• The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
• Red One (2024) - Ray Conniff Singers' cover was used in the beginning.

Album releases[]

• Christmas with the Chipmunks (1961)
• Disney presents A Family Christmas (1980)
• Elmo Saves Christmas: Holiday Favorites (1998)
• The Chipmunks' Greatest Christmas Hits (1999)
• Disney's Family Christmas Collection (2003)
• The Polar Express (2004)
• Christmas with Disney (2006)
• The Archies Christmas Album featuring Betty & Veronica (2008)
• Chipmunks Christmas (2012)

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).