Santa Claus Is Back in Town explained

Santa Claus Is Back in Town
Cover:Santa Claus is Back 45 single RCA.jpg
Type:Song
Artist:Elvis Presley
Album:Elvis' Christmas Album
Language:English
Published:Elvis Presley Music, Inc.
Released:October 15, 1957
Length:2:25
Label:RCA Victor
Producer:Leiber-Stoller
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"Santa Claus Is Back in Town" is a Christmas song written in 1957 by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and first recorded that year by Elvis Presley[1] as the opening track on Elvis' Christmas Album, the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of all time in the United States. The song has become a rock and roll Christmas standard.

"Santa Claus Is Back in Town" was paired with "Santa, Bring My Baby Back to Me" and was issued as a UK single concurrently with the album's release in 1957. The single reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1957. RCA rereleased the song as a 45 vinyl 7" single in 1985, PB-14237B, paired with "Merry Christmas, Baby". In 1980, the song reached #41 on the UK singles chart in December in a six-week chart run.[2]

In 1965 the single "Blue Christmas"/"Santa Claus is Back in Town" reached the # 4 position on the Billboard Top Cristmas Singles.[3] The "Blue Christmas"/"Santa Claus is Back in Town" single was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 1999.[4]

Synopsis

The song, set in a basic twelve-bar blues layout with three verses, consists of an elaborate double entendre in which the singer, identifying himself as Santa Claus but having no sleigh, reindeer or sack of toys, promises to arrive in "a big black Cadillac" with the intent of "coming down (a young woman's) chimney" Christmas Eve.

Album appearances

The song appeared on the original RCA Victor LP, Elvis' Christmas Album, the 1958 reissue, the 1970 RCA Camden reissue, the UK release of the Camden version, CDS 1155, the 1975 Pickwick reissue, and the 1985 RCA Special Products rerelease. The song also appeared on the 1982 RCA Memories of Christmas compilation, the 1994 BMG album If Every Day Was Like Christmas[5] the 2003 BMG Christmas Peace collection, and the 2006 BMG Elvis Christmas album. The song was featured on the 2008 Presley album Christmas Duets in a duet with Wynonna Judd.

The song is the opening track on the 2017 album Christmas with Elvis and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Personnel

"Santa Claus Is Back In Town" was recorded on September 7, 1957, at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California. The musicians on the session were:

Covers

Many musical artists have covered the song. Notably, Dwight Yoakam featured the song on his 1997 Christmas album Come On Christmas and released it as a single. The single reached #60 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

The song was covered by Nashville band, The Royal Court of China and featured, along with Floyd Cramer, Elvis Presley's original band, D. J. Fontana, Scotty Moore, Jimmy "Orion" Ellis, and The Jordanaires on MWC America Records. This was the last recording the original members appeared on together.

Another notable version was by Robert Plant and The Honeydrippers, as performed on Saturday Night Live on December 15, 1984.[6] Jonny Lang covered it on 1997's A Very Special Christmas 3.[7] Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul covered the song for the 2018 film The Christmas Chronicles.[8] [9]

Lainey Wilson performed the song live on the NBC holiday TV special Christmas at Graceland, which aired on Wednesday, November 29, 2023.[10]

Chart performance

The recording was a top ten hit on the UK Singles Chart and a top five hit on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart. The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA.[11]

Elvis Presley recording

Chart (1957)Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[12] 7
Chart (1965)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Christmas Singles4

Dwight Yoakam recording

Movie appearances

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Blue Christmas/Santa Claus Is Back In Town (rehearsal) . 2024-06-15 . Elvis Presley Official Site . es-ES.
  2. Web site: Song artist 2 - Elvis Presley . Tsort.info . December 16, 2018 . November 7, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071107063843/http://tsort.info/music/mfeu1b.htm . live .
  3. Web site: Billboard December 16, 1966 - Pag 15 . June 17, 2024 . May 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240519142416/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-12-18.pdf . live .
  4. Web site: Gold and Platinum Data . RIAA . December 16, 2018 . February 3, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150203141448/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database . live .
  5. Web site: Presley . Elvis . If Every Day Was Like Christmas . discogs.com.
  6. Web site: SNL Season 10 Episode 09 - Eddie Murphy, Robert Plant and the Honeydrippers . NBC . December 16, 2018 . December 1, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181201140719/http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/season-10/episode/9-eddie-murphy-with-robert-plant-and-the-honeydrippers-64831 . live .
  7. Web site: A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 3 | A Very Special Christmas. Averyspecialchristmas.org. April 28, 2021. August 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160817070307/http://www.averyspecialchristmas.org/albums/a-very-special-christmas-vol-3. live.
  8. Web site: Saunders. Mike. 9 July 2021. Disciples of Soul Interviews. 2021-12-27. Backstreets Magazine. December 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211227195352/https://www.backstreets.com/DOS1.html. live.
  9. Web site: Daly. John. 2018-11-26. Kurt Russell Sings The Blues as Santa Jailed with Little Steven in 'Christmas Chronicles'. dead. 2021-12-27. California Rocker. en-US. December 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211227211247/https://californiarocker.com/2018/11/26/kurt-russell-sings-blues-santa-jailed-little-steven-christmas-chronicles-netflix/.
  10. Web site: Beifuss, John. "NBC's 'Christmas at Graceland': The show's top moments, from Lana Del Rey to Post Malone." Memphis Commercial Appeal, Thursday, November 30, 2023. Retrieved 30 November, 2023. . November 30, 2023 . November 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231130130023/https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/2023/11/30/christmas-at-graceland-on-nbc-elvis-post-malone-dolly-parton-riley-keough/71743275007/ . live .
  11. Web site: Gold & Platinum . 2022-08-07 . RIAA . en-US . April 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210421125838/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/ . live .
  12. Web site: 2023-12-16 . Official Singles Chart on 13/12/1957 . 2024-06-17 . Official Charts . en . February 21, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240221192037/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19571213/7501/ . live .
  13. Web site: 1980-12-06 . SANTA CLAUS IS BACK IN TOWN . 2024-06-17 . Official Charts . en . January 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111221747/https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/elvis-presley-santa-claus-is-back-in-town/ . live .

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