Snow Jams
Were making our lists and playing them twice.
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This list originally ran on December 1, 2022.
But in honor of Santas annual tour around the world, were republishing it today.
Theres exactly one criterion for a great performance of Santa Claus is Coming to Town: Is it joyful?
The tune is peak Christmas cheer, a song about the childlike glee the season can bring.
The great ones, though, are a varied bunch.
But when a cover truly excels, like the ten below, its a conduit for Christmas spirit.
10.Joseph Spence
10.
Everyone knows the words to Christmas standards thats kind of the point.
Thats also what makes this impromptu 1972 performance by Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence so fun.
(Like much of the best holiday singing, the performance allegedly came after a few drinks.)
9.Justin Bieber
9.
Three words that change everything: Santas comin, girl!
(Smartly, he stayed one degree removed from their performance of Santa Claus.)
8.Burl Ives
8.
Leave it to Burl Ives instead.
It all sounds instantly familiar the definition of a timeless take.
7.The Pointer Sisters
7.
As weve already established, getting messy can be part of the fun when singing Christmas songs.
It sounds like theyve never had more fun singing together.
6.Beach Boys
6.
Its overstuffed with ideas: signature barbershop-esque harmonies, big-band-style orchestrations, cartoonish whistles, and xylophone in between.
5.Dolly Parton
5.
But as in her regular catalogue, she can do Christmas joy just as well.
4.The Crystals
4.
By the time the Crystals performed Santa Claus, the song had been around for nearly three decades.
Yet the girl group was the first to transform the song into pop music.
By doing so, their performance became the blueprint for Santa Claus covers.
3.Mariah Carey
3.
Regardless, the central truth is that Carey is damn good at singing Santa Claus.
2.Jackson 5
2.
Anyone can sing Santa Claus, but it takes a kid to truly sell the excitement.
Thats how the Jackson 5 made one of the songs definitive performances.
They sounded like theybelieved, and for a few minutes, they could make you believe too.
1.Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
1.
But then theres the performance itself: boisterous, jubilant, and just full of life.
They take a minute to ease into things before absolutely flooring it after the first verse.
Nearly 50 years later, its still a heartwarming shot of Christmas spirit like no other.
