Here Comes Santa Claus

"Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" is a popular Christmas song originally performed by Gene Autry, with music composed by Autry, Oakley Haldeman and Harriet Melka.^[3] Autry's original recording (in which he pronounces Santa Claus as "Santy Claus") was a top-10 hit on the pop and country charts; the song would go on to be covered many times in the subsequent decades.

"Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)"
Single by Gene Autry
B-side	"An Old Fashioned Tree"
Published	November 20, 1947 (1947-11-20) by Gene Autry Music Publishing, Inc.[1]
Released	October 6, 1947 (1947-10-06)
Recorded	August 28, 1947 (1947-08-28)[2]
Genre	Christmas
Length	2:34
Label	Columbia 37942
Songwriter(s)	Gene Autry, Harriet Melka, and Oakley Haldeman[3]

History

Autry got the idea for the song after riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade (now the Hollywood Christmas Parade) in Los Angeles, during which crowds of spectators chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus".^[4] Autry's lyrics combined two veins of the Christmas tradition, the mythology of Santa Claus and the Christian origin of the holiday (most explicitly in its mention of the nativity promise of "peace on Earth" to those who "follow the light"). A demo recording was made by singer/guitarist Johnny Bond, whose recording made use of ice cubes to mimic the sound of jingling sleigh bells. This inspired the use of real sleigh bells in Autry's own recording of the song.

Autry first recorded the song on August 28, 1947;^[2] released as a single by Columbia Records, It became a No. 5 country and No. 9 pop hit.^[5] Autry performed the song in his 1949 movie The Cowboy and the Indians.^[6] He re-recorded it again in 1953 for Columbia,^[7] and once more in 1957 for his own Challenge Records label, which released it on more than one album that year.^[8][9]

Other artists to record the song include Doris Day (1949), Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (recorded May 10, 1949),^[10] Elvis Presley (1957), the Ray Conniff Singers (1959), Keely Smith (1960), David Seville and His Chipmunks (1961), Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans (1963), Hank Thompson (1964), in excerpt by The Beach Boys as part of their song "Child of Winter" (1974), Willie Nelson (1979), Glen Campbell, RuPaul, The Wiggles (1997), Billy Idol (2006), Bob Dylan (2009), Mariah Carey (2010), Chicago (2011), the Glee cast (2013), Anna Kendrick (2015), Pentatonix (2018), and Seth MacFarlane and Elizabeth Gillies (2023). In 1988, "Here Comes Santa Claus" was featured in Very Merry Christmas Songs which is part of the Disney Sing Along Songs collection. The song was also featured prominently in the popular 1989 Christmas movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation during the climax towards the end of the film.^[11][12] The version of the song used was Autry's 1957 Challenge Records recording.^[9]

Chart performance

Gene Autry version

1948 weekly chart performance for "Here Comes Santa Claus"

Chart (1948)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot Country Singles	5
US Billboard Best Sellers in Stores	9

2019–2025 weekly chart performance for "Here Comes Santa Claus"

Chart (2019–2025)	Peak position
Global 200 (Billboard)[13]	45
Greece International (IFPI)[14]	93
Ireland (IRMA)[15]	77
Lithuania (AGATA)[16]	100
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17]	94
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18]	63
UK Singles (OCC)[19]	89
US Billboard Hot 100[20]	21
US Rolling Stone Top 100[21]	22

Elvis Presley version

2022–2023 weekly chart performance for "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Elvis Presley

Chart (2022–2024)	Peak position
Global 200 (Billboard)[22]	104
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23]	67
UK Streaming Chart (OCC)[24]	86

Frank Sinatra version

2023 weekly chart performance for "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Frank Sinatra

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25]	89

Certifications

Elvis Presley version

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[26]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Gene Autry version

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1947). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1947 Published Music Jan-Dec 3D Ser Vol 1 Pt 5A. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
2. "COLUMBIA 78rpm numerical listing discography: 37500 - 38000". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
3. "Columbia matrix HCO2587. Here comes Santa Claus (down Santa Claus Lane) / Gene Autry". Discography of American Historical Recordings. University of California, Santa Barbara Library. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
4. "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)". Geneautry.com. Gene Autry Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
6. "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
7. "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) Song Information". Geneautry.com. Gene Autry Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019. Gene Autry's Columbia Records Information for Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane): Columbia Records, Recorded August 28, 1947, in Hollywood... Columbia Records, Recorded June 25, 1953, in Hollywood.
8. "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer Song Information". Geneautry.com. Gene Autry Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019. In the Autumn of 1957 in Hollywood, California Gene Autry recorded seven Christmas tracks that were originally released on LP as Christmastime with Gene Autry on his own Challenge record label... All songs had vocals by Gene Autry with accompaniment by full orchestra and chorus condected [sic] by Carl Cotner.
9. "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
10. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
11. Hughes, Becky (December 24, 2018). "Why We Still Love National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays. AMG/Parade. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019. When a SWAT team arrives to the strains of Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus," the tone is just right.
12. Roberson, Joe (December 5, 2014). "25 Things You Never Knew About 'Christmas Vacation'". Zimbio.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019. Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus" scores the scene when the police storm the Griswolds' house. Coincidentally, Randy Quaid is Autry's third cousin.
13. "Gene Autry Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
14. "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) - Week 52/2023". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
15. "IRMA – Irish Charts (Week 52, 2024)". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
16. "2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
17. "Gene Autry – Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
18. "Gene Autry – Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
20. "Gene Autry Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
21. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. December 26, 2019. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
22. "Elvis Presley Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
23. "Elvis Presley – Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
24. "Official Streaming Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
25. "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 52". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
26. "British single certifications – Elvis Presley – Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
27. "British single certifications – Gene Autry – Here Comes Santa Claus". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 3, 2025.