"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" | |
---|---|
Single by Jimmy Boyd | |
Language | English |
B-side | "Thumbelina" |
Released | 1952 |
Recorded | 1952 |
Composer(s) | Tommie Connor |
Lyricist(s) | Tommie Connor |
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is a Christmas song with music and lyrics by British songwriter Tommie Connor and first recorded by American singer Jimmy Boyd in 1952. [1] The song has since been covered by many artists, with the Ronettes's 1963 and the Jackson 5's 1970 versions being the most famous.
The original recording by Jimmy Boyd, recorded on 15 July 1952, when he was 13 years old, [1] reached No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart in December 1952, and on the Cash Box chart at the beginning of the following year. It later reached number three in the UK Singles Chart when released there in November 1953. The song was commissioned by Saks Fifth Avenue to promote the store's Christmas card for the year, which featured an original sketch by artist Perry Barlow, who drew for The New Yorker for many decades.
The song describes a scene where a child walks downstairs from his bedroom on Christmas Eve to see his mother kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe. The lyric concludes with the child wondering how his father will react on hearing of the kiss, unaware of the possibility that Santa Claus is merely his father in a costume.
It was reported that Boyd's record was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church and Banned in Boston when it was released, believing that it described an adulterous encounter. [2] The story goes that Boyd was then photographed meeting with the Archdiocese of Boston to explain the joke behind the song, after which the ban was lifted. [2] [3] However, the Archdiocese has no records of any ban, and no contemporaneous records or photographs can be found of a meeting between Boyd and any officials and the story appears to be a myth. [2]
A slightly less successful version of the song (#7 on the US Charts) was released in 1952 by Spike Jones [4] (with vocal by George Rock in the little boy voice used in Spike's hit "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"). Jones also recorded a parody for his personal pleasure titled "I Saw Mommy Screwing Santa Claus." [5]
A recording by 13-year-old Molly Bee appeared on the US Country charts in 1952.[ citation needed ]
Versions by the Beverley Sisters and by Billy Cotton and His Band charted on the UK Singles Chart in December 1953, peaking at, respectively, No. 6 [6] and No. 11. [7]
In 1962, The Four Seasons (band) released a version of the song on their Christmas Album. This versin differs from the others as it features the distinct falsetto of Frankie Valli
The Ronettes recorded their own version in 1963 for A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector . This version both debuted and peaked at No. 84 on Billboard's Holiday 100 chart on the week ending 10 December 2016. [8]
The Jackson 5 recorded the song for their 1970 Christmas album. The version entered the UK Singles Chart at its peak position, No. 91, on the week ending 5 December 1987, and charting for four weeks total. [9] It also peaked at No. 30 on Billboard's Holiday 100 chart on the week ending 2 December 2023, [10] at No. 43 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart on the week ending 6 January 2024, [11] and at No. 100 on a Swiss singles chart on the week ending 29 December 2019. [12]
John Cougar Mellencamp recorded the song in 1987 that was included on the first A Very Special Christmas compilation album, which benefits the Special Olympics.
A made-for-television movie based on the song was released in 2001.
Chart (1953) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC) [13] | 3 |
Chart (1953) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC) [14] | 11 |
Chart (1953) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC) [15] | 6 |
Chart (2019–2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [16] | 97 |
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [17] | 79 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [18] | 94 |
Portugal (AFP) [19] | 146 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [20] | 100 |
UK Singles (OCC) [21] | 84 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [22] | 43 |
US Holiday 100 ( Billboard ) [23] | 30 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [24] The Jackson 5 version | Gold | 45,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] The Jackson 5 version | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Last Christmas" is a song by English pop duo Wham!. Written and produced by George Michael, it was released on 3 December 1984 via CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side via Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in several European countries. The song has been covered by many artists since its original release, including Whigfield, Crazy Frog, Billie Piper, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
Jimmy Devon Boyd was an American singer, musician, and actor known for his 1952 recording of the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first recorded by Harry Reser and His Orchestra. When it was covered by Eddie Cantor on his radio show in November 1934 it became a hit; within 24 hours, 500,000 copies of sheet music and more than 30,000 records were sold. The version for Bluebird Records by George Hall and His Orchestra was very popular in 1934 and reached the various charts of the day. The song has been recorded by over 200 artists including Mariah Carey, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, the Crystals, Neil Diamond, Fred Astaire, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Mitch Miller, Boxcar Willie, Bill Evans, Chris Isaak, the Temptations, The Pointer Sisters, the Carpenters, Michael Bublé, Luis Miguel, Michael Bolton, jschlatt, and the Jackson 5.
Jackson 5 Christmas Album was the first Christmas album, and fourth studio album, by Motown family quintet the Jackson 5, released on October 15, 1970. Included on the Christmas Album is the Jacksons' hit single version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town". The Jacksons' versions of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" remain frequent radio requests during the Christmas season. The album spent four weeks at the number one position on Billboard magazine's special Christmas Albums chart that the magazine published in December 1970, making it the best-selling Christmas album of that year and also of the year 1972 in the United States. This album was a top seller and had the potential to chart high on the US Billboard Top LPs ranking, but from 1963 to 1973, holiday albums were not allowed to chart in it. The album has been praised by music critics and has since sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
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"Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson and most famously recorded by Elvis Presley, although it was first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948. It is a tale of unrequited love during the holidays and is a longstanding staple of Christmas music, especially in the country genre.
"Sleigh Ride" is a light orchestra standard composed by Leroy Anderson. He formed the idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and finished it in February 1948. Its first performance was by the Boston Pops Orchestra, with Arthur Fiedler conducting, on May 4, 1948.
"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. 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.
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i saw mommy screwing santa claus.