Rock and Roll Christmas

As we get near the end of this first era of rock and roll that we cover, we have groups like The Beach Boys. They take the vocal harmonies of doo wop and the beat of rock and roll to a new place, where there are sand, surf, cars, and girls. And, oh yes, don’t forget Santa Claus. It’s one of the great Christmas music golden oldies.

The song “Little Saint Nick” was written by group members Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Santa’s sleigh could be kind of like a hot rod. Why not? The line ”Run run reindeer” was a reference, perhaps, to Chuck Berry’s song “Run Rudolph Run.” Anyway, the song was first released as a single on December 9, 1963, and peaked at No. 3 on Billboard Magazine’s special seasonal weekly Christmas Singles chart. That Christmas the nation mourned and focused on the recently assassinated President John F. Kennedy. However, the single went into the Top Ten of six major markets and in the Top Twenty of several other cities. Eventually, over the years and with the song’s inclusion on the classic 1964 The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album, “Little Saint Nick” became a million-seller — and a Christmas standard. The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album was in some ways a response to Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift to You from Phillies Records. Of course, they did it with their own flare. The first side contained original songs, including “Little Saint Nick,” and the B-Side had traditional songs. The group had formed in 1961 with brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson with their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. This is rock and roll at its finest.

Here are the lyrics to “Little Saint Nick” by The Beach Boys:

“Oooooooo
Merry Christmas Saint Nick
Christmas comes this time each year

Oooooooo

Well way up north where the air gets cold
There’s a tale about Christmas
That you’ve all been told
And a real famous cat all dressed up in red
All he spends all year workin’ out on his sled

It’s the little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
It’s the little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick

Just a little bobsled we call the old Saint Nick
But she’ll walk a toboggan with a four-speed stick
She’s candy apple red with a ski for a wheel
And when Santa hits the gas man just watch her peel

It’s the little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
It’s the little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick

Run run reindeer
Run run reindeer
Whoaa
Run run reindeer
Run run reindeer

He don’t miss no one

And haulin’ through the snow at a frightening speed
With a half a dozen deer with Rudy to lead
He’s got to wear his goggles cause the snow really flies
And he’s cruisin’ every path with a little surprise

It’s the little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
It’s the little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick

Oooooooo
Merry Christmas Saint Nick
Christmas comes this time each year

Oooooooo
Merry Christmas Saint Nick
Christmas comes this time each year

Oooooooo
Merry Christmas Saint Nick
Christmas comes this time each year”

If you are interested in the album listening to “Little Saint Nick” and other golden oldies by The Beach Boys on their Christmas Album, please consider this from amazon: The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album.

For More Golden Oldies Music

For More Golden Oldies Music       

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop, rock and roll, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Golden Oldies Juke Box Saturday Night, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

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