The fat guy in the sleigh is on his way

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was written in 1934 by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie and first performed on Eddie Cantor’s radio show. This version is by the Supremes; it appeared on their 1965 “Merry Christmas” album.

The song was an immediate hit in 1934. There were orders for 500,000 copies of sheet music and more than 30,000 records sold within 24 hours. Record players began to sell in large numbers during and shortly after World War I; they were hammered during the Depression, but in 1934 it hadn’t fully taken hold for the music-buying public, apparently. The song’s been recorded by over 200 artists and groups by now.