Parker McCollum Reminds CMA Country Christmas Viewers They “Better Be Good”
Everyone has their favorite version of a Christmas song, but that’s not to say that a song can’t continue growing and changing over time.
Such is the case for “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town,” a song that goes back to the 1930s.
As styles have changed, so has the song. Going from a big band sound, the song notably evolved by the 1960s, as it was given the Phil Spector-treatment with The Crystals, with the Supremes and the Pointer Sisters all giving it there best shot as well.
Then, of course, there’s Bruce Springsteen’s raucous take on the Christmas standard, with help from his E Street Band. This live recording, from 1975, is energetic and is imbued with Springsteen’s signature approach to his forte: the rock ballad.
For country artist Parker McCollum, the Bruce Springsteen version was his starting point.
Recorded for Apple Music’s 2025 edition of Carols Covered, Parker recalled that he had previously performed this song live on Fox News when he was just beginning as a country artist.
“It was one of the first times I ever played with a full band,” Parker stated, adding that he borrowed Brandon Rhyder’s band for the performance. “It was the first time I was ever on live TV.”
Now, Parker has more experience under his belt, and he gave the song another go while performing on the December 2 broadcast of the CMA Country Christmas on ABC.
His lively and upbeat performance was a standout part of the program. Watch it below!
Past Versions Of The Song
To see how Parker’s take compares to other renditions of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town,” here are a few notable examples of other versions.
Listen to the song with Phil Spector’s “wall of sound,” as performed by The Crystals, here:
While the 1975 recording of Bruce Springsteen’s live performance of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” is the most iconic one, he was filmed performing it in 1978. That performance can be watched, here:
