"Little Saint Nick" is a song by American rock band

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

first released as a single on December 9, 1963. Written by

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

and

Mike Love Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who is one of the vocalists of the Beach Boys, of which he was an original member alongside his cousins Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson and their frien ...

, the Christmas song applies hot-rod themes to

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

and his sleigh. The single peaked at number 3 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine's special seasonal weekly Christmas Singles chart. Its B-side was an

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

version of " The Lord's Prayer". In November 1964, an alternate mix of "Little Saint Nick" appeared as the opening track on '' The Beach Boys' Christmas Album''.

Background

"Little Saint Nick" was recorded on October 20, 1963, at Western Studio in Hollywood. The idea for the song was partly inspired by record producer

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

's plans to record a Christmas album. Wilson recalled: "I wrote the lyrics to it while I was out on a date and then I rushed home to finish the music." Some of its rhythm and structure derives from the group's " Little Deuce Coupe", also co-written by Wilson and released as a single six months earlier. Love was not originally listed as the co-writer of "Little Saint Nick". His credit was awarded after a 1990s lawsuit.

Variations

"Little Saint Nick" reappeared on '' The Beach Boys' Christmas Album'' in 1964, with the stereo pressings of the album containing a new mix that removes the overdubbed sleigh bells, celeste and glockenspiel. This was done so that it would fit better with the sound of the album's first side, which was recorded in a hurry with basic instrumentation. Another version of the song, utilizing the melody and backing track later used for the '' All Summer Long'' song "

Drive-In A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or Drive-in theater, movie theater) where one can driving, drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by ...

", was recorded during the album sessions in June 1964, but remained unreleased until a 1991 CD reissue.

Personnel

Single version

- lead vocals; harmony vocals *

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; grand piano;

celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...

Carl Wilson Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Dennis Wilson, ...

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; bass guitar; sleigh bells *

Al Jardine Alan Charles Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist, background vocalist, and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as number-one hit ...

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; lead guitar;

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( ; or , : bells and : play) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the v ...

David Marks David Lee Marks (born August 22, 1948) is an American guitarist who was an early member of the Beach Boys. While growing up in Hawthorne, California, Marks was a neighborhood friend of the original band members and was a frequent participant at t ...

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; rhythm guitar *

Dennis Wilson Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their drummer and the middle brother of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Carl Wilson as well as ...

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; drums Additional personnel *

Murry Wilson Murry Gage Wilson (July 2, 1917 – June 4, 1973) was an American songwriter, talent manager, record producer, and music publisher, best known as the father of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. Af ...

- sleigh bells

Album version

- lead vocals; harmony vocals *

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; grand piano *

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; bass guitar *

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; lead guitar *

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; rhythm guitar *

- harmony vocals; backing vocals; drums

Charts

Certifications

Notes

Songs about Santa Claus 1963 singles 1910 Fruitgum Company songs Capitol Records singles American Christmas songs She & Him songs Sugar Ray songs The Beach Boys songs Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson Songs written by Brian Wilson Songs written by Mike Love 1963 songs Christmas novelty songs Songs about cars {{1960s-rock-song-stub