Which Christmas carol did Bruce Springsteen record live and then release?

Bruce Springsteen recorded and released the Christmas carol “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” as a live performance with the E Street Band. The best-known version was recorded on December 12, 1975, at C.W. Post College in Greenvale, New York, during the Born to Run era.

Springsteen’s rendition is lively and partly spoken, giving the traditional song a humorous, rock-and-roll character. It was later issued on holiday compilations and became especially familiar as the B-side of his 1985 single “My Hometown.” The recording had also appeared earlier on the Sesame Street-related compilation In Harmony 2.

The song itself is much older than Springsteen’s version: John Frederick Coots composed the music and Haven Gillespie wrote the lyrics, with the song introduced by Eddie Cantor on radio in 1934. A common mix-up is the title’s wording: the official title is “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” not “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” although the longer form is often used informally. Springsteen also performed other holiday material live, but this is the signature Christmas carol associated with his recorded concert performances.