Bruce has covered many Christmas classics over the years, but one of his most obscure holiday covers is almost certainly “Santa Claus Baby” by The Voices, a Los Angeles-based doo-wop duo, who recorded and released their holiday heartbreak song in 1955.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKEiUnMxaUw
The Voices are largely forgotten today, and “Santa Claus Baby” doesn’t get much airplay.
But Bruce surely knows the song, because he performed it–one time only–with Jimmy Vivino at Bruce’s first of five Asbury Park holiday shows in December 2001. Unlike The Voices’ version, however, Bruce’s take rocks a lot harder than it swings.
A few years later, Joan Osborne rescued the song from obscurity and included a more traditional arrangement on her own Christmas album, Christmas Means Love. If you search for “Santa Claus Baby” today, it’s Osborne’s version you’re most likely to find.
Santa Claus Baby
First performed: December 3, 2001 (Asbury Park, NJ)
Last performed: December 3, 2001 (Asbury Park, NJ)
