You’d think the guy with one of the best-selling Christmas singles of all time would have released at least one Christmas album by now. And yet, here we are: fifty holiday seasons into his recording career, and we’re still waiting for a Bruce Springsteen Christmas album.
As it turns out, there’s a reason for that. Bruce was refreshingly candid about it when he spoke with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in 2020:
But if we have to keep waiting and wishing for a Springsteen holiday album, at least there’s no shortage of live Springsteen performances of holiday classics… if you know where to look for them.
As it turns out, you can look right here.
Each song title in the guided tour below links to a full essay I wrote sometime over the past five years. Check them out to explore backstories, compare original versions, and enjoy some of Bruce’s best performances over the years.
Early Rock and Roll Holiday Hits
Bruce is especially fond of Christmas classics from the golden age of rock and roll–half of the songs in our Springsteen holiday jukebox date back to the 1950s (or earlier).
- Chuck Berry’s 1958 “Run Rudolph Run” marries the red-nosed reindeer to “Little Queenie,” another Springsteen favorite. Check out the surprising link between the two and enjoy Bruce’s great performances with Jon Bon Jovi, Bobby Bandiera, The Max Weinberg 7, and more.
- “Blue Christmas” dates back even further, although it’s the 1957 Elvis Presley version that earned it perennial status. Listen to the original versions along with three terrific Springsteen performances (including one very poignant one).
- Don’t call “Jingle Bell Rock” an oldie. The 1957 single (notice how many holiday favorites debuted in the late fifties) continues to grow in popularity, peaking at #3 on the Hot 100 as recently as 2020. Bruce welcomed audiences with it during his 2001 holiday shows, and you can listen to those performances by clicking the link above.
- “Santa Claus Baby” is a deep holiday cut. Mostly forgotten today, the 1955 holiday heartbreak song by The Voices got a swinging rock treatment from Bruce, Jimmy Vivino and The Max Weinberg 7 in 2001.
- Another holiday obscurity: the 1961 B-side “Christmas Day” by Detroit Junior. Watch Bruce unleash his inner Killer at the piano when he joins Vivino and The Max Weinberg 7 on stage in 2003.
- Sneaking in at the tail end of rock’s golden age is Darlene Love’s 1963 holiday favorite, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” named the Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Song of All Time by Rolling Stone. Bruce performed it at each and every holiday show from 2000 to 2003. Check out the essay to catch Bruce performing it with Jon Bon Jovi, Little Steven, Southside Johnny, Jesse Malin, Willie Nile, and more.
Classic Carols
It isn’t Christmas without carols, and even Springsteen has been known to enjoy a holiday chestnut from time to time.
- “Joy to the World” is the oldest song in our holiday jukebox–it dates back more then three centuries. Check out the earliest known recording (from 1926!) and watch Bruce sing it with Sting, James Taylor, Ronnie Spector, Darlene Love, and other luminaries at Sting and Trudie Styler’s Rainforest Fund benefit in 2016.
- You think it’s a Christmas carol, but “Do You Hear What I Hear” is actually a cold war protest song about nuclear annihilation. (You’re welcome.) Listeners glommed on to the Christian imagery, however, and it became a favorite (if misunderstood) holiday standard. Watch Bruce perform with that same 2016 all-star line-up.
Springsteen Singles
No Springsteen holiday collection could be complete without Bruce’s own two immensely popular holiday covers.
- “Merry Christmas, Baby” dates back to 1947, but it was Otis Redding’s 1968 version that influenced Bruce’s 1986 B-side. It’s popped up in Springsteen’s set lists with regularity ever since 1980, and there are many wonderful filmed performances to enjoy if you click the link above.
- And of course: Bruce’s original and perennial Christmas cover, “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.” The backstory is tragic, but the track is timeless. So is Bruce’s version, which pops up on your FM dial with regularity each and every December. Watch some of Bruce’s best seasonal (and off-seasonal) performances here.
Christmas Comedy
And then there are a couple of holiday songs that haven’t exactly earned classic status, but they’ll at least make you crack a smile.
- “Pilgrim in the Temple of Love” is the lone Springsteen original on our holiday list. This ribald 1996 holiday fable has a lot to say, even though Bruce says it with tongue firmly in cheek. It’s well worth checking out, but I wouldn’t recommend listening at work or with kids around.
- And lastly, “It’s Gonna Be a Bruce Springsteen Christmas.” Bruce doesn’t actually sing this one, but Xander Green channels him pretty well in a performance that makes me laugh when I re-watch it every year at this time.
I hope you enjoyed this brief guided tour through Bruce’s best holiday-themed performances. Have a great holiday season, and let’s hope we all get a little closer to peace on earth soon.
