‘Little Saint Nick’: The Beach Boys Soup-Up A Classic Christmas Car Song
Inspired in part by Phil Spector, the band’s first festive hit was full of fun, fun, fun.
Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus manages to deliver Christmas presents all over the world in the space of just one night? We know his team of elves and flying reindeer help him every Christmas Eve… But maybe he could go even faster if he customized his sled and turned it into a hot rod? In theory, it’s a great idea – and one The Beach Boys examined in great detail on their iconic Christmas song “Little Saint Nick.”
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Brian Wilson got interested in the idea of The Beach Boys writing a Christmas song after he attended one of the sessions for producer Phil Spector’s festive album A Christmas Gift For You. Wilson even played piano on a couple of takes of that album’s “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” though in the end his contribution wasn’t included.
Similar in rhythm and structure to “Little Deuce Coupe” (the flipside to one of the band’s previous 45s, “Surfer Girl”), the single version of “Little Saint Nick” featured suitably festive sonic embroidery such as sleigh bells and celeste, but it still absorbed some of The Beach Boys’ quintessential California sun. Its automotive lyric (“She’s candy apple red with a ski for a wheel/And when Santa hits the gas, man, just watch her peel”) also added an irreverent new twist to the Father Christmas story.
The public immediately took a shine to “Little Saint Nick,” with the song peaking at No. 3 on Billboard’s special seasonal weekly Christmas singles chart in December 1963. Indeed, the record was successful enough to prompt Capitol Records to agree to the band recording a full-length album of festive songs. That record, The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album, was released in November 1964 and also featured “Little Saint Nick,” albeit in re-recorded form. The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album also went on to make the Top 10 on Billboard’s Christmas Albums chart – and its success was a vindication for the band, who actually loved the festive season every bit as much as they dug sun, surf, and the summer.
“A lot of The Beach Boys’ singing originally was at Christmas parties,” Mike Love revealed in The Times in 2022. “My mom had an organ and a harp and we would get together for Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays – and it was always about the music.”
