Leave it to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band to take the generic Christmas tune “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and cover it like it’s their very own creation. The 1981 recording opens with Bruce chatting with the crowd, painting  a picture of a freezing Boardwalk. “Hey Dan! What time is it?” he rasps to organist Danny Federici. “Oh, it’s Christmastime?” Bruce chuckles snidely and asks the crowd if they’ve been good, and you wonder how good The Boss has actually been.

This is the most sinful caution to be good you’ll find this Christmas, decadent in whirring guitars, punctuating solid drums, and irresponsible repetition that, indeed, “Santa Claus is comin’ to town.” Bruce tells the haunting facts of the omniscient Santa Claus over Federici’s light organ and Roy Bittan’s piano gliding over Steven Van Zandt’s guitar— Van Zandt, who will later star in The Sopranos and definitely need to watch out when a fat stranger tries to shove himself down a chimney. 

The chorus runs wild with rolling guitar like any solid number off of Tracks. And when Clarence Clemens weighs in, all baritone all the time, “You better be good for goodness’s sake,” you obey like you did when he told you to “get the picture” on Born To Run’s “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.”

The cover finishes out with a saxophone solo, and Bruce calling out, “Saaaanta Claus is comin’ to town,” a raspy whine letting you know exactly what’s up, and demonstrating his personal opinion that most are on a simple, first-name basis with The Other Big Man. The band gets into full character: Max Weinberg builds his drums and Clemens chortles some “ho, ho, ho’s” throwing Bruce into a fit of laughter. It’s an E Street Christmas, and we’re all invited. 

****.5/***** 

*This review was composed by Emily Coch