Bob Dylan – Must Be Santa

I would never bet against Bob doing anything. When one of my friends told me at the time that Dylan released a Christmas album…I thought he was kidding. No, he wasn’t…and I liked it when I heard it. This song was based on a German drinking game, with the lyrics taking on a ‘call and answer’ structure… “Who’s got a beard/That’s long and white?/Santa’s got a beard/That’s long and white.”

“Must Be Santa” was written by Hal Moore and Bill Fredericks. The song was first released in 1960 by Mitch Miller. In 2009, Bob Dylan covered Brave Combo’s arrangement as part of his holiday album, Christmas in the Heart.

All of the profits from this album went towards Feeding America Crisis, and the World Food Program. In 2009, Dylan told Bill Flanagan that he had intended to make a Christmas record for some time: “Yeah, every so often it has crossed my mind. The idea was first brought to me by Walter Yetnikoff, back when he was President of Columbia Records.”

If you want to know what Dylan considers to be a great Christmas meal… it would consist of “Mashed potatoes and gravy, roast turkey and collard greens, turnip greens, biscuit dressing, cornbread and cranberry sauce.”

Bob Dylan: “This version comes from a band called Brave Combo. Somebody sent their record to us for our radio show [Theme Time Radio Hour]. They’re a regional band out of Texas that takes regular songs and changes the way you think about them. You oughta hear their version of ‘Hey Jude.'”

Bob Dylan – Must Be Santa

Who’s got a beard that’s long and white?
Santa’s got a beard that’s long and white
Who comes around on a special night?
Santa comes around on a special night

Special Night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

Who wears boots and a suit of red?
Santa wears boots and a suit of red

Who wears a long cap on his head?
Santa wears a long cap on his head

Cap on head, suit that’s red
Special night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

Who’s got a big red cherry nose?
Santa’s got a big red cherry nose

Who laughs this way: “HO HO HO”?
Santa laughs this way: “HO HO HO”

HO HO HO, cherry nose
Cap on head, suit that’s red
Special night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

Who very soon will come our way?
Santa very soon will come our way

Eight little reindeer pull his sleigh?
Santa’s little reindeer pull his sleigh

Reindeer sleigh, come our way
HO HO HO, cherry nose
Cap on head, suit that’s red
Special night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen
Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen
Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton

Reindeer sleigh, come our way
HO HO HO, cherry nose
Cap on head, suit that’s red
Special night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

31 thoughts on “Bob Dylan – Must Be Santa”

      1. I know down here Bruce Cockburn isn’t well known but he reminds me of Bob. A singer/songwriter who writes good lyrics and some decent tunes but whom God did not hit with the humor stick. At all. So to see & hear him goofing off and having fun is remarkable to me , but refreshing.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yea Bruce Cockburn…I remember some of his songs…If I Had a Rocket Launcher… again with my tiny brain gets his name only mixed up with Red Rider’s lead singer.
        Once they loosen up…people will like them more.

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    1. I was telling Christian…the man loves to shock and he has a great sense of humor. I did a double take when I heard he was releasing a Christmas album…I shouldn’t have been surprised.

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      2. You know I think he did or something. He came in a conference carrying a huge lightbulb and said: “Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb.”
        Ok Bob!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. We had Mitch Miller’s Christmas album when I was growing up. This is such a fun treatment of the song. At first it’s not even recognizable, but a few moments later, I’m singing along in my head. 😀

    Merry Christmas!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Wonderful post Max and I learnt a lot from it.
    Did you know ? – 11 years after its release, ‘Must Be Santa’ placed 24th in a Rolling Stone article about the “25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century”.
    I liked one of the comments below: ‘Christmas songs for adults!’ However my kids love it probably more than me and that’s saying a lot. Haha

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. Pingback: Must Be Santa (Bob Dylan) – Christmas Countdown No. 3 | Observation Blogger

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