Bruce Springsteen – Merry Christmas Baby

We are getting close to Christmas. I hope everyone is ready…and most, if not all, of your shopping is done. There have been many versions of this song but this one is the one I listen to the most. The dynamics in this version are great.

This Dec 31st, 1980 performance of Merry Christmas Baby was recorded at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, during The River Tour. The song was played in its E Street Band arrangement. It was released in November 1986 as the B-side to WAR. This was the lead single from the Live/1975-85 box set.

Although Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley covered “Merry Christmas Baby” before Bruce did, it sounds like he based  his version on Otis Redding’s 1968 version.

Lou Baxter wrote this song but it was called “Merry Christmas Blues” and Charles Brown took it home to work it out. He rewrote it with the new title. Baxter wanted Charles Brown to record it the way Charles rewrote it and it became a big hit with Brown singing with Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers.

Then the music business struck again…The company promised Charles he would have a co-writer credit but of course, it didn’t happen and Johnny Moore had his name listed on the song instead. Charles never got paid royalties for the song. It was originally released in 1947 and peaked at #3 in the Charts.

Moore died, largely unknown, in the 1960s. Brown, meanwhile, became renowned as a pioneer of the laid-back, piano-driven style of West Coast blues and was recognized as an early influence on Ray Charles; he had a renaissance in the 1990s, touring with Bonnie Raitt.

Charles Brown was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 but died before the induction.

It was also on a complication album A Very Special Christmas of various artists released in 1987.

Merry Christmas Baby

Bring it down, band!

Now, I just came here tonight to say…
I just wanna say…
I just wanna say…

Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
Come on, merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
I feel just like I’m living, living in paradise

Now listen
Now you see, I feel real good tonight
And I got music on the radio
And I feel real good tonight
And I got music on the radio
And the boys in the band are playing pretty good!
Now, I feel just like I wanna kiss you
Underneath my mistletoe

But now listen
Santa came down chimney, half past three
With lots of nice little presents for my baby and me
Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
And I feel like I’m living, just living in paradise
Come on boys!

Well now, Santa came down chimney, half past three
With lots of nice little presents for my baby and me
Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
I feel like I’m living, I’m living in paradise

And I just came down to say
Merry Christmas baby
I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby
I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby
I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby
And happy New Year, too!
Oh yeah!
Play it boys, go!
Merry Christmas
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-happy New Year
Ohhhh!

Oh yeah!
Merry Christmas baby!

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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.

23 thoughts on “Bruce Springsteen – Merry Christmas Baby”

  2. Pingback: Bruce Springsteen – Merry Christmas Baby – MobsterTiger

  7. Another belter! Some artists bring out Christmas songs and they sound real cheezy efforts, just banged together in the hope of catching a Festive commercial wave..
    Not Brucie! His version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town is also the dogs! 🙂

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  9. awful but commonplace the real writer not getting the credit and royalties. A likable Christmas song. Now, about 10-15 years ago, I heard this a lot and could grow tired of it. But now the pendulum has swung entirely the other way and most commercial christmas stations and store radios are nothing but oldies – Perry Como, Bing, Sinatra, Autry… all fine music but it’s a shame most of the pop/rock efforts of the ’70-s 90s seem to have been forgotten. I looked at the Billboard Holiday 100 this week, and very few newer things are on there. Springsteen’s ‘Santa claus is coming to town’ makes it, but low (off top of my head, I think it was in 60s) but not this one, no Mellencamp and his little girl kissing santa claus, no Pretenders, no Waitresses, no downbeat Dan Fogelberg, no Tom Petty…. time for a revival!

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    1. Wow I didn’t realize that…about the pop/rock acts vanishing…I guess they go through cycles like Brenda Lee’s song did…around 2012 that one started to catch again.

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  11. Looks like Matt and you were on a Springsteen Christmas song trip today! 🙂

    Unlike “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” I had completely forgotten about “Merry Christmas Baby,” even though I have that excellent “Live/1975-85” box set. Springsteen’s rendition has a neat “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” soul vibe! I didn’t know the Johnny Moore version, which I like as well.

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  12. As the kids and I went to bed last night I told them how you and I featured Christmas songs from Bruce on the same day. Then I proceeded to play Merry Christmas Baby which we all really liked. I think it was my first listen. Great selection Max!

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