Bob Dylan making a Christmas album just doesn’t compute but he did and yes I love the results.
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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Fun fun fun from Bob- who would have thought?
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Exactly what I thought at the time. Who knew?
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Cool! 😎
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This song is in the cream of the crop as far as Christmas songs are concerned. We simply can’t get enough of it, can we? Haha
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Not ever!
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The reindeer / president verse is very interesting with Vixen rhyming with Nixon and then with Clinton.
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That is interesting… his lyrics are always an adventure.
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I had no idea he did this til you first wrote about it; I also had no idea he had any sense of humor whatsoever, so it was refreshing!
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I bought this CD when it came out, mainly because I couldn’t believe he had done a Christmas album. I’ve only played it a time or to, but I should live with it a little more. Brave Combo were a trip. I think they did an album with Tiny Tim. Dylan lists mashed potatoes and gravy first- just my style.
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I would have never believed this at all…but it is a good album… my style as well.
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I wonder if Neil Young would do a Christmas album? Some tracks could be; ‘Rockin in the Tree world’. ‘Cowgirl in the Snow’. ‘After the Cold Rush’. etc.
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Now I would listen to that…I hope Neil is reading this!
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‘Hey Hey Mince Pie, Sausage Roll will never die’
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LOL great comment, Glyn. Works for me.
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‘Down By The Decor'(ations)
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I got on to this song fairly early as we had the Raffi version that was well played in our household. I understand it was Dylan that inserted Presidents names in the Reindeer part.
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I love that as well…I thought it was funny.
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oh man, when I first heard Dylan’s Christmas album I laughed like never before. Awsome..a Mitch Miller for our time?…I pretty much like everything, but it always seems like the old timers like Dylan, Joni, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, even Brits like Clapton, the late great Beck, just played whatever…..But yeah, Dylan Must Be Santa, you don’t get more Christmas than that?….wait a minute, isn’t Dylan Jewish? Even better!
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Yes…he IS the Jewish Santa!
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It’s a fun song with a fun video. Of course he had to make a Christmas album. Surprised he didn’t write the songs for it. Chalamet mentioned this song on Colbert the other night iirc.
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What is cool…Chalamet sang all of the songs in the movie…all of them live. That is impressive. From what I read there is no lip syncing.
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You still going to see it on Christmas Eve/Day? I plan on it.
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On Christmas Day…I’m looking foward to it.
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Never been a Dylan fan. Always thought giving him the Nobel Prize for Literature was like giving it to Peter, Paul and Mary. Anyway – to each their own. Nice words – just wish he could sing…
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LOL… and a Merry Christmas to you Bruce!!!
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Merry Christmas Max!
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