COVINGTON, Ky. — Of all the iconic Christmas music, there might not be any song more instantly recognizable than “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” The song’s lyrics may have even influenced generations of children’s behavior.
That’s thanks to a songwriter who rose to fame from a humble beginning in Covington.
Jason French, the Curator of Collections at the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington, said he is not a big fan of a lot of Christmas music. But French is a sucker for history, and the historic “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” raises his holiday spirit.
“We all have stories, and our stories will someday be history,” French said. “I also love the mystery, and the quest of it.”
Chances are high that most people have heard the song in their lives during the holiday season. And while the “Town” is likely meant to represent any and every town, the original “Town” might just be Covington.
The writer of the song, James “Haven” Gillespie, was born in Covington in 1888. He went to school in Covington as well, but his education ended early.
“He only went through the fourth grade. After the fourth grade, he struggled to find work in our area,” French said.
It was a different time. Luckily, Gillespie’s brother-in-law offered him a job in Chicago in the printing industry. There, he honed his writing skills before coming back to Covington to marry his childhood sweetheart.
“He had come back. He had a massive sum of money,” French said sarcastically. “All of $15. And she may have had a dollar to her name. And that’s how they started their life.”
Gillespie got a job with the Cincinnati-Times Star, where he made connections in the music industry.
“Haven had been kind of involved in print and publishing, and there were people he knew, and then they wrote music together. And that’s how he secured his living for the rest of his life,” French said. “He’s known for many songs. Kind of Tin Pan Alley, early jazz. This man is not a one-hit wonder. He is constantly writing. But the one that probably most people are familiar with, the one that has lasted the test of time, is ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town.’”
In 1934, Gillespie wrote the lyrics to the song, and Freddie Coots wrote the music, according to Drifting and Dreaming: The Story of Songwriter Haven Gillespie, a 1998 book by William E. First.
The song became an instant hit, and would be recorded by over 200 artists, including Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, the Jackson Five, Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen.
The Behringer-Crawford Museum has an original 1930s Decca record of the song.
Despite struggles with alcoholism, Gillespie lived into his 80s, dying in 1975. His story resonates with French.
“It’s against the odds,” French said. “Because here he is, a fourth-grade education, and he has been part of our culture well beyond his lifetime.”
In fact, French said the iconic lyrics, “he’s making a list, he’s checking it twice, he’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice,” are likely what popularized the concept of Santa’s naughty and nice list.
“It probably is. I mean that song is going to be what’s anchoring those tropes, those expectations in the American mindset,” French said. “Santa’s watching you. You better not pout. You better not cry. It’s really interesting to think about it. He probably single-handedly kept a lot of kids out of trouble just because of the lyrics. At least for a while.”
Gillespie was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.