Theme Time: I Believe in Santa Claus

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Poor Dolly, no more Christmas trees for her... and boy, did she believe in Santa Claus. No, Christmas will never be the same without her. Fortunately, she passed on her belief in Santa to many other artists, who also sing, without any hint of embarrassment, about their faith in the man with the beard.

Take Chris Isaak, for example. In a smooth track with a laid-back, Hawaiian vibe, he sings with gratitude about Santa making all his dreams come true.




Dr. Dog already believed in Santa Claus on their 2013 album 'Oh My Christmas Tree' and they’d like us to believe too. It’s a charming lo-fi track, highly singable, featuring backing vocals, piano, and a somewhat melancholic undertone. Oh joy!

 
No Easter Bunny, Groundhog Day, Halloween, Tooth Fairies, Valentine's Day, or anything of the sort for Anne-Marie Perry of Green Bracelet. She believes only in Santa with his Ho Ho Ho's and Rudolph’s shiny nose in this sublime indie track, which is packed with Christmas references and surprising musical twists.




Gus Mann poses the question to himself but answers it just 10 seconds later: Yes, I believe in Santa Claus. What follows is a remarkable, seven and a half minute intriguing conversation with his kid, set against a stripped-down, blues track.




Liah Alonso is a Mexican-Jewish singer-songwriter from New York and saw Santa fly over Battery Park, so why doubting his existence? A catchy pop-rock track, sung damn well with her slightly husky voice.




There is little to say about Uri O'Blitzen from Indianapolis, except that this Christmas songwriter has already released quite a few Christmas songs. Including this ukulele driven confession of faith.



'I Believe in Santa Claus' by the Old 97's, from their 2018 album 'Love The Holidays' is addictively good. It took a bit of convincing, but frontman Rhett Miller fully embraces Santa again in this delightfully rocking alt-country track.



Colleen Green was mentioned before here at CAGG, this 'I Believe in Santa Claus' indie rock track is from the same album.




There is no information about Rankin Bass Tears from Lafayette, Louisiana, but she believes in him, she sings about that with heavenly beauty and that's what counts.



We end this series with two covers of 'I Believe in Santa Claus' by Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, the very song that inspired this blog post.
La Practica De Familia, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, created this highly confusing, yet nonetheless intriguing cover.


 

And, of course, his cover couldn’t be left off this list: Kristian Noel Pedersen ft. Bet Smith.
Want to see Kristian Noel Pedersen perform live? Come to Christmas A Go Go at Paradiso Amsterdam on Dec 20, 2026.




But CAGG wouldn’t be CAGG if there weren’t also a healthy dose of skepticism to counter all this blind devotion.
The Vandals want absolutely nothing to do with it. Are they right? Decide for yourself. In any case, it did result in this punk gem back in 1996. 
And did we already mention there will be a Part 2 of this song released on Friday, November 20?


Oh, and last but not least. If we say Dolly, we say 'Hard Candy Christmas'. Go over there for some real cool covers of that sublime Christmas song. 
Christmas A Go Go at your service!



Comments

Anonymous said…
REO Speedwagon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEPSJ75_4Fg&list=RDVEPSJ75_4Fg
4:18 PM
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