Santa Claus Is Coming to Town was written in 1933 by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie and first performed by Eddie Cantor on his radio show, becoming an instant hit. Since then it has grown into one of the most recorded Christmas songs of all time, covered by artists from Frank Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen and featured in films, adverts and holiday specials. Online it survives as a seasonal meme staple, where a few seconds of the melody instantly signals Christmas mischief, gift reveals or naughty-list jokes.