(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag

"(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag"
Song
Written1950
GenreChristmas music
Songwriter(s)Irving Taylor, Dudley Brooks, Hal Stanley

"(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag" is a Christmas song written in 1950 by Irving Taylor, Dudley Brooks, and Hal Stanley.[1] The "man with the bag" is a reference to Santa Claus, who drops off presents from his sleigh to people who have been "extra special good".[2]

The song was originally made popular by Kay Starr and regularly appeared on Billboard's list of most popular Christmas songs in the early 1950s.[3][4]

Hal Stanley was Kay Starr's husband at the time. He had an interest in a club in South-Central Los Angeles where Dudley Brooks often performed, and had collaborated with Irving Taylor on several television projects. He brought the two together, took credit as a co-writer, and published it under his and Starr's publishing company, StarStan.

Versions

The song has been covered by many artists, including The Brian Setzer Orchestra.[5] The TV show Ally McBeal borrowed the song's title for a December 11, 2000 episode that featured Vonda Shepard singing the song.[6] Her version was included in the holiday album Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas.[7] The album received positive reviews and several critics cited Shephard's version of the song as the album's highlight.[8][9][10] Jane Monheit recorded the song for her 2005 album The Season, and performed it on her 2019 Holiday tour. Seth MacFarlane recorded the song for his 2014 album Holiday for Swing. The song has also been covered by Voctave, a central Florida a cappella group.

Jessie J covered the song for an advert for Boots during Christmas 2015.[11][12][13] The version was released as a single titled "Man with the Bag", and charted on the UK Singles Chart at number 70 in 2020 and number 85 in 2021.[14] It 2022 it was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[15]

Darren Criss and Adam Lambert performed a duet of the song for Criss' album, A Very Darren Crissmas.[16]

Hannah Waddingham performed a duet of the song for soundtrack from TV Special in Apple TV+ called Hannah Waddingham: Home For Christmas.

References

  1. ^ Hindman, James and Ray Roderick (2003). A Christmas Survival Guide: A Miniature Christmas Spectacular! New York: Samuel French, Inc., page 4.
  2. ^ "Lee Ann Womack – The Man With The Bag Lyrics". Archived from the original on 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  3. ^ "Order Christmas Records Now", Billboard, December 9, 1950, p. 17
  4. ^ "There's Christmas in the Air", Billboard, November 29, 1952, p. 29
  5. ^ Metcalfe, Phillip (2005). Christmas's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Kris Kringles, Merry Jingles and Holiday Cheer. Washington D.C: Potomac Books, page 208
  6. ^ "The Man with the Bag". Dec 11, 2000 – via IMDb.
  7. ^ "The Man With The Bag". Amazon.com. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  8. ^ Atkinson, Terry (December 3, 2000) "TV Shows Breed Christmas Albums" The Post-Tribune (Gary, Indiana) (Entertainment News Service), page D-5.
  9. ^ Maestri, Cathy (December 15, 2000) "Overflow of holiday CDs offer good cheer: From pop to country to alternative, there is music for everyone's stockings", The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California), page AA-13.
  10. ^ Gehman, Geoff (December 8, 2000) "CD Signs of the Season: Few Holiday Discs Will Jingle Your Bells" The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania), page D-1
  11. ^ "Boots recruits Jessie J for glamorous Christmas campaign". Campaignlive.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  12. ^ Sassoon, Louise (5 November 2015). "The Boots 2015 Christmas video has been unveiled". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Boots' Christmas ad celebrates working women". 8 November 2016.
  14. ^ "man with the bag | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  15. ^ "British single certifications – Jessie J – Man With The Bag". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  16. ^ "Darren Criss - (Everybody's Waitin' For) the Man with the Bag ft. Adam Lambert". YouTube.