About Little Saint Nick

"Little Saint Nick" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys that was released as a single on December 9, 1963. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it is a Christmas-themed hot rod song, in the vein of "Little Deuce Coupe", this time featuring Santa Claus and his sleigh. The single peaked at number 3 on Billboard magazine's special seasonal weekly Christmas Singles chart. Its B-side was an a cappella version of "The Lord's Prayer". In November 1964, an alternate mix of "Little Saint Nick" appeared as the opening track on The Beach Boys' Christmas Album.

"Little Saint Nick" was recorded on October 20, 1963 at Western Studio in Hollywood. The idea for the song was partly inspired by record producer Phil Spector's plans to record a Christmas album. Wilson recalled: "I wrote the lyrics to it while I was out on a date and then I rushed home to finish the music." Some of its rhythm and structure derives from the group's "Little Deuce Coupe", also co-written by Wilson and released as a single six months earlier. Love was not originally listed as the co-writer of "Little Saint Nick". His credit was awarded after a 1990s lawsuit.