Ariana Grande's Original "Santa Tell Me" Video Idea Had Her in "Weird Lingerie"
The Wicked star and Voice Coach alum's Christmas song is a catchy, modern classic — and the first idea for the video was, well, interesting.
Ariana Grande is a music chameleon. She has hits that span genres, from glossy dance-pop ("Into You," "We Can't Be Friends") to R&B ("7 Rings"), and, thanks to her turn as Glinda in Wicked, musical theater.
The Voice Coach alum has also dipped her toes in holiday music. In 2015 she released her beloved seasonal EP Christmas & Chill, but her greatest contribution to festive music is "Santa Tell Me," a twinkly tune that finds its way back to the charts every December.
Originally released in 2014, "Santa Tell Me" is a straightforward but undeniably catchy song about wanting love at Christmastime. "Santa, tell me, if you're really there, don't make me fall in love again if he won't be here next year," Grande sings over a euphoric pop chorus. "Santa, tell me, if he really cares, 'cause I can't give it all away if he won't be here next year."
Ariana Grande's original idea for the "Santa Tell Me" music video
The "Santa Tell Me" music video is fairly simple, featuring Grande and her friends dancing around in cozy Christmas pajamas:
But it turns out this video was a backup idea after Grande's label scrapped her original concept. As she told Spotify in a video celebrating "Santa Tell Me" reaching 1 billion streams, "We did [the video that was released] last minute with no budget just to have something to put out. The original video, I was in weird Christmas lingerie and I was hitting Santa with a cane pole. And that was something I was really insistent [on]. I was like, 'That is the right vibe for this song. Believe you me, I know it.' And the label was like, 'Hey, honey, I don't think we can use this.' I'm glad I was reeled in that time!'"
Regardless of the video, "Santa Tell Me" has indeed emerged as a modern Christmas classic. It's reached an impressive number-11 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Between this track and all the Glinda Wicked songs finally available on streaming, Ariana Grande will no doubt be heavy in your music rotation this December.
Be sure to catch her in Wicked, which is now currently in theaters.
