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NBC Insider The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

One Direction's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" Performance Is Pure Joy

Niall Horan, Harry Styles and the boys sang the holiday classic with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, backed by toy instruments.

By Jackie Manno

When One Direction, the sensation that first made Niall Horan and Harry Styles famous, was on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon back in 2014, they performed a joyful, jangly rendition of a Christmas classic with Jimmy Fallon and his house band, The Roots.

How to Watch

Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC weeknights at 11:35/10:35c and next day on Peacock

Their collective cover of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is backed by creative, unconventional classroom instruments—such as a wood block, a toy saxophone, and melodica—featuring a perfectly-harmonized chorus from the 1D boys.

The Voice Coach Horan took the first solo, using a banana rattle as an instrument. Meanwhile, Zayn Malik rocked a triangle, Liam Payne clapped two coconuts together, Louis Tomlinson had a festive mini tambourine, while Harry Styles was on the drums and kazoo. What's not to like?

RELATED: Jon Hamm's Dramatic Christmas Carols Performance Is in Fact Hilarious

The Voice Niall One Direction Songs

What to know about "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" 

The first version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" was released in 1934, and was written by Haven Gillespie and J. Fred Coots, and was recorded by Harry Reser and His Band.

According to Reader's Digest, the song was written to lift people's spirits during the Great Depression, and got its first national broadcast at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

RELATED: Miley Cyrus's Updated "Santa Baby" Is Honestly the Best Version 

The song has since been covered by Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, The Jackson 5, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Bublé, The Temptations, Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, The Supremes, Mariah Carey, and more.

One Direction on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Episode 0185

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" lyrics

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
He's checking it twice
He's going to find out
Who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows when you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town
You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
He's checking it twice
He's going to find out
Who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows when you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows when you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice
He's going to find out
Who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming
Santa Claus is coming, Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town