keep your hands off her stockings, fat man

…and we slide back into the holiday groove with a super-saccharine historical footnote, Lene Lovich’s version of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” from a 1976 single. This was Lovich’s first solo effort, from when she was transitioning from the soul-funk act The Distractions to her role as an idiosyncratic new wave pop diva.

Fans of Lovich’s post-punk Marlene Dietrich vocal stylings won’t find any of that happening here. Taking her cue from Wayne Newton’s version of the song, she adopts an ultra-cutesy tone, reminiscent of Shirley Temple…..if Shirley Temple fronted a Holiday Inn guest lounge house band where the musicians couldn’t decide between a reggae, country, or mellow pop style and agreed to split the difference.