OMG this is a Peppermint Kandy Kids track! The Peppermint Kandy Kids “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was my favorite Christmas record when I was little. I remember certain songs on it, but I had forgotten about this one until I started doing the research.
Listening to it on YouTube, I think the harmony vocal parts stuck more than anything, but I don’t want to get too Freudian about it. Anyway, the track itself is quite repetitious and forgettable on the Kandy Kids version. Maybe that is why I needed to do something else with it. I wanted to find another relationship or frame for this song. It lends itself naturally to a swing feel, but that was too easy. I wanted it to breathe more and enjoy the sights as you take in the view. This quasi-afro-cuban-ish groove lends itself well to the spaciousness.