Jackson was born to Joseph Eugene Jackson and Ruth Musick in Newnan, Georgia, and has four older siblings. As a youth, Jackson listened primarily to gospel music. Otherwise he was not a major music fan. However, a friend of his introduced him to the music of Gene Watson, John Anderson and Hank Williams Jr. Jackson attended the local Elm Street Elementary and Newnan High School, starting a band after high school. After a time, he and his wife of six years, Denise Jackson, moved from Newnan to Nashville where Jackson hoped to pursue music full-time.
Jackson sang in church as a child. He, his father, mother, and four sisters lived in a small home. At one point, his bed was in the hallway for lack of room. His mother lives in the home to this day. His first job, at 12, was in a shoe store. He wrote his first song in 1983.
In Tennessee, Jackson got a job in The Nashville Network's mailroom. Denise got him connected to Glen Campbell, who helped him jumpstart his career. Jackson eventually signed with Arista.
His first album, 1989's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 album, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a success, spawning five major singles. Also in 1992, Randy Travis charted three singles co-written by Jackson: "Forever Together", "Better Class of Losers", and "I'd Surrender All". Conversely, Travis co-wrote Jackson's single "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)".
In 1994 Jackson left his management company, Ten Ten Management, which had overseen his career up to that point, and switched to Gary Overton.
It was around this time that Jackson began also gaining fame for his song-writing skills. Other country music artists who have charted with songs co-written by Jackson, including Clay Walker ("If I Could Make a Living"), Chely Wright ("Till I Was Loved By You")[5] and Faith Hill ("I Can't Do That Anymore").
His first album, 1990's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 release, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a smash success, spawning five major singles with "Chattahoochee" being the most enduring and successful. After a few more hit albums, Jackson again rocketed to fame with "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," a song about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which became a hit single and briefly propelled him into the mainstream spotlight; the song was even the subject of parody on the popular animated series South Park, in the episode A Ladder To Heaven.
The Long Way To Go Songfacts states that on January 20, 2011 Alan Jackson and his record label, Sony, parted ways after over 20 years. Three months later a new joint venture between Capitol's EMI Records Nashville and ACR (Alan's Country Records) was announced. His debut single from the new deal was Long Way To Go, which was shipped to Country radio on June 13, 2011.
Although Jackson has been characterized as a "hat act", his influences go deep into the roots of country music and his songs have been recorded by some of the greats like Charley Pride, who recorded "Here In The Real World". He has sung with George Jones on the award-winning "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair". His sense of humor comes through in "Gone Country" with the satirical description of the wannabes who cynically jumped on the country music bandwagon in the 1990s: "Everybody's gone country/Yeah we've gone country/The whole world's gone country."
He has been credited for popularizing a Neotraditional Country sound.
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Alan Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He's making a list and checking it twice
Gonna find out who's naughty or nice
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He knows when you're awake
He knows if 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 comin' to town
With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
With curly head dolls that cuddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
All the kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland town all around that Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're awake
He knows if 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 comin' to town
You better watch out, you better not cry
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He's comin' to town
The song Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a classic Christmas tune that is beloved by people of all ages. The lyrics describe the anticipation of Santa Claus arriving on Christmas Eve, and the warning that children need to be on their best behaviour if they want to find presents under the tree. The first verse warns children that Santa is watching and knows if they are being naughty or nice, which is why they should be good for goodness sake. The song also highlights the excitement of receiving gifts on Christmas morning by describing the different toys that Santa will bring, such as little tin horns, little toy drums, curly head dolls, elephants, boats, and kiddie cars.
The lyrics of Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town serve as a reminder to children that Christmas is not just a time for receiving presents, but also for being kind and respectful towards others. It emphasizes the message that good behavior will be rewarded, while bad behavior will result in disappointment. The song also brings a sense of joy and excitement to the holiday season, as children look forward to the arrival of Santa Claus.
Line by Line Meaning
You better watch out, you better not cry
You should be cautious and avoid crying
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
You should avoid being sulky and I will tell you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa is coming to our town
He's making a list and checking it twice
He is creating a list and then reviewing it again
Gonna find out who's naughty or nice
He will determine who has been good or bad
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He can see you when you are sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He is aware of when you are awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
He is aware of your behavior and if it's good or bad
So be good for goodness sake
Therefore, behave correctly for being good
With little tin horns and little toy drums
There will be miniature horns and percussion toys
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
The sounds these toys make will be amusing
With curly head dolls that cuddle and coo
There will be dolls with curly hair that are soft and make pleasant sounds
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
There will be toy elephants, boats, and cars for children to play with
All the kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
All the children will be joyous in the land of girls and boys
They're gonna build a Toyland town all around that Christmas tree
They will construct a toy town around the Christmas tree
He's comin' to town
Santa is arriving in town
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind