branched out into music, but that is the opposite of how they began. After first being brought to life in Bagdasarian's 1950s novelty recordings under the name David Seville and the Chipmunks, the characters were an unprecedented success, and the singing Chipmunks and their manager were given life in several animated cartoon series and motion pictures.
The voices of the group were all performed by Bagdasarian, who sped up the playback to create the higher pitched, squeaky voices. This process was not entirely new; Bagdasarian had also used it for a previous novelty song project, "The Witch Doctor", but it was so unusual and well executed it earned the "trio" two Grammy Awards for engineering. Although the characters were fictional, they did release a long line of "real" albums and singles, with "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" becoming a number-one hit single in the United States. After his death in 1972, the voices of the Chipmunks were subsequently recorded by his son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and his wife, Janice Karman, in all subsequent incarnations to date.
Santa Claus Is Comin
Alvin and The Chipmunks Lyrics
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Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I called on dear old Santa Claus
To see what I could see
He took me to his workshop
And told his plans to me, so
[Chorus]
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 and nice
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're a wake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake
Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry
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
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the 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
Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
You'd better write your letter now
And mail it right away
Because he's getting ready
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
[Chorus]
With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the 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
The lyrics to Alvin and the Chipmunks' "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" describe a trip taken by the singer to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus. The singer describes seeing Santa's workshop and learning about his plans for Christmas. The chorus warns listeners to be on their best behavior because Santa is making a list and checking it twice to determine who's been naughty or nice. The second verse describes the toys that Santa will be bringing to children, including little tin horns, toy drums, curly haired dolls, elephants, boats, and kiddie cars. The final verse advises listeners to write their letters to Santa and mail them quickly, as Santa is a busy man with millions of stockings to fill.
The song "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934. It was first performed on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November of that year. The song quickly became a hit and has since been recorded by numerous artists. It is one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time.
Line by Line Meaning
I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
I recently returned from traveling through space along the Milky Way galaxy
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I took a vacation at the North Pole during my journey
I called on dear old Santa Claus
I visited Santa Claus
To see what I could see
To find out what was happening at Santa's workshop
He took me to his workshop
Santa showed me around his workshop
And told his plans to me
Santa informed me of his plans
You better watch out, you better not cry
Be careful and don't cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't be unhappy because I'll explain why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa is coming to your place
He's making a list and checking it twice
Santa is making a list and checking it twice
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa will determine who has been bad and good
He sees you when you're sleepin'
Santa watches you while you sleep
He knows when you're awake
Santa knows when you are awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
Santa knows if you've been good or bad
So be good for goodness sake
Behave well because it's the right thing to do
With little tin horns and little toy drums
There will be music with little tin horns and toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
There will be fun sounds like rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
There will be adorable curly haired dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Other toys include elephants, boats, and kiddie cars
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
The children in Girl and Boy land will have a joyful celebration
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
They will create a Toyland around the Christmas tree
Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
Santa is very busy and doesn't have time to play
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
Santa has a lot of stockings to fill on Christmas Day
You'd better write your letter now
It's a good idea to write your letter to Santa now
And mail it right away
Send your letter as soon as possible
Because he's getting ready
Santa is preparing for his big delivery day
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
He will be using his magical reindeer and sleigh to deliver presents
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAVEN GILLESPIE, J. FRED COOTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind