He was born in Hamburg, Germany, and studied at the School of Music there. A multi-instrumentalist, he was hired by Hans Busch to play with his orchestra before serving as a bandsman in the German Navy during World War II. He later formed his own big band, toured with them, then worked as an arranger and producer, making hit records with Freddy Quinn and Ivo Robic. In 1961, he hired The Beatles to back Tony Sheridan on "My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean)," "When the Saints Go Marching In," "Ain't She Sweet" and "Cry for a Shadow," in a session for Polydor. These turned out to be the Beatles' first commercial recordings. When Beatles manager Brian Epstein asked Kaempfert about further promoting The Beatles, Kaempfert informed Epstein that the company was only interested in The Beatles as Tony Sheridan's backup group. (It also turned out British Decca executive Dick Rowe turned them down in favor of local beat combo Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.) He then released The Beatles from their contract with Polydor.
Santa Claus Is Comin
Bert Kaempfert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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] You better watch out, you better not cry
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 song "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Bert Kaempfert tells the story of the singer's journey to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus. The song describes Santa's workshop and the toys he is preparing for the children. The song then delves into the popular Christmas myth that Santa Claus sees everything, and knows who has been naughty and nice. The chorus warns children to behave themselves or risk getting coal in their stockings. The song ends with an encouraging message, inviting children to celebrate the holiday by building a Toyland all around the Christmas tree.
The song uses vivid imagery of the joy and excitement of Christmas, and captures the anticipation children feel as they wait for the arrival of Santa Claus. Through the story of the singer's visit to Santa's workshop, the song celebrates the magic and wonder of Christmas, as well as the importance of good behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
The singer took a trip through space and came back to Earth
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
The singer went to the North Pole for vacation
I called on dear old Santa Claus
The singer visited Santa Claus
To see what I could see
The artist wanted to see what Santa Claus was up to
He took me to his workshop
Santa Claus showed the artist his workshop
And told his plans to me, so
Santa Claus shared his plans with the singer
You better watch out, you better not cry
You need to be careful and not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't be sulky, there's a reason why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is on his way to the town
He's making a list and checking it twice
Santa Claus is making a list and checking it twice to see who's been good or bad
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
He is finding out who is naughty and who is nice
He sees you when you're sleepin'
Santa Claus sees you when you're asleep
He knows when you're a wake
Santa Claus knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
Santa Claus knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake
Be good just for the sake of being good
With little tin horns and little toy drums
There will be toy instruments such as tin horns and toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
There will be sounds like rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
There will be dolls with curly hair that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
There will be toys such as elephants, boats, and kiddie cars
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
The kids in Girl and Boy land will have a party and be very happy
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
They will build a Toyland around the Christmas tree
Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
Santa Claus is very busy and doesn't have time to play
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
Santa Claus has many stockings to fill on Christmas day
You'd better write your letter now
You should write a letter to Santa Claus now
And mail it right away
And send it as soon as possible
Because he's getting ready
Because Santa Claus is preparing for Christmas
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
Preparing his reindeer and sleigh to travel
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., MEMORY LANE MUSIC GROUP
Written by: HAVEN GILLESPIE, J. FRED COOTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind