In 1973, Springsteen released his first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, neither of which earned him a large audience. He changed his style and reached worldwide popularity with Born to Run in 1975. It was followed by Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) and The River (1980), which topped the US Billboard 200 chart. After the solo recording, Nebraska (1982), he reunited with the E Street Band for Born in the U.S.A. (1984), his most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums of all time. Seven of its singles reached the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100, including the title track. Springsteen recorded his next three albums, Tunnel of Love (1987), Human Touch (1992), and Lucky Town (1992) using mostly session musicians. He reassembled the E Street Band for 1995's Greatest Hits, then recorded the sparse acoustic The Ghost of Tom Joad, followed by the EP Blood Brothers (1996), his last release of the decade.
Springsteen dedicated his 2002 album The Rising to the victims of the September 11 attacks. He released two more folk albums, Devils & Dust (2005) and We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006), followed by two more albums with the E Street Band: Magic (2007) and Working on a Dream (2009). The next two, Wrecking Ball (2012) and High Hopes (2014), topped album charts worldwide. His latest releases include the solo Western Stars (2019), the E Street Band-featuring Letter to You (2020) and a solo cover album Only the Strong Survive (2022). When Letter to You went to No.2 in the US, Springsteen became the first artist to score a Top Five hit across six consecutive decades.
Among the album era's prominent acts, Springsteen has sold more than 140 million records worldwide and more than 71 million in the United States, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists. He has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Special Tony Award (for Springsteen on Broadway). Springsteen was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009, named MusiCares person of the year in 2013, and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2016. He ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone's list of the Greatest Artists of All Time, which described him as being "the embodiment of rock & roll".
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen
Studio albums
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
Born to Run (1975)
Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
The River (1980)
Nebraska (1982)
Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
Tunnel of Love (1987)
Human Touch (1992)
Lucky Town (1992)
The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)
The Rising (2002)
Devils & Dust (2005)
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)
Magic (2007)
Working on a Dream (2009)
Wrecking Ball (2012)
High Hopes (2014)
Western Stars (2019)
Letter to You (2020)
Only the Strong Survive (2022)
Santa Claus
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The wind's whipping down the boardwalk
Hey band!
(Yeah? Hey, babe!) You guys know what time of year it is?
(Yeah!) What time, huh? What? (Christmas time!)
What? (Christmas time!) Oh, Christmas time!
You guys all, you guys all been good and practicing real hard?
Yeah? Clarence, you been, you been rehearsing real hard now,
So Santa'll bring you a new saxophone, right?
Everybody out there been good, or what?
Oh, that's not many, not many, you guys are in trouble out here!
Come on.
Yeah, you better watch out, you better not cry
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list, he's checkin' it twice
He's gonna find out whose naughty or nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
You better be good for goodness sake
(You better be good for goodness sake)
Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
(Ho ho ho ho!)
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
You better be good for goodness sake
(Better 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 coming to town
Yeah, Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
(Ho ho ho ho)
Santa Claus is coming to town (Ho ho ho ho)
Santa Claus is coming to town (Ho ho ho ho)
Santa Claus is coming to town (Ho ho ho ho)
Santa Claus is coming to town (Ho ho ho ho)
Santa Claus is coming to town (Ho ho ho ho)
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town (Ho ho ho ho)
Santa Claus is coming to town, alright
Santa Claus is coming to town, yeah
Santa Claus is coming to town, yeah
Santa Claus is coming to town, whoa
Santa Claus is coming to town
In Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," the singer sets the scene on a cold winter day along the beach, with the wind whipping down the boardwalk. He pauses to ask his band if they know what time of year it is, to which they respond enthusiastically "Christmas time!" The lead singer checks in with the band to make sure they have all been practicing hard and behaving well so they can receive gifts from Santa Claus. The song then dives into the classic lyrics about Santa Claus coming to town, making a list and checking it twice to see who's been naughty or nice.
The song has a playful tone, with the lead singer conveying Santa's arrival as a serious matter that children should be wary of. The singer reminds everyone to be good for the sake of goodness, or they may end up on Santa's naughty list. The classic tune and catchy chorus create a sense of joy and excitement around the holiday season.
Overall, Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" conveys the importance of good behavior during the holiday season and the excitement of receiving gifts from Santa Claus. The playful tone of the song creates a festive atmosphere and leaves listeners feeling happy and excited about Christmas.
Line by Line Meaning
It's all cold down along the beach
The weather is really cold at the beach
The wind's whipping down the boardwalk
The wind is blowing very hard at the boardwalk
Hey band!
Someone is trying to get the attention of the band
(Yeah? Hey, babe!) You guys know what time of year it is?
Someone is asking the band if they know what time of year it is
(Yeah!) What time, huh? What? (Christmas time!)
The band knows that it's Christmas time
What? (Christmas time!) Oh, Christmas time!
The person is excited that it is Christmas time
You guys all, you guys all been good and practicing real hard?
The person is asking if the band has been good and practicing hard
Yeah? Clarence, you been, you been rehearsing real hard now, So Santa'll bring you a new saxophone, right?
The person is asking Clarence if he has been practicing hard to get a new saxophone from Santa
Everybody out there been good, or what?
The person is asking the audience if they have been good
Oh, that's not many, not many, you guys are in trouble out here!
The person is jokingly saying that not many people have been good and might get in trouble with Santa
Come on.
The person is encouraging everyone to continue with the song
He sees you when you're sleeping
Santa knows when you are sleeping
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 have been bad or good
You better be good for goodness sake
The person is warning everyone to be good because Santa is coming
(You better be good for goodness sake)
The person is repeating that everyone better be good
Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry
The person is warning everyone to not cry because Santa is coming
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
The person is telling everyone to not pout because Santa is coming
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa is coming to town
(Ho ho ho ho!)
Santa is laughing
Santa Claus is coming to town, alright
Santa is definitely coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town, yeah
Santa is coming to town, for sure
Santa Claus is coming to town, whoa
The person is emphasizing that Santa is coming to town
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@buffalospringsteen460
"Clarence, you been rehearsing real hard now, so Santa get you a new saxophone, right?"
@TheShazpants
all time fave!
@sheriwarnick4370
Yeah
@lawrencesalamone6154
The Big Man is the best!
@ZaydinTTV
Man, Bruce sounds like he is just having an absolute blast singing and enjoying himself to the fullest.
@damianprock1650
Yep, he's looking to go out in the blaze of glory like Meat Loaf did
@elgubero
That’s what makes his version of this song so great!
@RaceBstain-kn8vi
Yeah!
@m4ttyp4nts
too bad it's objectively terrible. wonderful christmastime is the only holiday song that irks me more.
@denniswinters2541
Yeah, back when he was good.