His GRP debut album Freedom at Midnight was his biggest seller and most popular album. Benoit also says that it was his favorite album to produce, because it was when "everything came together," as he stated in an interview on smoothviews.com.
Out of respect for one of his main influencers, Bill Evans, he dedicated his 1992 album Letter to Evan to him.
Many of his songs employed a string section, most notably on his American Landscape and Orchestral Stories albums in 1997 and 2005, respectively. He has said that it is his dream to release a symphonic album.
In 2000, after the death of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, he released a memorial album entitled Here's to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years! Collaborators included the chorus group Take 6, guitarist Mark Antoine and trumpeter Chris Botti. He also did the music for "Peanuts" in the later specials.
He is a close friend of The Rippingtons' guitarist and lead Russ Freeman, and they often appeared on each other's albums. They also released collaborative efforts The Benoit/Freeman Project and The Benoit / Freeman Project 2.
Christmas Is Coming
David Benoit 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]
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 of "Christmas Is Coming" by David Benoit paint a vivid picture of the spirit of Christmas and the excitement and anticipation associated with it. The first verse describes the singer's visit to the North Pole to spend the holiday season with Santa Claus. The chorus warns children to be on their best behavior because Santa is coming to town and is making a list of who's been naughty and nice. The second verse describes the array of toys and gifts that Santa will bring on his sleigh, including little tin horns, toy drums, curly head dolls, elephants, boats, and kiddie cars.
The chorus reinforces the idea that Santa Claus is always watching and knows if you've been good or bad, so you better be good for goodness sake. The verse that follows describes the thousands of stockings that Santa has to fill on Christmas day, and urges children to write their letters to Santa and send them off right away so he can prepare for his sleigh ride.
Overall, the song is an upbeat and catchy celebration of the magic and wonder of Christmas. With its cheerful lyrics and jazzy melody, "Christmas Is Coming" is the perfect song to get you into the holiday spirit and spread holiday cheer.
Line by Line Meaning
I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
I went on a wonderful journey across the Milky Way
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I made a stop at the North Pole to celebrate a holiday
I called on dear old Santa Claus, to see what I could see
I visited Santa Claus to see what he was up to
He took me to his workshop and told his plans to me, so
He showed me his workshop and shared his plans with me
You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why
Be careful, don't cry or pout, and I'll tell you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is arriving in town
He's making a list and checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty and nice
He's making a list, checking it twice, and finding out who's been good and bad
He sees you when you're sleepin', he knows when you're awake
He sees you when you're asleep, and he knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake
He knows if you've been good or bad, so be good for the sake of being good
With little tin horns and little toy drums, rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
With small horns and toy drums, making musical sounds
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo, elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Including curly-haired dolls that walk and talk, elephants, boats, and toy cars
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee, they're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
Children in Girl and Boy land will be overjoyed, building 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 for play
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
He needs to fill millions of stockings on Christmas day
You'd better write your letter now, and mail it right away
You should write your letter to him now and mail it immediately
Because he's getting ready, his reindeer's and his sleigh, so
He's preparing his reindeer and his sleigh, so be ready
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is arriving in town
You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why
Be careful, don't cry or pout, and I'll tell you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is arriving in town
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind