Born John Henry Kendricks in Detroit, Michigan, Ballard along with his brother, Dove Ballard, grew up and attended school in Bessemer, Alabama after the death of their father. He lived with his paternal aunt and her husband, and began singing in church. His major vocal inspiration during his formative years was the "Singing Cowboy", Gene Autry, and in particular, his signature song, "Back in the Saddle Again". Ballard returned to Detroit in his teens and later worked on the assembly line for Ford.
In 1953, Ballard joined doo-wop group The Royals, which had previously been discovered by Johnny Otis and signed to Federal Records, (a division of King Records), in Cincinnati. Ballard joined Henry Booth, Charles Sutton, Sonny Woods and Alonzo Tucker in the group, replacing previous singer Lawson Smith.
The Royals released "Get It" (1953), an R&B song with possibly sexually oriented lyrics, which some radio stations refused to play, although it still made it to number 6 on the Billboard R&B chart.
The group then changed its name to The Midnighters to avoid confusion with The "5" Royales. In 1954, Ballard wrote a song called "Work with Me, Annie" that was drawn from "Get It". It became The Midnighters' first major R&B hit, spending seven weeks at number 1 on the R&B charts and also selling well in mainstream markets, along with the answer songs "Annie Had a Baby" and "Annie's Aunt Fannie"; all were banned by the FCC from radio air play. Their third major hit was "Sexy Ways", a song that cemented the band's reputation as one of the most risqué groups of the time.
They had four other R&B chart hits in 1954–55, but no others until 1959, by which time the group was billed as "Hank Ballard and The Midnighters" with their label changed from Federal to King, the parent label. Between 1959 and 1961 they had several more both on the R&B and Pop charts, starting with "Teardrops on Your Letter", a number 4 R&B hit in 1960 that had as its B-side the Ballard-written song "The Twist". A few months later, Chubby Checker's cover version of the song went to number 1 on the pop charts. It would return to the top of the charts again in 1962–the only song in the rock'n'roll era to reach number 1 in two different years.
Ballard & the Midnighters had several other hit singles through 1961, including the Grammy-nominated "Finger Poppin' Time" and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" which hit number 7 and number 6, respectively, on the Billboard pop charts. They did not reach the charts again after 1962 and dissolved in 1965.
After the Midnighters disbanded, Ballard launched a solo career. His 1968 single, "How You Gonna Get Respect (When You Haven't Cut Your Process Yet)", was his biggest post-Midnighters hit, peaking at number 15 on the R&B chart. James Brown produced Ballard's 1969 album You Can't Keep a Good Man Down. A 1972 single, "From the Love Side", credited to Hank Ballard and the Midnight Lighters, went to number 43 on the R&B chart. Ballard also appeared on Brown's 1972 album Get on the Good Foot, in a track ("Recitation By Hank Ballard") that features Ballard describing Brown and the album.
During the 1960s, Ballard's cousin, Florence Ballard, was a member of the Detroit girl group The Supremes.
In the mid-1980s, Ballard re-formed The Midnighters and the group performed till 2002.
In 1990, Ballard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the other Midnighters were inducted in 2012.
On March 2, 2003, he died at age 66 of throat cancer in his Los Angeles home. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ballard was the great uncle of NFL player Christian Ballard.
Santa Claus Is Coming
Hank Ballard & The Midnighters 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 opening lines of the lyrics of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" refer to a journey made by the singer, Hank Ballard, who went on a journey to the North Pole along the Milky Way. Upon arrival, he called on Santa Clause, whom he took to his workshop to see what he could see. Santa Claus, in turn, shared his plans for Christmas with Hank Ballard. This section of the lyrics appears to depict the magical and mystical nature of Christmas, inviting the listener to imagine a magical journey on a starlit night and a mystical workshop with Santa Claus.
The chorus of the song presents an admonition to the listener to be mindful of their actions because Santa Claus is coming to town, and he is checking his list twice to find out who is naughty or nice. The song urges children to be on their best behavior so that they can receive the gifts and presents they desire from Santa Claus, who is painted here as an omniscient figure. The second verse expands on the range of toys that are being manufactured to make children's dreams come true on Christmas day. The toys range from little tin horns and little toy drums, rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums, to curly head dolls, elephants, boats, and kiddie cars. The assertion that children in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee resonates the excitement and joy that comes with the anticipation of Christmas.
Line by Line Meaning
I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
The singer has returned from a fascinating journey through the Milky Way.
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
The singer made a stopover at the North Pole to spend some time there.
I called on dear old Santa Claus
The singer visited Santa Claus in person.
To see what I could see
The singer was curious to find out what he could observe at Santa's place.
He took me to his workshop And told his plans to me, so
Santa Claus showed the singer his workshop and shared his plans with him.
You better watch out, you better not cry
The singer warns the listeners to be on their best behavior, or else.
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
The singer further cautions the listeners not to sulk, and explains why.
Santa Claus is comin' to town
The central message of the song - Santa Claus is coming to town.
He's making a list and checking it twice
Santa Claus is being methodical about his preparations, checking his lists twice.
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is determined to distinguish between the good and the bad children.
He sees you when you're sleepin'
Santa Claus is keeping a watchful eye on the sleeping children.
He knows when you're a wake
Santa Claus is aware of when the children are awake.
He knows if you've been bad or good
Santa Claus has a clear understanding of whether the children have been good or bad.
So be good for goodness sake
The singer strongly advises the children to be on their best behavior for goodness sake.
With little tin horns and little toy drums
The singer describes the various toys that Santa Claus is bringing to town.
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
The singer uses onomatopoeia to describe the sound of the toys that Santa Claus is carrying.
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
The singer lists some of the specific toys that Santa Claus will deliver.
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
The singer further describes other toys that Santa Claus is bringing to town.
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
The children in the town will be overjoyed when they receive the toys that Santa Claus has brought.
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
The children will create a Toyland around their Christmas tree, playing with all their new toys.
Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
The singer emphasizes how busy Santa Claus is during the holiday season.
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
Santa Claus has a lot of work to do to fill all of the stockings on Christmas day.
You'd better write your letter now
The singer advises the children to write their letters to Santa Claus as soon as possible.
And mail it right away
The singer encourages the children to send their letters to Santa Claus promptly.
Because he's getting ready, His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
Santa Claus is preparing his sleigh and reindeer for his journey, so the children need to send their letters quickly.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind