The group began singing as part of the longstanding Columbia University a cappella group "Kingsmen", but the ensemble changed their name due to the popularity of the Pacific Northwest rock band of the same name (see: "The Kingsmen"). Conceived by George Leonard, then a graduate student in Humanities, Sha Na Na began performing in 1969, at the height of the hippie counterculture. The guys achieved national fame after playing at the Woodstock Festival, where they preceded Jimi Hendrix. In fact, the ever friendly and genial Hendrix stuck out his neck for the group, insisting the band be allowed to take the stage even after festival’s promoters wanted to cut them from the bill at the last minute, and Sha Na Na members have since credited him for 'saving' them from obscurity almost single-handed.
Their ninety-second appearance in the popular Woodstock concert film brought the group national attention, and they were a part of the 50s nostalgia craze of the era. Similar artists both in the Americas and in the U.K. appeared (examples being Alvin Stardust and Gary Glitter). The Broadway musical 'Grease' and the TV show 'Happy Days' both also displayed the same ethos as Sha Na Na.
The degree to which their act was truly nostalgic, as opposed to the degree to which it was "invented nostalgia" for joking purposes has been called into question. Still, the group appeared in the movie 'Grease' (based off of the musical of the same name) as "Johnny Casino & The Gamblers", gaining them even more attention. Sha Na Na was also successful with the hit syndicated television show of the same name that the guys did from 1977 to 1982. The program featured guests with much 70s fame such as soul and funk star James Brown and the popular punk band Ramones; musicians from rock & roll's golden era such as Little Richard and Chubby Checker also appeared.
The original band line-up featured twelve performers: Alan Cooper (bass vocals), Rob Leonard (vocals), Frederick 'Denny' Greene (vocals), Henry Gross (guitar), John 'Jocko' Marcellino (drums), Joe Witkin (piano), Scott Powell aka Captain Outrageous aka Tony Santini (vocals), Donald 'Donny' York (vocals), Elliot Cahn aka 'Gino', (rhythm guitar), Rich Joffe (vocals), Dave Garrett (vocals) and Bruce 'Bruno' Clarke. The act has often involved three "up front" dancers/singers in gold lamé and the other nine in "greaser attire", such as rolled up t-shirt sleeves, leather jackets, tank tops, et cetera. During their long-running career, the ensemble has gone through multiple line-up changes. Most recently, co-founder John 'Jocko' Marcellino has served as the group's central frontman. Their latest release is 2013's 'Sha Na Na Greaser High School Hop', with them still touring even decades upon decades after their foundation.
Also that year, Sha Na Na was notably a part of the "Grease Sing-A-Long" event, which is held annually at the Hollywood Bowl. During the 35th anniversary of the beloved movie, they performed several of their tracks from the work's famous soundtrack. "This has become a family event," Marcellino remarked, "They all come dressed up greased with their Pink Lady outfits on, their T-Birds leather jackets, and it’s fabulous that a fourth generation is learning these songs and loving these songs."
Examples of former members:
Vinnie Taylor (1949 - 1974) (real name Chris Donald), who replaced Henry Gross as the lead guitarist in 1970, died from a heroin overdose on April 17, 1974, after a concert at University Hall at the University of Virginia.[citation needed] He was found in a Holiday Inn hotel room in Charlottesville, Virginia.[citation needed]
Former Sha Na Na bass player, from their television show lineup, Dave "Chico" Ryan, died in 1998.
Former Sha Na Na guitarist, from their television show lineup, Danny "Dirty Dan" McBride, died in 2009.
Founding member of the band Robert Leonard is a professor of linguistics at Hofstra University, and had an appearance as a qualified expert in linguistics for the murder case of Charlene Hummert in the episode "A Tight Leash" of the TV medical detectives series Forensic Files in 2004.[citation needed]
The group's first guitarist, Henry Gross, went on to become a solo performer, and had a hit single with "Shannon" in 1976. Another founding member, Alan Cooper, the lead singer in the group's performance of "At the Hop" in the Woodstock film, also went on to an academic career. He taught religious studies for ten years at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, was a professor of Bible studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, and now serves as the Elaine Ravich Professor of Jewish Studies and provost at the Jewish Theological Seminary.[citation needed]
Long time member Jon "Bowzer" Bauman replaced Alan Cooper and became a recognizable member of the group as he taunted audiences while he flexed his muscles, burped and spat in the direction of the bass player. For two years in 1983 and 1984 he served as the host of the game show Hollywood Squares between the retirement of longtime host Peter Marshall and the last host John Davidson. Today, Bowzer continues to tour under his own banner.
Elliot Cahn, the group's original rhythm guitar player and musical arranger, later became the first manager of Green Day. "Screaming" Scott Simon replaced Joe Witkin, the original keyboard player (and singer of Teenager in Love on their first album). Today, Witkin is an emergency room physician living with his family in San Diego, California and playing with a band called "The Corvettes"[3] doing an oldies revue. Witkin's son, Brian Witkin, went on to become the founder of Pacific Records.
Joe Witkin left the band in 1970 to finish medical school, and subsequently moved to San Diego in 1975 to do his internship and residency at the University of California in San Diego. He worked at Scripps Hospital East County from 1978 to 2000 as an ER physician, and currently holds the same position at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.
Scott Powell today is a specialist in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine.[4] He performed on the TV show under the stage name "Santini" (which he changed from his previous alias, "Captain Outrageous"). Powell left the band in 1980 and returned to Columbia to take pre-medical courses.[citation needed] He is a member of the medical staff of U.S. national soccer teams, and is the team physician for the Federation Women’s National Team and an associate clinical professor at USC.[citation needed] While Powell was with Sha Na Na, he sang the bulk of the Elvis revival songs.
Frederick "Denny" Greene left the group to pursue studies in law.[citation needed] After graduating from Yale Law School, he became the vice president of production and features at Columbia Pictures.[citation needed] He is currently a professor at the University of Dayton. Greene was known for his skilled dancing, and sang the lead in "Tears on My Pillow", "Duke of Earl" and others.
Bruce "Bruno" Clarke is now a professor of English at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Sha Na Na 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 "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" by Sha Na Na are about the excitement and anticipation surrounding Christmas and the arrival of Santa Claus. The song begins with the singer talking about a trip he took to the North Pole and his encounter with Santa Claus. He goes on to sing the famous lines "You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is comin' to town." These lines serve as a warning to children to behave themselves and be good for Santa's arrival.
The second verse goes on to describe the different toys that Santa will bring, such as little tin horns, toy drums, curly head dolls, elephants, boats and kiddie cars. The children in Girl and Boy land will be overjoys as they will create Toyland all around the Christmas tree. The final verse reminds listeners that Santa is a busy man and encourages them to write their letters early in order to ensure that Santa has enough time to fulfill their requests. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus.
Overall, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a classic Christmas song that captures the excitement and joy of the holiday season. It is a reminder to children to behave themselves in order to receive their Christmas gifts, and a celebration of the festive time that brings families and communities together.
Line by Line Meaning
I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
I went on a space journey and now I'm back
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I took a vacation at the North Pole
I called on dear old Santa Claus
I visited Santa Claus
To see what I could see
To see what Santa Claus is up to
He took me to his workshop
Santa showed me around his workshop
And told his plans to me, so
He shared his Christmas plans with me
You better watch out, you better not cry
You should be careful and not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't be sad, I'll tell you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa is coming to visit
He's making a list and checking it twice
Santa is checking his list of who is naughty or nice
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
He will discover who is good and bad
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa is coming to visit
He sees you when you're sleepin'
Santa watches over you while you sleep
He knows when you're awake
He knows when you're not sleeping
He knows if you've been bad or good
Santa knows if you've been naughty or nice
So be good for goodness sake
Be good because it's the right thing to do
Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry
You should be careful and not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't be sad, I'll tell you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa is coming to visit
With little tin horns and little toy drums
There will be toys such as horns and 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 dolls with curly hair that walk and make sounds
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
There will be toys like elephants, boats, and toy cars
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
Children everywhere will be happy
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
Children will create their own world of toys around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry
You should be careful and not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't be sad, I'll tell you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa is coming to visit
Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
Santa is very busy and does not have time to play
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
Santa has many stockings to fill on Christmas day
You'd better write your letter now
You should write your letter to Santa now
And mail it right away
And send it as soon as possible
Because he's getting ready
Santa is preparing for Christmas
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
He's getting ready to use his reindeer and sleigh
With little tin horns and little toy drums
There will be toys such as little tin horns and toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
There will be fun sounds such as rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
There will be dolls with curly hair that walk and make sounds
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
There will be toys like elephants, boats, and toy cars
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
Children everywhere will be happy
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
Children will create their own world of toys around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry
You should be careful and not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't be sad, I'll tell you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa is coming to visit
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: John Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind