Two artists exist by this name:

1) The Crystals were one of the most… Read Full Bio ↴Two artists exist by this name:

1) The Crystals were one of the most successful girl groups of the early 60s, Known for their association with producer Phil Spector, they had several well-remembered hit singles such as "He's A Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron", and "Then He Kissed Me". They were also trailblazers for many later African-American pop artists.

2) The Crystals was also the name of an obscure doo-wop group organised by the enigmatic Sun Ra in the mid-50s. Little is known about them. However, their tune "Honey In The Bee Box" was featured in the compilation album 'Interplanetary Melodies' on Norton Records, an album which has received critical acclaim.

3). If you are here for the Italian progressive rock band Crystals, they are not "The Crystals". Refer to the Crystals band page for more information and please fix your tags.

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In the late 50s, Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Delores "Dee Dee" Kennibrew, Merna Girard and Patricia "Patsy" Wright formed a singing project called "The Crystals" in high school. Under the leadership of Alston's uncle, Benny Wells, they wanted to aim for the big time. Soon, the quintet signed with Phil Spector's label Philles Records. Spector then chose Alston to be the group's lead singer, which made her very uncomfortable since she had a fear of singing in front of audiences.

Their first hit was 1961's "There's No Other Like My Baby". This song's B-side "Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby" (featuring Wright on lead) and the following single "Uptown" were topical and socially-aware pieces about growing up in the ghetto. After the success of "Uptown", a pregnant Girard was replaced by Dolores "LaLa" Brooks. The next single was 1962's "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)", still widely remembered though only rarely played on the radio due to the touchy subject matter of spousal abuse. Sales were sluggish.

Soon after "He Hit Me" flopped, Phil Spector began recording singer Darlene Love and her backing group The Blossoms under the name "The Crystals". Legend has it that the real Crystals were not able to travel from New York to Los Angeles fast enough to suit the LA-based Spector, who wanted to quickly record and release "He's a Rebel" (written by Gene Pitney) before anyone else had a chance to cover it and have a hit with it. The Crystals were unavailable, but Love and the Blossoms were also based in LA, so Spector recorded them and put the record out under The Crystals' banner.

"He's A Rebel" is perhaps the Crystals' most well-remembered and beloved songs, and one of the most enduring of the girl group genre. It was also their only US #1 hit. The follow-up Crystals single, "He's Sure the Boy I Love", in actuality also featured Love and The Blossoms.

The next single credited to The Crystals is one of the rarest -- and also possibly the strangest -- in rock music history. Reports vary as to the actual motivation behind the recording, but most agree that Phil Spector was looking for a way to annoy former business partner Lester Sill. What he came up with was a nearly six-minute song called "Let's Dance The Screw - Part I", which would be unplayable on 1963 radio. The record featured simple instrumentation (very much unlike Spector's famous Wall of Sound production style), repetitive lyrics, and Spector himself intoning the lyric "Dance The Screw" numerous times in a deadpan monotone. (The B-side, Part II, was more of the same.) The Crystals sang the song's repetitive verses, though it is unclear if these singers were the 'real' Crystals or The Blossoms.

The single was never commercially released, and only a few copies are known to exist (all marked D.J. COPY - NOT FOR SALE). The record was apparently only created to be a bizarre sort of joke at Sill's expense, as a single copy was specially delivered to him in early 1963.

Though it's unclear as to the level of their participation in "Let's Dance The Screw", the 'real' Crystals definitely began recording again under their own name in 1963. However, Thomas had departed to get married which reduced them to a quartet, and Alston stepped down from the lead spot giving it to Brooks.

After "Let's Dance The Screw", the group's next release was the classic "Da Doo Ron Ron." According to Darlene Love, the track was originally recorded by The Blossoms, with Love on lead vocal. Prior to release, Spector erased Love's lead vocal and replaced it with a vocal by LaLa Brooks, although he kept the Blossoms' backing vocals in place. The song was a top 10 hit in both the US and the UK, as was the follow-up single "Then He Kissed Me" — the first Crystals single since "He Hit Me" to feature all members of the Crystals as a definite group.

Both "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me" were penned by Spector with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

Despite the steady flow of hit singles, tensions between Spector and the Crystals mounted. Already unhappy with having been replaced by Love and company on two singles, The Crystals were even more upset when in 1964, Spector began focusing much of his time on rival girl group The Ronettes. Two failed Crystals singles followed, before the band left Spector's Philles Records for Imperial Records later in 1964. 1964 also saw the departure of Wright who was replaced by Frances Collins; toward the end of that year Alston departed leaving the group a trio. They disbanded in 1966. They reunited in 1971 and toured widely in varying incarnations on the oldies circuit; they still occasionally perform today. Kennibrew is the only original Crystal who remained active throughout their touring from the seventies to the present.
Lead singer Barbara Alston (September 28, 1943 – February 16, 2018) died at a Charlotte hospital in 2018.

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Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
The Crystals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jimmy, I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
I 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

Now Santa is a busy man
He has no time to play
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
You better write your letter now
And mail it right away
Because he's getting ready his reindeers and his sleigh

You better watch out, you better not cry
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town

He's making a list, he's checking it twice
He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town

He sees when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So 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 comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town

With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town

The 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
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is comin' to town

Santa Claus is comin' to town

Overall Meaning

The Crystals's song Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is a Christmas classic that has remained popular since its release in 1963. In the song, Jimmy talks about his encounter with Santa Claus at the North Pole. Santa shows Jimmy his workshop and tells him about his plans for Christmas. We get a sense of how busy Santa is, as he has millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day. Jimmy encourages kids to write their letters to Santa and mail them right away to ensure that their wishes are granted.

The song's chorus warns kids to watch out, not cry, and not pout because Santa Claus is coming to town. Santa is making a list and checking it twice to find out who is naughty or nice. He knows when you're sleeping, and he knows when you're awake. Therefore, Jimmy urges children to be good for goodness' sake. The song ends with descriptions of various toys Santa will bring, and the kids' happiness when they receive them.

The lyrics remind us of the magic and excitement surrounding Santa Claus and Christmas. It's a message about hope, goodwill, and sharing at this special time of the year. The song has become a holiday favorite, covered by many other artists, and often played during Christmas celebrations.

Line by Line Meaning

Jimmy, I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
I had a great journey through space and just returned back.

I stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I took a break at the North Pole to have a vacation.

I called on dear old Santa Claus to see what I could see
I visited Santa Claus to know more about him.

He took me to his workshop and told his plans to me
Santa showed me his workplace and shared his upcoming plans.

Now Santa is a busy man. He has no time to play
Santa is a busy person and has no time to relax.

He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
Santa needs to fill countless stockings on Christmas day.

You better write your letter now and mail it right away
To get a gift from Santa, you should write a letter and send it ASAP.

Because he's getting ready his reindeers and his sleigh
Santa is preparing his reindeers and sleigh for the journey.

He's making a list, he's checking it twice
Santa is making a list of good and bad kids and rechecking it.

He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice
Santa will find out who's well-behaved and who's misbehaved.

He sees when you're sleepin', He knows when you're awake
Santa is always watching you, whether you're sleeping or awake.

He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake
Santa knows whether you've been good or bad, so you should behave well for your own good.

With little tin horns and little toy drums, Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa's gifts include small musical instruments like tin horns, toy drums, etc.

Curly head dolls that toddle and coo, Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa's presents include dolls, elephants, boats and toy cars for kids.

The kids in girl and boy land will have a jubilee
All the kids, whether girls or boys, will have a fun and festive time.

They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
They are planning to create a Toyland setup around the Christmas tree.

Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa is arriving in town.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Coots, Haven Gillespie

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Stephen Reed

4y↑17

Jimmy, I just came back from a lovely trip along the milky way
I stopped off at the North Pole to spend the holiday
I called on old, dear Santa Claus to see what I could see
He took me to his workshop and told his plans to me
Now Santa is a busy man, he has no time for play
He's got millions of stockings to fill come Christmas day
You better write your letter now and mail it right away
Because he's getting ready, his reindeers and his sleigh

You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry
You'd 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 when you are sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake

Oh, you'd better watch out, you'd better not cry
You'd 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

With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming 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 coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town

Santa Claus is coming to town

All comments from YouTube:

Shane Greenslade

3y↑19

They sparkle like diamonds.

Seren Haf Williams-Davies

1y↑3

I love this Christmas song 🎅🫂

163pete

2y↑2

There’s only a few left of this group of great singers. Wow I suddenly feel so old. Because I reach all the way back to the 50s & 60s and its now 2022

Shadowmh

1y↑1

Underrated song

Stephen Reed

4y↑17

Nathan fitzgerald

3y↑2

....

Megan Cecil

2y↑3

At the beginning, they had the tone of Brahms Lullaby and they will sing a song for Christmas after the lullaby stops!

MrJamieMurph4141969

So incredibly touching, Brahms’ famous lullaby, which has existed since like 1868. As I always say, if such a tearjerker doesn’t make you weep, you must have no soul.