Wayne's severe asthma forced the family to move to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1952. In the spring of 1958, toward the end of Wayne's junior year in high school, a Las Vegas booking agent saw a local TV show on which the two Newton brothers were performing and took them back with him for an audition. Originally signed for two weeks, the two brothers eventually performed for five years, doing six shows a day.
Newton achieved nationwide recognition on September 29, 1962, when he and his brother performed on The Jackie Gleason Show. He would perform on Gleason's show 12 times over the following two years.
Many other entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Bobby Darin, Danny Thomas, George Burns, and Jack Benny lent Newton their support. In particular, Benny hired Newton as an opening act for his show.
After his job with Benny ended, Newton was offered a job to open for another comic at the Flamingo Hotel, but Newton asked for, and was given, a headline act.
In 1999, Newton signed a 10-year deal with the Stardust, calling for him to perform there 40 weeks out of the year for six shows a week in a showroom named after him. In 2005, in preparation for the eventual demolition of the casino, the deal was, from all reports, amicably terminated; Newton began a 30-show stint that summer at the Hilton. His last show at the Stardust was on April 20, 2005. During a break in his on stage performance, he announced to the crowd that night he wanted to spend more time with his wife and new daughter as the main reasonings for cancelling the contract. Newton said the Boyd family made him a very nice offer to stay on past the demolition of the hotel and casino and to play in other Boyd venues, but Newton declined citing "another deal in the works for Vegas", but he did not mention the Hilton specifically. News crews were expecting this performance to end on time, to make their 10 pm and 11 pm shows, but the show finally ended around 11:30 pm, thus eliminating the possibility. Mr. Las Vegas went on at 7:30 that night, and sang nearly his entire repertoire and songs of other Vegas mainstays as well.
In 2001, Newton succeeded Bob Hope as “Chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle.” In January 2005, Newton started a reality television show on E! called The Entertainer. The winner got a spot in his act, plus a headlining act of their own for a year. And recently during player introductions at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Newton sang Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas."
In 2008, Newton received a Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a national memorial to President Wilson, commemorates "the ideals and concerns of Woodrow Wilson." The award honors leaders who have given back to their communities.rs, earning him the nickname Mr. Las Vegas.
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Wayne Newton 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 to Wayne Newton's song Santa Claus Is Coming To Town opens with the singer describing his trip along the Milky Way, where he makes a stopover at the North Pole to spend a holiday. He then decides to pay a visit to Santa Claus and his workshop to see what's happening. Santa Claus reveals his plans to the singer, and that's when he starts to warn the children about keeping good behavior because Santa Claus is coming to town. The chorus urges children to watch out, not to cry, and not to pout because Santa Claus is coming to town, making a list of the nice and naughty children and checking it twice.
The song mentions some of the toys that the children could receive, such as little tin horns, little toy drums, curly head dolls that toddle and coo, elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too. The end of the lyric suggests that kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee celebration, building a Toyland all around the Christmas tree. The second verse explains that Santa Claus is a busy man, having no time to play as he has millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day. He encourages children to write their letters and mail them right away, and he's getting ready with his reindeer’s and his sleigh.
Overall, the song is essentially about spreading the joy of the holiday season and the importance of children's good behavior to receive their gifts from Santa Claus.
Line by Line Meaning
I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
After a wondrous journey through the Milky Way, I stopped by the North Pole to enjoy the holiday season.
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I visited the North Pole to celebrate the festive season.
I called on dear old Santa Claus
I paid a visit to the venerable Santa Claus.
To see what I could see
I wanted to observe everything that was happening.
He took me to his workshop
Santa Claus kindly showed me his workshop.
And told his plans to me, so
He then shared his plans with me.
You better watch out, you better not cry
Be on your best behaviour or you will regret it.
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't be grumpy or you'll miss out.
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Get ready, because Santa Claus is on his way.
He's making a list and checking it twice
He's keeping a list and checking it twice to determine who has been good or bad.
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
He'll discover who's naughty and who's nice.
He sees you when you're sleepin'
Santa Claus is aware when you're asleep.
He knows when you're a wake
And he knows when you're awake.
He knows if you've been bad or good
He also knows if you've been bad or good.
So be good for goodness sake
Therefore, be a good person just because it’s the right thing to do.
Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry
I'm warning you again to be good, and not to cry or pout.
With little tin horns and little toy drums
There will be plenty of small musical toys, like tin horns and drums.
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
There will be plenty of musical instruments, including brass flow instruments and rhythmic drums.
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
There will be dolls with curly hair who toddle and coo.
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
And other toys like elephants, boats, and kiddie cars will be among the gifts.
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
Children in girl and boy land will be overjoyed with gifts.
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
They'll create a Toyland all around the Christmas tree.
Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
Santa Claus is very busy and has no time to spare.
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
He has millions of socks to fill on Christmas day.
You'd better write your letter now
Get your Christmas list in now.
And mail it right away
Send it off quickly.
Because he's getting ready
Because Santa Claus is preparing for his big night.
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
He's preparing his sleigh and reindeer for Christmas Eve.
Get ready, because Santa Claus is on his way.
So, prepare yourself, because Santa Claus is coming.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind