Run, Rudolph, Run

Album

Single

Label

Chess Records

Genre

Christmas

Composer(s)

Chuck Berry;Johnny Marks;Marvin Brodie

Entered Chart

Dec 15, 1958

Peak Date

Jan 2, 2021

Released

19 November 1958 Studio Chess (Chicago)

Recorded

1958

Catalog #

Chess 1714

B-Side

Merry Christmas Baby

Original Artist

1958-397

Berry based this tale on "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," giving Rudolph a bit of an attitude as he delivers the toys. Unlike Santa, however, Rudolph is copyrighted, and Berry had to give the publishing rights to Johnny Marks, who wrote the original Rudolph. Perhaps if Berry had used "Randolph" (another reindeer he mentions), he could have kept the publishing. That's what the makers of the British TV special Robbie the Reindeer did. The song is sometimes known as "Run Run Rudolph," which is how it appears on Lynyrd Skynyrd's cover. Other artists to record the song include Sheryl Crow, Bryan Adams, The Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffett, Dwight Yoakam, Bon Jovi and Keith Richards. This was used in the 1990 movie Home Alone in one of those pre-9/11 airport scenes where the family rushes to the gate and barely makes their plane (minus Macaulay Culkin). Other films the song has appeared in include Diner, The Santa Clause 2, Cast Away and Jingle All the Way. In the unmistakable intro, Berry sings a warning to Rudolph about another reindeer that's hot on his heels: Out of all the reindeers you know you're the mastermind Run, run Rudolph, Randolph ain't too far behind. As we know from Marks' original, the lesser reindeer are Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. So, who is this Randolph character that's creeping up on the most famous reindeer of all? It's possible that Berry was referencing "Randolph The Flat-Nosed Reindeer," a country-novelty tune from 1953 by Homer and Jethro, a duo known for satirizing popular songs. (They had a Top 10 Country hit in 1949 with a version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" featuring June Carter.) In their take on the classic, Santa tries his hand at rhinoplasty when he lops off Randolph's funny-looking snout, and then sews it back on upside down. He probably wasn't too much of a threat to Rudolph because he could never get his flat nose to light up "because his batteries were dead." Unlike Berry, Homer and Jethro didn't have to give up the rights to Marks, but they did have to share songwriting credit with him. This holds the record for the longest amount of time between a song hitting the charts and then breaking into the Top 10. When it was released in December 1958, it went to #69 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2019, it re-entered the chart at #45, and in January 2021 - 62 years and two weeks after its chart debut - it reached its peak at #10. The boost in popularity likely came from an official animated video released by Berry's estate in 2020. It features the Father of Rock 'n Roll on a Christmas adventure, cruising the starry skies in a classic red convertible being pulled by Rudolph and his gang.

Out of all the reindeers you know you're the mastermind
Run, run Rudolph, Randalph ain't too far behind
Run, run Rudolph, Santa's gotta make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph 'cause I'm reeling like a merry go round

Said Santa to a boy "Child what have you been longing for?"
"All I want for Christmas is a rock and roll electric guitar"
And then away went Rudolph whizzing like a shooting star
Run, run Rudolph, Santa has to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph, reeling like a merry go round

Run, run Rudolph, Santa's gotta make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph, I'm reeling like a merry go round

Said Santa to a girl "Child what would please you most to get?"
"A little baby doll that can cry, sleep, drink and wet"
And then away went Rudolph whizzing like a Saber jet
Run, run Rudolph, Santa's gotta make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph, I'm reeling like a merry go round