Running Bear

Album

Single

Label

Mercury Records

Genre

Rockabilly

Composer(s)

J.P. Richardson

Entered Chart

Oct 12, 1959

Peak Date

Jan 18, 1960

Released

August 1959

Recorded

August 1959

Catalog #

Mercury 71474

B-Side

My Heart Knows

This song was written by J.P. Richardson, who was an influential Texas disc jockey known as "The Big Bopper." Richardson had a hit of his own in 1958 with "Chantilly Lace," and on February 3, 1959, was killed in the plane crash that also claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. In America, this song was released about 6 months later, as it was delayed by legal constraints due to Richardson's death in the plane crash. Rock and Roll was still in its infancy in the '50s, and teenagers were the target audience. Many of the songs of that era are about teenagers, and like this one, often involve tragedy. In this song, Running Bear is a young Indian who falls in love with a girl from the rival tribe across the river. At the end of the song, they swim to meet each other and drown. This was a Country hit for Sonny James in 1969. Other artists to record it include George Jones, Don Fardon and The Guess Who. Jones did the "Ocka Chunka" backing with The Big Bopper on the original. Richardson thought the Romeo & Juliet theme of this song was too serious for him to record. He passed it on to his friend, the Cajun musician friend Johnny Preston, who originally was unsure about the song but was eventually persuaded to cut it. Preston became a Rockabilly star and followed "Running Bear" with the #7 "Cradle of Love." He died on March 4, 2011 at age 71. In 1971 The English singer and Pop mogul Jonathan King took the "Ocka Chunka" backing from this hit and added it to the B.J. Thomas song "Hooked On A Feeling." His cover reached #23 in the UK and three years later Swedish group Blue Swede topped the American singles chart with their version again with the "Ocka Chunka" backing.

On the banks of the river stood runnin' bear, young Indian brave
On the other side of the river stood his lovely Indian maid
Little white dove was-a her name, such a lovely sight to see
But their tribes fought with each other so their love could never be

Runnin' bear loved little white dove with a love big as the sky
Runnin' bear loved little white dove with a love that couldn't die

He couldn't swim the raging river 'cause the river was too wide
He couldn't reach little white dove, waiting on the other side
In the moonlight he could see her blowing kisses 'cross the waves
Her little heart was beating faster, waiting there for her brave

Runnin' bear loved little white dove with a love big as the sky
Runnin' bear loved little white dove with a love that couldn't die

Runnin' bear dove in the water, little white dove did the same
And they swam out to each other through the swirling stream they came
As their hands touched and their lips met, the ragin' river pulled them down
Now they'll always be together in that happy hunting ground

Runnin' bear loved little white dove with a love big as the sky
Runnin' bear loved little white dove with a love that couldn't die