Run Rudolph Run

1958

Chuck Berry

Johnny Marks...who wrote Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer...asked himself 'What if Rudolph had an attitude? And wrote a new Christmas song about it. Then Chuck Berry recorded it in 1958, and it became yet another much-covered classic...But not without a tiny bit of sleight of hand of sorts.

Simply put, the producers were afraid that DJs of Top 40 stations would see the name of a known Christmas song author on the label and not play it. SOOOO they made Chuck Berry the songwriter.

Not a good idea...apparently legalities such as the fact that Johnny Marks was indeed the songwriter kind of got in the way of that plan and apparently not many records so labeled were pressed before the powers that be decreed that All Future Records Shall Have Johnny Marks Listed As He Is Who Wrote It. Which mens if you have an original 45 of the song listing Chuck Berry music and M Brodie as the songwriters you just might have something worth some money.

Now while the lyrics are Johnny Marks work, the music is unmistakably Berry's...melodically it's a dead ringer for his hit 'Little Queenie', and it Also has more than a few musical elements lifted straight out of Johnny Be Good. It's got a very definite Rock feel to it, and did so even back in '58, and it's been covered by everyone from Billy Ray Cyrus and Emily Osment to Lynard Skynard, ZZ Top, and the Grand Poobahs of all Jam Bands...The Grateful Dead.

The cool thing is, this isn't a Christmas Song as much as an early Rock and Roll song with Christmasy lyrics...and that's why so many truly classic hard rock Jam bands have covered it and done a kick-butt job of it while they were at it.

This is another one you'll hear every Christmas without fail. It's not only an awesome Christmas song, it's a truly Jammin' rock song!

So Enjoy! Chuck Berry's Christmas Rock tune...Run Rudolph Run.

Remember me saying some truly classic Rock bands have covered Run Rudolph Run? Lets kick the Bonuses off with a little musical ensemble that calls themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd, They Rock it slam outa the frame!

Next Up...Foghat shows what they can do with Mr Berry's little Christmas Rock Tune. What they do is nail it, and then some!

And now....The King Of The Jam Bands...The Grateful Dead...infuses the song with their unique style. And do an awesome job with it while they're at it.

To prove that the ladies can Rock Slam Out just as well as the Gentlemen...Kelly Clarkson takes on Run Rudolph Run, and knocks it outa the park...she truly kicks butt on this one.

And finally...remember Haley Joel Osment...the kid who Saw Dead People? No don't worry, he isn't gonna try to sing it. But he does have a little sister who absolutely nailed it. Emily Osment is tiny, cute as a button, uber-talented, and has some serious pipes. She also updated the lyrics just a scosh when she covered Run Rudolph Run. She bats clean-up with the bases loaded on this post...and brings everyone home with her high energy performance!