Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)

Last updated

"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
Single Gene Autry-Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer cover.jpg
Gene Autry single cover
Single by Gene Autry
B-side "If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas"
PublishedJanuary 12, 1949 (1949-01-12) by John David Marks (self-published) [1]
May 9, 1949 by St. Nicholas Music Publishing Co. [1]
ReleasedSeptember 1949 [2]
RecordedJune 27, 1949 [2]
Genre Christmas
Length3:10
Label Columbia 38610
Songwriter(s) Johnny Marks

"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a song by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company. [3] Gene Autry's recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949.

Contents

History

In 1939, Marks' brother-in-law, Robert L. May, created the character Rudolph as an assignment for Montgomery Ward, and Marks decided to adapt the story of Rudolph into a song. [4] English singer-songwriter and entertainer Ian Whitcomb interviewed Marks about the creation of the song in 1972. [5]

The song had an added introduction, paraphrasing the poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" (in the public domain by the time the song was written), stating the names of the eight reindeer: "You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?"

The song was first introduced live on New York Radio (WOR) by crooner Harry Brannon in November 1949. [6] [7] Gene Autry recorded the song on June 27, 1949, [8] and it was released as a children's record by Columbia Records in September 1949. [9] By November, Columbia had begun pushing the record to the pop music market. It hit No. 1 in the US charts during Christmas 1949.

The song had been suggested as a "B" side for a record Autry was making. He first rejected it, but his wife convinced him to use it. The official date of its No. 1 status was the week ending January 7, 1950, making it the first No. 1 song of the 1950s. [10] Autry's version of the song also holds the distinction of being the only chart-topping hit to fall completely off the chart after reaching No. 1. The success of the Christmas song gave support to Autry's subsequent popular Easter song, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail".[ citation needed ]

The song was also performed on the December 6, 1949, Fibber McGee and Molly radio broadcast by Teeny (Marian Jordan's little girl character) and the Kingsmen vocal group. The lyrics varied greatly from the Autry version. [11] Autry's recording sold 1.75 million copies its first Christmas season and 1.5 million the following year. [12] In 1969, it was awarded a gold disk by the RIAA for sales of 7 million, which was Columbia's highest-selling record at the time. [13] It eventually sold a total of 12.5 million. Cover versions included, sales exceed 150 million copies, second only to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas". [14] [15]

Autry recorded another version of the song in the fall of 1957, and released it the same year through his own record label, Challenge Records. This version featured an accompaniment by a full orchestra and chorus. This was the only other version of the song Autry recorded and released on an album. [16]

In 1959, Chuck Berry released a recording of a sequel, "Run Rudolph Run" (sometimes called "Run Run Rudolph"), originally credited to Berry but subsequent releases are often credited to Marks and Marvin Brodie.

In December 2018, Autry's original version entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 36, nearly 70 years after it first charted. It climbed to No. 27 the week ending December 22, 2018. [17] and peaked at No. 16 the week ending January 5, 2019. [18]

In 2024, Gene Autry's recording was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being ''culturally, historically or aesthetically significant''.

Other notable recordings

Charts

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</span> Fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Though he initially receives ridicule for his nose as a fawn, the brightness of his nose is so powerful that it illuminates the team's path through harsh winter weather. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr., described Rudolph's story as "the fantasy story made to order for American children: each child has the need to express and receive approval for his or her individuality and/or special qualities. Rudolph's story embodies the American Dream for the child, writ large because of the cultural significance of Christmas."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burl Ives</span> American musician and actor (1909–1995)

Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American musician, singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Marks</span> American songwriter (1909–1985)

John David Marks was an American songwriter. He specialized in Christmas songs and wrote many holiday standards, including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", "A Holly Jolly Christmas", "Silver and Gold", and "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day".

<i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</i> (TV special) 1964 Christmas TV special

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1964 stop motion Christmas animated television special produced by Videocraft International, Ltd. It first aired December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the United States and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour. The special was based on the 1949 Johnny Marks song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was itself based on the poem of the same name written in 1939 by Marks's brother-in-law, Robert L. May. Since 1972, the special has aired on CBS. The network unveiled a high-definition, digitally remastered version of the program in 2005, re-scanned frame-by-frame from the original 35 mm film elements.

Radio Disney Jams was a series of CD compilations of music that was featured on Radio Disney, a children's radio network.

"Run Rudolph Run" is a Christmas song written by Chuck Berry but credited to Johnny Marks and M. Brodie due to Marks's trademark on the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was published by St. Nicholas Music (ASCAP) and was first recorded by Berry in 1958, released as a single on Chess Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Claus's reindeer</span> Legendary sleigh-pulling flying reindeer

In traditional festive legend and popular culture, Santa Claus's reindeer are said to pull a sleigh through the night sky to help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree</span> 1958 Christmas song by Brenda Lee

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958; it has since been recorded by numerous other music artists. By the song's 50th anniversary in 2008, Lee's original version had sold over 15 million copies around the world with the 4th most digital downloads sold of any Christmas single. In 2019, Lee's recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In November 2023, Lee released a music video for the song, and in December 2023 the song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking Lee's third number-one single and making Lee the oldest artist ever to top the Hot 100 at age 78, later breaking the record once again one week later at the age of 79. The song also set the record for the longest period of time between an original release and its topping the Hot 100, as well as the longest time between number-one singles by an artist: 63 years, one month and two weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Holly Jolly Christmas</span> 1964 single by Burl Ives

"A Holly Jolly Christmas", also known as "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas", is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and most famously performed by Burl Ives. The song has since become one of the top 25 most-performed "holiday" songs written by ASCAP members, for the first five years of the 21st century. Successful covers have notably been recorded by Alan Jackson, Jerrod Niemann, Lady Antebellum and Michael Bublé.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Here Comes Santa Claus</span> 1947 song by Oakley Haldeman and Gene Autry

"Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" is a popular Christmas song originally performed by Gene Autry, with music composed by Autry, Oakley Haldeman and Harriet Melka. Autry's original recording (in which he pronounces Santa Claus as "Santy Claus") was a top-10 hit on the pop and country charts; the song would go on to be covered many times in the subsequent decades.

Christmas with The Chipmunks is the name given to four different Christmas music albums by Alvin and the Chipmunks. These albums were released individually in 1962, 1963, 2007 and 2008.

"Here Comes Peter Cottontail" is a popular secular Easter song composed in 1949 by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins. They also wrote "Frosty the Snowman" in 1950. Mervin Shiner was the first person to record the song, on Decca Records in 1950. It reached #8 on Billboard Hot 100. The name "Peter Cottontail" was used by a character in a 1914 Thornton Burgess book, but may not have been previously used to refer to the Easter Bunny.

<i>Have a Holly Jolly Christmas</i> 1965 studio album by Burl Ives

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas is a Christmas album by American folk singer Burl Ives, first released by Decca Records in October 1965. It peaked at #32 on Billboard's Best Bets For Christmas album chart on December 2, 1967.

Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits is a set of two Christmas-themed compilation albums released by Rhino Records in 1989, each featuring ten popular Christmas recordings from 1935 to 1983, many of which charted on the Billboard record charts. Both volumes were certified Gold by the RIAA in the U.S., with the second volume being certified Platinum.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a legendary Christmas character, originally from a booklet by Robert Lewis May.

<i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</i> (soundtrack) 1964 soundtrack album by cast

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a soundtrack album to the 1964 Rankin/Bass television special of the same name. The original cast recordings from the TV special are supplemented with instrumental versions recorded by the Decca Concert Orchestra on the Compact Disc version. All songs used in the television special were written by Johnny Marks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadrack, the Black Reindeer</span> 1974 single by Loretta Lynn

"Shadrack, the Black Reindeer" is a song written by Zero Jones. It was notably recorded by American country singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn in 1974. It was released as a single the same year via MCA Records. It was given mixed reviews upon its initial release and did not chart any major music publications.

<i>Billboard</i> Christmas Holiday charts Music rankings by the trade magazine Billboard of Christmas Holiday Music

Billboard magazine only charted Christmas singles and albums along with the other popular non-holiday records until the 1958 holiday season when they published their first section that surveys only Christmas music.

References

  1. 1 2 Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1949). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1949 Published Music Jan-Dec 3D Ser Vol 3 Pt 5A. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
  2. 1 2 "GeneAutry.com: Music, Movies & More - The Essential Gene Autry, 1931-1953". Autry.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  3. ↑ Bloom, Nate (December 11, 2011). "Shining a Light on the Largely Untold Story of the Origins of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer". InterfaithFamily.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  4. ↑ Kim, Wook (December 17, 2012). "Yule Laugh, Yule Cry: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs". Time . Archived from the original on December 21, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Ian Whitcomb Interviews Johnny Marks". YouTube. December 4, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  6. ↑ US Census Bureau, Census History Staff. "December 2019 - History - U.S. Census Bureau". Census.gov. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's Daughter Gracie Showers off in Scenic Ocean Shot". Country Music. February 7, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ George-Warren, Holly (May 7, 2007). Public Cowboy No. 1 The Life and Times of Gene Autry. Oxford University Press. pp. 250–251. ISBN   978-0195177466.
  9. ↑ Billboard Magazine Sep. 24, 1949, page 37
  10. ↑ Casey Kasem American Top 40 April 8, 1979
  11. ↑ Video on YouTube
  12. ↑ Green, Abel (December 20, 1961). "Alltime Yule Money Songs". Variety . p. 1.
  13. ↑ "Goldisk Finally To Autry's 'Rudolph'". Variety . December 24, 1969. p. 2.
  14. ↑ Badger, Reid; Salem, James (December 22, 1996). "America's Holiday Sound– Distinctive artists". The Tuscaloosa News . Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  15. ↑ Jackson, Kenneth T. (August 15, 1998). The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Volume 1. Gale. p. 550. ISBN   9780684804927 . Retrieved October 17, 2013. , while Autry's version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" sold more than 12.5 million copies
  16. ↑ "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer Song Information". Geneautry.com. Gene Autry Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Gene Autry". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  18. ↑ "US Top 40 Singles Week Ending January 5, 2019". Top40Weekly.com. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  19. ↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  20. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920–2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 31. ISBN   0-89820-161-6.
  21. ↑ Whitburn p. 43
  22. ↑ Whitburn p. 36
  23. ↑ Whitburn p. 25
  24. ↑ Whitburn p. 49
  25. ↑ "Burl Ives - Chart history｜Billboard". billboard.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  26. ↑ Whitburn p. 61
  27. ↑ "Dean Martin – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Dean Martin – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Billboard Global 200: Week of January 6, 2024". Billboard . Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  30. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  31. ↑ "2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Dean Martin – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Dean Martin – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Dean Martin – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dean Martin; 'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  37. ↑ "British single certifications – Dean Martin – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  38. ↑ "Burl Ives Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  39. ↑ "Burl Ives – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  40. ↑ "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Burl Ives | Official Charts". OCC . Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  41. ↑ "Burl Ives Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  42. ↑ "Burl Ives Chart History (Country Digital Song Sales)". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  43. ↑ "Burl Ives Chart History (Country Streaming Songs)". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  44. 1 2 "Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs". Billboard . Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  45. ↑ "Gene Autry Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Gene Autry Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  47. ↑ "Gene Autry Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  48. ↑ "Gene Autry Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  49. ↑ "Gene Autry Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  50. ↑ "Gene Autry Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2023.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.