Running Bear

Last updated
"Running Bear"
Running Bear Johnny Preston single cover.JPG
Sleeve of Running Bear by Johnny Preston (1960 UK pressing)
Single by Johnny Preston
B-side "My Heart Knows"
ReleasedAugust 1959
RecordedMay 21, 1959
Studio Gold Star (Houston, Texas) [1]
Genre
Length2:38
Label Mercury [4]
Songwriter(s) J. P. Richardson [4]
Producer(s) Bill Hall [4]
Johnny Preston singles chronology
"Running Bear"
(1959)		"Cradle of Love"
(1960)
Official audio
"Running Bear" on YouTube

"Running Bear" is a teenage tragedy song written by Jiles Perry Richardson (a.k.a. The Big Bopper) and sung most famously by Johnny Preston in 1959. [4] The 1959 recording featured background vocals by George Jones and the session's producer Bill Hall, who provided the "Indian chanting" of "uga-uga" during the three verses, as well as the "Indian war cries" at the start and end of the record. It was No. 1 for three weeks in January 1960 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and the same on Canada's CHUM Charts. [5] The song also reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart and New Zealand [6] in 1960. [4] Coincidentally, "Running Bear" was immediately preceded in the Hot 100 No. 1 position by Marty Robbins' "El Paso", and immediately followed by Mark Dinning's "Teen Angel", both of which feature a death of, or affecting, the protagonist. Billboard ranked "Running Bear" as the No. 4 song of 1960. [7] The tenor saxophone was played by Link Davis. [8]

Contents

Richardson was a friend of Preston and offered "Running Bear" to him after hearing him perform in a club. Preston recorded the song at the Gold Star Studios in Houston, Texas, [1] a few months after Richardson's death in the plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. [4] Preston was signed to Mercury Records, and "Running Bear" was released in August 1959.

"Running Bear" was used in the 1994 movie A Simple Twist of Fate , which stars Steve Martin as Michael McCann, a fine furniture maker in rural Virginia, who adopts a little girl named Mathilda. There is a scene about midway through the movie where he plays "Running Bear" on the record player, and he and Mathilda are dancing to the song. The song appears on the soundtrack of 1975's Crazy Mama , and, as performed by Ray Gelato, is featured in the London night-club scene in the film Scandal, based on the Profumo affair.

Plot

The song tells the story of Running Bear, a "young Indian brave", and Little White Dove, an "Indian maid". The two are in love but are separated by two factors:

The two, longing to be together, despite the obstacles and the risks posed by the river, dive into the raging river to unite. After sharing a passionate kiss, they are pulled down by the swift current and drown. The lyrics describe their fate: "Now they'll always be together / In their happy hunting ground."

Chart performance

Cover versions

A German version titled Brauner Bär und Weiße Taube ("Brown Bear and White Dove") was recorded as a single by Gus Backus in 1960. [19] [20]

In 1960, the Dutch group Het Cocktail Trio recorded a version of the song called Grote Beer ("Great Bear", but also "Ursa Major") about an Indian who travels in space. [21]

Masaaki Hirao  [ ja ] recorded a Japanese language version of "Running Bear" in 1960.

George Jones recorded a version on his 1962 album The New Favorites Of George Jones [22]

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Sonny James enjoyed an unprecedented streak of success with his commercially released singles, many of them covers of previous pop hits. One of his 16 consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart was a cover version of "Running Bear." Released in April 1969, James topped the Hot Country Singles chart in mid-June and spent three weeks at No. 1. [23] The song was one of the most popular recordings of James' career. In Canada, it reached #1 on the country charts and #74 on the rock charts. [24] [25]

Jim Stallings recorded a version of the song on his 1969 album titled Heya!

The Guess Who included the song on their 1972 album Rockin' , although the songwriting credit is incorrectly given to Clarence "Curly" Herdman, a country and bluegrass fiddler.

The Youngbloods released a version of the song as a single in 1972 [26] and was featured on their album High on a Ridge Top. [27]

Tom Jones recorded a funk version of the song on his 1973 album The Body and Soul of Tom Jones.

Mud recorded the song on their 1974 debut album Mud Rock which reached #8 in the UK charts.

Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass recorded a toe-tapping version of the song, complete with the standard Nashville Brass banjo-and-steel solo, for their 1975 album Dream Country.

The song was occasionally part of Led Zeppelin's live repertoire in the early 1970s, during rock medleys contained within long versions of "Whole Lotta Love". [28]

In 2012 Ray Stevens covered the song on his 9-CD box set, The Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music.

Northern Irish punk band, Stiff Little Fingers did a live cover of this, which ended up on their album All the Best and later on the re-issue of their live album, Hanx! .

The song is a staple of Williams and Ree's live set and is one of the duo's most popular songs. Ree performs the lead vocals while Williams provides Indian chants and humorous alternatives, such as lyrics from "Pump Up the Jam" and "Ice Ice Baby".

Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys frequently performed the song and it appears on their album Time Changes Everything , and on many greatest hits compilations.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Preston</span> American rock and roll singer (1939–2011)

John Preston Courville, known professionally as Johnny Preston, was an American rock and roll singer, best known for his 1960 international number one hit "Running Bear".

"Pretend" is a popular song, written in 1952 by Dan Belloc, Lew Douglas, Cliff Parman and Frank Levere.

"(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend" is a cowboy-styled country/western song written in 1948 by American songwriter Stan Jones.

"Theme from A Summer Place" is a song with lyrics by Mack Discant and music by Max Steiner, written for the 1959 film A Summer Place, which starred Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. It was recorded for the film as an instrumental theme by Steiner. Originally known as the "Molly and Johnny Theme", this lush extended cue, as orchestrated by Murray Cutter, is not the main title theme of the film, but an oft-heard secondary love theme for the characters played by Dee and Donahue. A subsequent recording by Hugo Winterhalter was the first to use the "Theme from A Summer Place" title. The theme has become a canonical representation of the easy listening genre, and is considered by some to be the definitive easy listening track of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teen Angel (song)</span> 1959 single by Mark Dinning

"Teen Angel" is a teenage tragedy song written by Jean Dinning and her husband, Red Surrey. Recorded at Bradley Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, the song was performed by Jean's brother, Mark Dinning, and released in October 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoke Gets in Your Eyes</span> 1933 song by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach

"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical comedy Roberta. The song was sung in the Broadway show by Tamara Drasin. It was first recorded by Gertrude Niesen, with orchestral direction from Ray Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's second cousin, on October 13, 1933. Niesen's recording of the song was released by Victor, with in the B-side "Jealousy", a song featuring Isham Jones and his Orchestra. The line "When your heart's on fire, smoke gets in your eyes" apparently comes from a Russian proverb.

"Mountain of Love" is a song written by Harold Dorman. Dorman released his version as a single in 1960. It was originally recorded in late 1959 at the Royal Recording Studios in Memphis before the backing vocals were overdubbed. It performed well, spending 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 21 in May 1960, while reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart, and No. 25 on Canada's "CHUM Hit Parade". The song was his only top forty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the highest-charting single of his career.

"Dedicated To The One I Love" is a song written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass that was a hit for the "5" Royales, the Shirelles, the Mamas & the Papas and Bitty McLean. Pauling was the guitarist of the "5" Royales, the group that recorded the original version of the song, produced by Bass, in 1957. Their version was re-released in 1961 and charted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Battle of New Orleans</span> Song written by Jimmy Driftwood

"The Battle of New Orleans" is a song written by Jimmy Driftwood in 1936. The song describes the Battle of New Orleans from the perspective of an American soldier; the song tells the tale of the battle with a light tone and provides a rather comical version of what actually happened at the battle. It has been recorded by many artists, but the singer most often associated with this song is Johnny Horton. His version, recorded at Bradley Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, scored number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1959, it was very popular with teenagers in the late 1950s/early 1960s in an era mostly dominated by rock and roll music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let It Be Me (The Everly Brothers song)</span> 1955 single by Gilbert Bécaud and Everly Brothers

"Let It Be Me" is a 1960 single by The Everly Brothers. The song is an English-language cover of "Je t'appartiens", which had been released as a single in France by Gilbert Bécaud in 1955. The song was a top ten hit for The Everly Brothers in the United States and spawned many additional cover versions.

"Love Letters in the Sand" is a popular song first published in 1931.

"You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" is a popular song written by Russ Morgan, Larry Stock, and James Cavanaugh and published in 1944. The song was first recorded by Morgan and was a hit for him in 1946, reaching the No. 14 spot in the charts. The best known version was Dean Martin's, which was released in 1960 and reissued in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleep Walk</span> 1959 single by Santo & Johnny

"Sleep Walk" is an instrumental song written, recorded, and released in 1959 by American instrumental rock and roll duo Santo & Johnny Farina, with their uncle Mike Dee playing the drums. Prominently featuring steel guitar, the song was recorded at Trinity Music in Manhattan, New York City. "Sleep Walk" entered Billboard's Top 40 on August 17, 1959. It rose to the number 1 position for the last two weeks in September and remained in the Top 40 until November 9. "Sleep Walk" also reached number 4 on the R&B chart. It was the last instrumental to hit number 1 in the 1950s and earned a gold record for Santo and Johnny. In Canada, the song reached number 3 in the CHUM Charts. In the UK it peaked at number 22 on the charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">To Know Him Is to Love Him</span> 1958 single by The Teddy Bears

"To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by the words on his father's gravestone, "To Know Him Was to Love Him". It was first recorded by the only vocal group of which he was a member, The Teddy Bears. The single spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, while reaching No. 2 on the UK's New Musical Express chart. Peter & Gordon and Bobby Vinton later each experienced chart success with the song, in 1965 and 1968, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poetry in Motion (song)</span> 1960 single by Johnny Tillotson

"Poetry in Motion" is a UK No. 1 hit single in 1961, recorded amongst others by Johnny Tillotson. Tillotson's version was the most successful.

"Bongo Rock" is a rock and roll instrumental recorded by Preston Epps, written by Epps and Arthur Egnoian. Released as a single in 1959, it charted #14 Pop in the United States, and #4 in Canada. It was included in Epps' 1960 album Bongo Bongo Bongo.

"Cradle of Love" is a song released in 1960 by Johnny Preston written by Jack Fautheree & Wayne Gray.

"Feel So Fine" is a song released in 1960 by Johnny Preston. The song is a reworking of the 1955 song "Feel So Good" by Shirley & Lee, with modified lyrics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)</span> 1960 single by The Everly Brothers

"So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" is a song written by Don Everly, which was released by The Everly Brothers in 1960. The song was later a country hit for multiple artists in the 1970s and 80s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngblood (5 Seconds of Summer song)</span> 2018 single by 5 Seconds of Summer

"Youngblood" is a song recorded by Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. It was written by Calum Hood, Ali Tamposi, Andrew Watt, Ashton Irwin and Luke Hemmings with production handled by Andrew Watt and Louis Bell. The song was released via Capitol Records on 12 April 2018, as the second single from their third studio album of the same name.

References

  1. 1 2 Wood, Roger; Cano, Ray (May 27, 2015). "SugarHill Recording Studios". Texas State History Association. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  2. ↑ Breihan, Tom (February 19, 2018). "The Number Ones: Johnny Preston's "Running Bear"". Stereogum . Retrieved June 6, 2023. As a rockabilly song, "Running Bear" checks all the marks.
  3. ↑ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 92. ISBN   978-0-571-28198-5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 49. ISBN   0-85112-250-7.
  5. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - January 4, 1960".
  6. ↑ "flavour of new zealand - Playdate charts". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1960
  8. ↑ "Johnny Preston: Singer who had a No 1 on both sides of the Atlantic". The Independent. March 8, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Johnny Preston – Running Bear" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  10. ↑ "Johnny Preston – Running Bear" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  11. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade: Week of January 4, 1960". The CHUM Tribute Site. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  12. ↑ "Johnny Preston – Running Bear" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "Johnny Preston – Running Bear". VG-lista. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  14. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  15. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 - For Week Ending January 24" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. 18 January 1958. p. 48. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  16. ↑ "The Cash Box Top 100 - January 23, 1960" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. 23 January 1960. p. 4. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  17. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Johnny Preston – Running Bear" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  18. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  19. ↑ Gus Backus - Brauner Bär und weiße Taube on YouTube
  20. ↑ "Gus Backus - Brauner Bär Und Weiße Taube / Blue Boy (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. 1960. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  21. ↑ Het Cocktail Trio - Grote Beer on YouTube
  22. ↑ "The New Favorites of George Jones Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". allmusic. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  23. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 172.
  24. ↑ "RPM Top 40 Country Singles - July 14, 1969" (PDF).
  25. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - June 9, 1969" (PDF).
  26. ↑ The Youngbloods, "Running Bear" single release Retrieved May 18, 2015
  27. ↑ The Youngbloods, High on a Ridge Top Retrieved May 18, 2015
  28. ↑ "Led Zeppelin – Amsterdam 1972 (MMachine MM-00-03/04)". Collectors Music Reviews. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
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.