Run Rudolph Run


"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 and was first recorded by Berry in 1958, released as a single on Chess Records.
It has since been covered by numerous other artists, sometimes with the title "Run Run Rudolph".

History

Chuck Berry reported that he wrote the song himself, but then discovered that the name Rudolph was trademarked by Johnny Marks. Marks sued and consequently was given songwriting credit, although he "had nothing to do with the song." Berry also said that M. Brodie does not exist, but was a pseudonym created as "a scheme to make more money for Marks and his publisher." Berry's 1958 45-rpm single gives writing credits to "C. Berry Music – M. Brodie". All subsequent cover versions of the song are credited to Marks and Brodie, as published by Marks's St. Nicholas Music.
The song's dialogue between Santa and the children references popular toys of the 1950s.

Cover versions

During its initial chart run, Berry's 1958 recording peaked at number 69 on the [Billboard Hot 100|Billboard Hot 100] chart in December 1958. Sixty years later, the single re-entered the Hot 100 chart at number 45, reaching an overall peak position of number 10 on the week ending January 2, 2021, following its third chart re-entry, becoming Berry's third top-ten hit and his first since 1972's "My Ding-a-Ling". In doing so, it broke the record for the longest climb to the top 10 since its first entry in December 1958, at 62 years and two weeks.
Berry's original version first made the UK Singles Chart on the week ending Christmas Day 1963, peaking at number 36 two weeks later.
Bryan Adams recorded a version for A Very Special Christmas, a 1987 compilation album produced to benefit the Special Olympics.
In 2013, Whitney Wolanin released a version of the song that reached number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The only other recordings that charted in the U.S. were by the country music artists Luke Bryan, whose 2008 rendition peaked at number 42 on the Hot Country Songs chart, Justin Moore, whose 2011 version peaked at number 58 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and the pop music artist Mark Ambor, whose 2024 rendition peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Chuck Berry

Chart Peak
position
Australia 22
France 172
Greece International 28
Latvia 39
Lithuania 41
New Zealand 28
Portugal 84
Sweden Heatseeker 1
US Holiday 100 9
US Rolling Stone Top 1005

Keith Richards

Whitney Wolanin

Luke Bryan

Justin Moore

Mark Ambor

Certifications