Run Rudolph Run

"Run Rudolph Run"^[2] 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.^{[3][note 1]} It was published by St. Nicholas Music (ASCAP) and was first recorded by Berry in 1958, released as a single on Chess Records.^[9]

"Run Rudolph Run"
Single by Chuck Berry
A-side	"Merry Christmas Baby"
Released	1958
Recorded	1958
Studio	Chess (Chicago)[1]
Genre	Christmas, rock and roll
Length	2:37
Label	Chess 1714
Songwriter(s)	Chuck Berry Music (credited on original single label) Johnny Marks (subsequent) Marvin Brodie
Producer(s)	Leonard Chess, Phil Chess

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."^[10] 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 (ASCAP).^[7]

The song's dialogue between Santa and the children references popular toys of the 1950s.

Cover versions

This song was covered by singer Whitney Wolanin in 2013. Her recording reached the highest chart position of all versions on Billboard, reaching number two on its Adult Contemporary chart. Wolanin starred in a parody music film with the song about the original movie A Christmas Story at the Christmas Story House.

In 2023, Cher recorded a cover of the song for her Christmas album Christmas.^[11]

Chart performance

During its initial chart run, Berry's 1958 recording peaked at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1958.^[12] Sixty years later, the single re-entered the Hot 100 chart at number 45 (on the week ending January 5, 2019), 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.^[13][14]

Berry's original version first made the UK Singles Chart on the week ending Christmas Day 1963, peaking at number 36 two weeks later (with the song's title misspelled as "Run Rudolf Run").^[15]

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 (1958)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[16]	69

Chart (2018–2025)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[17]	22
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[18]	71
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19]	24
France (SNEP)[20]	172
Global 200 (Billboard)[21]	22
Greece International (IFPI)[22]	45
Ireland (IRMA)[23]	44
Latvia (DigiTop100)[24]	39
Lithuania (AGATA)[25]	41
Netherlands (Single Tip)[26]	2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[27]	28
Portugal (AFP)[28]	114
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[29]	78
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[30]	78
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[31]	20
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[32]	39
UK Singles (OCC)[33]	36
US Billboard Hot 100[34]	10
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)[35]	9
US Rolling Stone Top 100[36]	5

Whitney Wolanin

Chart (2013)	Peak position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[37]	2

Luke Bryan

Chart (2008–09)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[38]	42

Justin Moore

Chart (2012)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[39]	58

Mark Ambor

Chart (2024–2025)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[40]	36
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[41] [42]	56
Greece International (IFPI)[43]	67
Ireland (IRMA)[44]	9
Lithuania (AGATA)[45]	33
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[46]	96
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[47]	36
UK Singles (OCC)[48]	31
US Billboard Hot 100[49] [50]	78

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[51]	Gold	15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[52]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[53]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

1. There is some debate about authorship.^[4][5] The original record credited authorship to Berry's music company (Chuck Berry Music, Inc.) and Brodie. Only in subsequent releases did the writing credits go to Marks and Brodie^[2] (and even then, this was not always the case, as multiple later releases by the label credited the song simply to Berry).^[5] Marks was the songwriter of the thematically similar, but musically different, song "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer".^[6] All cover versions of "Run Rudolph Run" by other artists have since credited the song to Marks and Brodie (as published by Marks's St. Nicholas Music (ASCAP)).^[7] Berry's song "Little Queenie" - recorded during the same session as "Run Rudolph Run", and which was musically similar to, but lyrically different from, "Run Rudolph Run"^[5] - was released shortly after "Run Rudolph Run", in 1959. In it, the song never listed Marks or Brodie as a songwriter,^[7] only Berry's music company or Berry himself.^[8][5]