- Running Bear
Infobox Single
Name = Running Bear
Caption = "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston
Artist =Johnny Preston
from Album =
A-side =
B-side =
Released =
Format =
Recorded =
Genre =
Length = 2:39
Label =Mercury Records
Writer =
Producer =Bill Hall
Certification =
Chart position =
Last single =
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Misc =Audiosample
Upper caption = Audio sample
Audio file = Running Bear by Johnny Preston.ogg"Running Bear" is a song written by J.P. Richardson (aka
The Big Bopper ) sung most famously byJohnny Preston in 1959. Preston first sang the song in 1959 with background vocals by Richardson andGeorge Jones , and it was #1 onJanuary 18 toFebruary 1 ,1960 in the United States.Richardson was a friend of Preston's and offered "Running Bear" to him after hearing him perform in a club. Preston recorded the song at the
Gold Star Studios inHouston ,Texas in 1958. The session's producer wasBill Hall with Preston on vocals, Link Davis on saxophone. Richardson, Hall, and Jones performed the song's Indianchant s.Preston was signed to
Mercury Records , and "Running Bear" was released in August 1959, seven months after Richardson's death in the plane crash that also killedBuddy Holly . The song also reached #1 in the UK in 1960.Plot
"Running Bear" 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:
* Their tribes' hatred of each other. Each hailed from one of the two tribes, which were at war with each other ("Their tribes fought with each other / So their love could never be".")
* A raging river, which also serves as a metaphor for their other separation.
The two, desiring to be together despite their obstacles and the risks for navigating 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 tell the rest: "Now they'll always be together / In their
happy hunting ground "."It's been noted that JP Richardson was taking a bath and had a bar of "White Dove" soap with him at the time which inspired the song and the name of the song's heroine.
Artists
*
Johnny Preston had success with "Running Bear" in the 1960s.
*Sonny James also had a country hit with his recording of the song in 1969, reaching No. 1.
*The Guess Who included a cover of the song on their 1972 album "Rockin' ".
* A live version by punk bandStiff Little Fingers appeared as a B-side on their 1980 single "At The Edge". The track was recorded in Aberdeen in October 1979.uccession
Johnny Preston version
onny James version
References
*
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