Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry



Today’s song of the day is a classic American Christmas song, “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” by Gene Autry.

Fun Facts:

The song was written by famed songwriter Johnny Marks.
Recorded on June 27, 1949, “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” was formally released in September of the same year.
A few months later, during the holiday season of 1949, Gene Autry’s Christmas single hit number one in the country.
The song is based on the 1939 story “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Robert Lewis May.
Numerous music artists have covered the song over the years, including Bing Crosby, Spike Jones and His City Slickers, Red Foley and The Little Foleys, The Cadillacs, Burl Ives, and The Temptations.
Bing Crosby’s cover of the song charted on Billboard that year, peaking at number 14 for pop singles.
The cover produced by The Temptations in 1968 reached number 12 on Billboard’s Christmas chart that year, rising to the third spot three years later in 1971.
Gene Autry has been inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Autry is featured on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, having been awarded stars in all categories, including music and live performance.

Lyrics:

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?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Had a very shiny nose

And if you ever saw it

You would even say it glows

All of the other reindeer

Used to laugh and call him names

They never let poor Rudolph

Join in any reindeer games

Then one foggy Christmas Eve

Santa came to say

“Rudolph, with your nose so bright

Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

Then how the reindeer loved him

As they shouted out with glee

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

You’ll go down in history”