RUNNING BEAR
"Running
Bear" is a song written by J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) sung most
famously by Johnny Preston (August 18, 1939 – March 4, 2011) in 1959. Preston
first sang the song in 1959 with background vocals by Richardson and George
Jones, who did the Indian chanting of "UGO UGO" during the three
verses, as well as the Indian war cries. It was #1 for three weeks in January
1960 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song also reached #1 in
the UK in 1960.
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, in 1958. The session's producer was Bill Hall with Preston on
vocals and Link Davis on saxophone. Richardson, Hall, and Jones performed the
song's Indian chants.
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 killed
Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.
About the song
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:
Their tribes' hatred of each other: they hail
from tribes that are at war with each other. ("Their tribes fought with
each other / So their love could never be.")
A raging river: this is a physical separation
that also serves as a metaphor for their cultural separation.
The two, desiring
to be together despite their obstacles and the risks of 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 describe their fate:
"Now they'll always be together / In their happy hunting ground."
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