Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Song Meaning of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by Gene Autry

A song written by Johnny Marks based on the Montgomery Ward Company's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer short story from 1939. The week before Christmas 1949, Gene Autry's song debuted at the top of the American charts.

As part of a project for Montgomery Ward in 1939, Marks' brother-in-law Robert L. May created the character Rudolph. Marks then chose to turn the Rudolph tale into a song.

An additional introduction to the song listed the names of the eight reindeer and paraphrased the poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas":

"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?"

The song was written by Gene Autry in 1949, and Columbia Records issued it as a children's record in September of that same year. It reached No. 1 in the US charts for the 1949 holiday season.

The song was proposed as the "B" side for a record Autry was putting together. His wife persuaded him to utilise it after he initially refused it. It became the first song to reach No. 1 of the 1950s on the official date of its No. 1 status, which was the week ending January 7, 1950. The song's rendition by Autry also has the distinction of becoming the only number-one hit to entirely disappear from the charts after doing so.

Sales of more than 150 million copies, including cover versions, are second only to "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer lyrics by Gene Autry

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!"

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!"