The second most famous song to be associated with J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper), if Preston's version was designed as a tribute to the author following his death in the same plane crash that ended Buddy Holly's life a few months previously then it wears no such intentions on its sleeve.
On a literal level, 'Running Bear' is a teen death ballad dressed up in war paint, but unlike contemporaries of the same ilk ('Tell Laura I Love Her', 'The Leader Of The Pack', 'Terry' et al), it doesn't base it's whole rasion d'entre on overblown tragedy - 'Running Bear' is a novelty song pure and simple. The characters aren't people from your High School but some fictitious Indians down on the reservation and just in case anyone was in any doubt, Preston doesn't hold back on the 'a wugga wugga' Indian war cry's and whoops in the background of the verses.
If Preston's vocal is a touch on the dry side, it fits the jerky meter of the lyric ("On the bank, of the river, stood Running Bear, young Indian brave") well enough. All well and good, but it's on the chorus that Preston comes unstuck; the "Running Bear loved Little White Dove, with a love big as the sky" is meant to explode into life with a rocking swing, but if the saxophone honks and swagger are half baked then Preston's vocal doesn't even make it to the oven. Instead of cutting loose, it wears the same formal suit, shirt and tie as he does on the cover and the flailing backing music isn't enough to pump air into this rapidly deflating balloon.
The lack of direction lets the humour silts up completely, leaving it high and dry until the next round of verses start up to bring some relief until we realise that the 'a wugga wugga's are soundtracking the deaths of Running Bear and Little White Dove in the 'raging river', a plot development that's presented with Preston's same shoulder shrugging 'ah well' indifference. Which, to be honest, is exactly how you should regard a song that's too dumb to be offensive yet too gormless to sing along to.
On a literal level, 'Running Bear' is a teen death ballad dressed up in war paint, but unlike contemporaries of the same ilk ('Tell Laura I Love Her', 'The Leader Of The Pack', 'Terry' et al), it doesn't base it's whole rasion d'entre on overblown tragedy - 'Running Bear' is a novelty song pure and simple. The characters aren't people from your High School but some fictitious Indians down on the reservation and just in case anyone was in any doubt, Preston doesn't hold back on the 'a wugga wugga' Indian war cry's and whoops in the background of the verses.
If Preston's vocal is a touch on the dry side, it fits the jerky meter of the lyric ("On the bank, of the river, stood Running Bear, young Indian brave") well enough. All well and good, but it's on the chorus that Preston comes unstuck; the "Running Bear loved Little White Dove, with a love big as the sky" is meant to explode into life with a rocking swing, but if the saxophone honks and swagger are half baked then Preston's vocal doesn't even make it to the oven. Instead of cutting loose, it wears the same formal suit, shirt and tie as he does on the cover and the flailing backing music isn't enough to pump air into this rapidly deflating balloon.
The lack of direction lets the humour silts up completely, leaving it high and dry until the next round of verses start up to bring some relief until we realise that the 'a wugga wugga's are soundtracking the deaths of Running Bear and Little White Dove in the 'raging river', a plot development that's presented with Preston's same shoulder shrugging 'ah well' indifference. Which, to be honest, is exactly how you should regard a song that's too dumb to be offensive yet too gormless to sing along to.
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