In the late 1960s he led a blues-rock trio called Love Sculpture, who scored a quasi-novelty hit by reworking Khachaturian's classical piece "Sabre Dance" as a speed-crazed rock number. "Sabre Dance" became a hit after garnering the enthusiastic attention of British DJ John Peel.
After Love Sculpture split, Edmunds had a number one single with "I Hear You Knocking", a Smiley Lewis cover. His only acting role followed, as a band member in the David Essex movie Stardust (1974 movie). After learning the trade of producer, culminating in a couple of singles in the style of Phil Spector, "Baby I Love You" and "Born To Be With You", he became linked with the pub rock movement of the early 1970s, producing Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, and also The Flamin' Groovies, using a stripped down, grittier sound.
His own solo LP from that era, Subtle As A Flying Mallet, was similar in style. In 1977, the Brinsley Schwarz connection brought about a collaboration with Nick Lowe under the name Rockpile, with Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. For contractual reasons they could not record as Rockpile until 1980, but contemporary solo LPs (such as Nick Lowe's Labour of Lust and Edmunds' own Repeat When Necessary) were in fact group recordings. Dave Edmunds had more hits during this time, including Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk", Nick Lowe's "I Knew The Bride", Hank DeVito's "Queen of Hearts" ), Graham Parker's "Crawling From The Wreckage", and Melvin Endsley's "Singing The Blues" (originally a hit for Guy Mitchell).
Unexpectedly, after Rockpile relased their first LP under their own name (1980's Seconds Of Pleasure), the band split, generally attributed to tensions between Edmunds and Lowe. Edmunds spent the 1980s collaborating with and producing an assortment of artists, from Paul McCartney to King Kurt, and from The Stray Cats to Status Quo. He recorded the soundtrack for Porky's Revenge, supplying the main theme, "High School Nights", and was the musical director for a television special starring Carl Perkins, with assorted guests including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Rosanne Cash.
On his 1983 and 1984 releases, Information and Riff Raff, Edmunds collaborated on two songs with Jeff Lynne, the lead musician of Electric Light Orchestra. He recorded less frequently after the mid 1980s.
Edmunds now lives in Wales in semi-retirement, touring Scandinavia infrequently, after surviving a quadruple bypass several years ago.
Run Rudolph Run
Dave Edmunds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run, run Rudolph, Randalph's not too far behind
Run, run Rudolph, Santa's got to make it to town
Randalph he can hurry, he can take the freeway down
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a merry-go-round
Said Santa to a boy child "What have you been longing for?"
"All I want for Christmas is a Rock and Roll electric guitar"
Run, run Rudolph, Santa's got to make it to town
Can't you make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a merry-go-round
Said Santa to a girl child "What would you like most to get?"
"I want a little baby doll that can cry, scream and wet"
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a Saber jet
Run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolph, a running like a son-of-a-gun.
The song "Run Rudolph Run" by Dave Edmunds is a classic rock and roll Christmas song that tells the story of Santa Claus and his trusty reindeer Rudolph rushing to make it to town on time for Christmas. The opening line, "Out of all the reindeer you know you're the mastermind," establishes Rudolph as the lead reindeer who is responsible for ensuring that Santa's sleigh makes it to its destination on time. The urgency of the situation is highlighted by the lyrics "Run, run Rudolph, Randalph's not too far behind" and "Can't you make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down."
As the song progresses, Santa speaks with a young boy and girl, asking them what they want for Christmas. The boy desires a "Rock and Roll electric guitar" while the girl wants a "little baby doll that can cry, scream and wet." Both of these gifts are representative of the changing times and the emergence of rock and roll culture in the 1950s, when the song was written. Rudolph continues to race towards the town at breakneck speed, depicted in the lyrics "And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a shooting star" and "a whizzing like a Saber jet."
Overall, "Run Rudolph Run" is a high-energy Christmas song that combines the classic story of Santa and his reindeer with the excitement and energy of rock and roll music. It perfectly captures the holiday spirit and the magic of Christmas.
Line by Line Meaning
Out of all the reindeer you know you're the mastermind
Rudolph, you are the most resourceful and intelligent among all the other reindeer
Run, run Rudolph, Randalph's not too far behind
Hurry up Rudolph, Randolph is just behind you and we don't have much time
Run, run Rudolph, Santa's got to make it to town
Run as fast as you can Rudolph, Santa needs to get to the town on time
Randalph he can hurry, he can take the freeway down
Randolph can take the freeway to catch up with us quickly
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a merry-go-round
Rudolph ran away quickly and smoothly like he was riding a merry-go-round
Said Santa to a boy child "What have you been longing for?"
Santa asked a little boy what he wishes to have for Christmas
"All I want for Christmas is a Rock and Roll electric guitar"
The boy wishes to have a Rock and Roll electric guitar as his present
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a shooting star
Rudolph ran very fast like a shooting star in the sky
Can't you make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Please hurry up Rudolph, ask Randolph to take the freeway to reach us quickly
Said Santa to a girl child "What would you like most to get?"
Santa asked a little girl what gift she desires the most
"I want a little baby doll that can cry, scream and wet"
The girl wants a baby doll that can cry, scream and wet as her present
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a Saber jet
Rudolph ran at lightning speed like a fast Saber jet
Run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolph, a running like a son-of-a-gun.
Rudolph is running very fast like a son-of-a-gun to make sure Santa reaches the town on time
Lyrics © ST. NICHOLAS MUSIC INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Marvin Brodie, Johnny Marks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tattyshoes Shigure
Dave Edmunds... hands down, one of the all time R&R guitar greats!
Derzemar Derze
Excelente...
Lex T
Dave has a PhD in Chuck Berry.
Nicolas Martin
If you want to illustrate to your grandkids what the very best rock n roll sounded like, play this song for them.
Jayne Shepherd
Definitely the best version!
eugene endres
Agreed !
Ron Bruner
Dave Edmunds is the best - in my opinion as well. I never thought Chuck Berry would be topped, but this is a great version. Dave Edmunds performing live at some New Year's celebration is even a tad better. You can find it here in the YouTube listings - RON
Marc Govaerts
Absolutely the best version; who can sit still to this one? Dave rules.
Max Brand
Dave nailed that song and it's the best rendition of them all.
Lester Morrisey
Lovely photo of Dave. What a great player/singer he is.