Not Just 90s Mailbag

In our inaugural edition of the Mailbag (not actual segment name) we'll answer the story behind the phrase in a popular Christmas song. Please note that this wasn't actually sent to this blog, but rather posted open and publicly on Facebook (and not really addressed to me).

Michial Farmer (of "Ladder on Wheels" blog) writes:
A question (and for some reason I'm assuming @Al Kammerer will know the answer): In the Chuck Berry Christmas classic "Run Rudolph Run," who or what is Randolph, as in "Run, run, Rudolph / Randolph can't be far behind"?

Here's my answer:
It's a reference to Randolph Hearst's attempt to gain control of the Christmas business from Santa Claus & Co. A big part of this was that Hearst claimed his delivery system would be faster and more efficient. One year in particular, Hearst and cronies challenged Santa's crew to a "delivery race." Randolph Hearst lost, of course, but the race was close at one point, and Santa's crew really did know that "Randolph can't be far behind."

Need music questions answered? Need your taste challenged or confirmed? Send me a note or post a comment.