Friday, October 24, 2008

Run Joey Run

One of the most hilariously melodramatic pop hits of the 1970s was David Geddes' "Run Joey Run." Rock aficionados know that songs about dead teenagers used to be surprisingly popular with The Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" and Mark Dinning's "Teen Angel" being probably the most popular. I have no idea what made them so appealing to teenage (or younger) audiences, but these story-songs inevitably chronicled a young man or woman coming to grips with the horribly cruel death of his or her betrothed.

I had never seen Geddes' video for "Run Joey Run," which hit #5 in 1975. I am unable to embed the YouTube video, but you can watch it here. Like Dinning's Teen Angel, who was squashed by a rampaging locomotive while retrieving her boyfriend's class ring from a car stranded on the tracks (!), Geddes' heroine meets a similarly bloody and tragic demise. I suggest you spend the next three minutes in the loopy musical world of David Geddes.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my God!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought this song was a figment of my imagination all I could remember of the song was "Run Joey Run", so I thought I'd look it up and here it is....
I don't think I've heard this since it came out which makes it over 30 years...
Boy I feel old!!!
Doreen from Australia

Anonymous said...

I don't ever remember hearing that song. It just popped on one of the 70 itunes stations and I couldn't believe how awful it was! I googled the song to see who sang it. Imagine my surprise that someone actually has comments on a blog about it. Truly everything is on the internet!

Anonymous said...

i dont know why everyone says its the worst song ever. i really like it. mayby i just have a morbid brain.

Melissa said...

I remember being lil and jumpin on my bed singing this song.. I am now 23 years old and been looking for this song for years... I need help though, I remember as a kid the cd also had "The Night Chicago Died" I would love to know what cd that was if anybody knows...

cheap viagra said...

Did you remember? "Daddy, please don't -- it wasn't his fault. He means so much to me!
"Daddy, please don't: we're gonna get married; just you wait and see."

It was the ensign of many people during the 70's! I really like your post thanks for sharing!22dd