"Shadrack, the Black Reindeer" is a song written by Zero Jones. It was notably recorded by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer-songwriter

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as " You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My M ...

in 1974. It was released as a single the same year via

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

. It was given mixed reviews upon its initial release and did not chart any major music publications.

Background and content

"Shadrack, the Black Reindeer" was composed by singer-songwriter Zero Jones. The song tells the fictional tale of a reindeer named Shadrack who was part of

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

's reindeer pack and was considered "the fastest reindeer." The song was one of several holiday tunes to describe reindeer other than

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...

. The song was recorded first by Loretta Lynn at Bradley's Barn on August 29, 1974. The studio was owned by her producer,

Owen Bradley William Owen Bradley (October 21, 1915 – January 7, 1998) was an American musician and record producer who, along with Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, Bill Porter, and Don Law, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sou ...

. Lynn had been working with Bradley for nearly a decade up to that point on the MCA (formerly

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

) label. Several more songs were recorded during the same studio sessions and accompaniment was provided by

The Nashville A-Team The Nashville A-Team was a nickname given to a group of session musicians in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, who earned wide acclaim in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. They backed dozens of popular singers, including Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Pats ...

of musicians.

Release and reception

"Shadrack, the Black Reindeer" was released as a single in November 1974 via

. It was issued as a

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

and included a holiday tune on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of the release. The single did not chart on any ''Billboard'' charts, including the

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

, where most of Lynn's singles appeared. In their December issue, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' commented that the song was among a list of holiday tunes delayed for release by Nashville record labels, calling part of the "country holiday product scarce." The song received mixed reception from critics and writers. Television network,

MeTV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television program ...

, included the song on its list of the "strangest batch of Christmas songs," calling the song (among others on the list) "downright goofy." They also called the song "a questionable tale." In 1974, ''

Jet Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to: Aerospace * Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines ** Jet airliner ** Jet engine ** Jet fuel * Jet Airways, an Indian airline * Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline * Journey to Enceladus a ...

'' gave the song a positive review, saying that it had "a reasonable chance of becoming a Christmas standard."

Track listing

7-inch vinyl single * "Shadrack, the Black Reindeer" – 4:09 * "Let's Put Christ Back in Christmas" – 2:29

References

{{Loretta Lynn singles 1974 songs American Christmas songs Christmas novelty songs Loretta Lynn songs MCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Owen Bradley Songs about mammals Songs about Santa Claus