Run Joey Run

Run Joey Run by David Geddes is featured in Bad Reputation, the seventeenth episode of Season One. It is sung by Finn, Jesse, Puck, and Rachel, with Brittany and Santana doing background vocals dressed as angels.

When a "Glist" (a list rating the sexual promiscuity of the Glee Club members) circulates around William McKinley High School, Rachel is annoyed to discover that she is placed last on the Glist, with a score of -5. Inspired by Mr. Schuester's assignment to rehabilitate a bad song, Rachel sets out to change her placement on the list by becoming "musically promiscuous." With the help of Artie and the A/V Club, Rachel creates a music video of David Geddes' 1970s hit Run Joey Run. It's her attempt to get a bad reputation, by having three men in the video as her romantic interests: Finn, Puck, and Jesse (all of whom were romantically attracted to her at some point). Puck, Finn, and Jesse were each cast as Joey, unbeknownst to each other, further adding to Rachel's "bad reputation" since she's using the boys to her advantage.

Sandy Ryerson makes an appearance in the video as Julie's dad, although he had argued with Rachel in previous episodes. The premise of the video is that Julie's dad found out Joey got Julie pregnant, and wants to kill him, but he shoots Julie by mistake.

The video starts out in Puck's room, with Julie telling Joey on the phone that her father wants to kill him. Jesse appears as Joey #2, driving up to Julie's house, before Julie's dad appears with a gun. Her father shoots the gun, just as Julie steps in front of Joey (now Finn as Joey #3). The video ends with Julie dying and appearing as an angel. Julie winks and the word 'Fin' appears which is the French and the Spanish word for the end, or short for Finish.

Lyrics[]

Brittany and Santana:
Aaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaah

Rachel with Brittany and Santana harmonizing:
Daddy, please don't
It wasn't his fault
He means so much to me
Daddy please don't
We're gonna get married

Rachel:
Just you wait and see

Puck:
Every night, the same old dream, I hate to close my eyes
I can't erase the memory
The sound of Julie's cry
She called me up, late that night
She said, "Joe, don't come over"
My Dad and I just had a fight
And he stormed out the door
I've never seen him act this way
My God, he's going crazy

Puck with Brittany and Santana harmonizing:
He said he's gonna make you pay
For what we've done, he's got a gun

Puck with Brittany and Santana:
So run, Joey run, Joey run!

Rachel with Brittany and Santana harmonizing:
Daddy, please don't
It wasn't his fault
He means so much to me
Daddy, please don't
We're gonna get married

Rachel:
Just you wait and see

Jesse:
Got in my car, drove like mad
'Til I reached Julie's place
She ran to me, with tear-filled eyes
And bruises on her face
All at once I saw him there
Sneakin' up behind me (Rachel: Watch out!)
Then Julie yelled, "He's got a gun!"

Finn:
And she stepped in front of me
Then, suddenly, a shot rang out
And I saw Julie falling

Finn with Brittany and Santana harmonizing:
I ran to her; I held her close
When I looked down, my hands were red!

Finn:
And here's the last words Julie said:

Rachel:
Daddy, please don't
It wasn't his fault
He means so much to me
Daddy, please don't
We're gonna get married.....

Brittany and Santana:
Aaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaah

Jesse with Brittany and Santana:
Run, Joey, run, Joey, run,

Finn with Brittany and Santana:
Joey, run,

Puck with Brittany and Santana:
Joey, run,

Finn, Jesse, and Puck (with Brittany and Santana harmonizing):
Joey, run, Joey, run.....!

Trivia[]

In the episode Prom Queen, Sue Sylvester calls this the worst number New Directions ever did. Ironically, when they are tasked to provide entertainment for the prom, this is the first number Rachel suggests.
Sue thinks Will should "apologize to America" for this cover.
The song, and the drama that it caused was also mentioned in Laryngitis. This makes it one of the few songs talked about in another episode, after it has been performed.
Rachel's past (Puck), present (Jesse) and future (Finn) lovers are all the male leads.
Rachel was currently dating Jesse, but he ironically got the least amount of screen time. Jesse was also the least used of the three "Joeys", as Puck sang the most and Finn held her in the death scene.
The order of which guy sings the male lead part is in the order of which guy she dated.
The other members of New Directions may dislike the memory of this song, as they appear unhappy when Rachel suggests it in Prom Queen.
Cory Monteith stated in an interview that the blood on his hands was actually ketchup.
It was briefly mentioned in the Season Four episode, Lights Out, when Santana suggests Rachel sing that hit song for her Funny Girl audition as a joke since Rachel kept obsessing over which song to pick.
While under Sue's hypnosis in the Season Six episode The Hurt Locker, Part One, Sam told Will that one of the things Rachel blames him for was this song.
This song is featured in Chapter 2 of the Glee Forever! app.

Mistakes[]

Earlier in this episode, Rachel says her dad is going to play the guy who kills her character, however Stephen Tobolowsky, most likely as Sandy Ryerson, played the murderer in this film. Obviously, Stephen has never played Rachel's dad.