Band on the Run (song)
Encyclopedia
"Band on the Run" is the title song from Paul McCartney & Wings' acclaimed Band on the Run album. The single sold one million copies in 1974 in the United States, where it reached number 1, and it went to number 3 in the United Kingdom. "Band on the Run" can also be found on Wings Greatest
(1978) and All the Best!
(1987).
The first part (0:00-1:18) is soft and melodic. The singer complains about being stuck in one room forever alone, unable to see any nice people.
The second part (1:19-2:05) is more of a pop-rock melody with the guitar, drums, and bass becoming more prominent. The singer thinks about giving everything away if he does escape. George Harrison
unwittingly contributed the first line of this part: "If we ever get out of here" when he said it during one of the many Beatles' business meetings.
The third and main part (2:05 to 5:09) is the initial rock part, which talks about the band escaping and going on the run. The people in the town are trying to find them "forevermore", but they "never will be found."
The version played on the radio in America in 1974 was a shorter version of the song, edited down from the original 5:09 to 3:50 in length. The difference was largely caused by the removal of the middle or the second part of the song, as well as the verse that starts with "Well, the undertaker drew a heavy sigh..."
for sales of over one million copies. The song features prominently on every McCartney/Wings best-of compilation and in McCartney's live shows. It was the second of five number-one singles for the band on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song is featured on Guitar Hero World Tour
on the main setlist. Both the master recording and a live version was added to Rock Band.
of "Band on the Run" was recorded in 2007 by Foo Fighters
as their contribution to the Radio 1. Established 1967 album
. This album, commemorating BBC Radio 1
's 40th anniversary, features a cover version of a song released in each of the station's 40 years recorded by a modern-day band or solo artist, "Band on the Run" being the song selected to represent 1974.
On 1 June 2008 McCartney was joined onstage by Foo Fighters
lead singer Dave Grohl
for a special performance in Liverpool
. Grohl played guitar and sang backing vocals on "Band on the Run" and then played drums on Beatles
songs "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "I Saw Her Standing There
". Grohl later performed the song with Paul's band in 2010 at the White House, when Paul was given the Gershwin Award.
On 16 April 2011, the Foo Fighters
cover of the song was released on their album Medium Rare (Foo Fighters album)
.
The song was referenced by Will Ferrell
during his act at The Concert For New York City
. While impersonating George W. Bush
, he told viewers of his attempt to come up with new names for the "talliband operation". He says Paul McCartney
told him to name it "Talliband.. on the run."
Tori Amos
performed a snippet of this song at a number of shows during the Plugged '98 Tour.
The synthesizer
section from 1:33 - 1:48 is sampled on the track "Cutting Rhythms" by Tone Lōc
on the album Lōc-ed After Dark
. The opening section of the track is sampled on the song "Brown Girl" by Amanda Diva
from her EP Life Experience.
, featuring montages of still pictures from their career. Present-day McCartney and Wings weren't shown. The video ends with a collage of Beatles pictures much like the album cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
.
Wings Greatest
Wings Greatest is a compilation album by the band Wings and is their eighth album as well as Paul McCartney's 10th since leaving The Beatles. It is notable as being the first official retrospective release from Paul McCartney's post-Beatles career...
(1978) and All the Best!
All the Best!
All the Best! is the second official compilation album of Paul McCartney music, after 1978's Wings Greatest and was released in 1987. The album contains tracks from the beginning of his solo career in 1970 up to the newly recorded "Once Upon a Long Ago." The track inclusion and running order...
(1987).
Composition
The song has a three-part structure that revolves around the themes of escape and liberation and tells a story about a band being confined to prison and then escaping and going on the run.The first part (0:00-1:18) is soft and melodic. The singer complains about being stuck in one room forever alone, unable to see any nice people.
The second part (1:19-2:05) is more of a pop-rock melody with the guitar, drums, and bass becoming more prominent. The singer thinks about giving everything away if he does escape. George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
unwittingly contributed the first line of this part: "If we ever get out of here" when he said it during one of the many Beatles' business meetings.
The third and main part (2:05 to 5:09) is the initial rock part, which talks about the band escaping and going on the run. The people in the town are trying to find them "forevermore", but they "never will be found."
The version played on the radio in America in 1974 was a shorter version of the song, edited down from the original 5:09 to 3:50 in length. The difference was largely caused by the removal of the middle or the second part of the song, as well as the verse that starts with "Well, the undertaker drew a heavy sigh..."
Reception
The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of AmericaRecording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for sales of over one million copies. The song features prominently on every McCartney/Wings best-of compilation and in McCartney's live shows. It was the second of five number-one singles for the band on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song is featured on Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour is a music video game developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. It is the fourth main entry in the Guitar Hero series...
on the main setlist. Both the master recording and a live version was added to Rock Band.
Cover versions
A cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Band on the Run" was recorded in 2007 by Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
as their contribution to the Radio 1. Established 1967 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
. This album, commemorating BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's 40th anniversary, features a cover version of a song released in each of the station's 40 years recorded by a modern-day band or solo artist, "Band on the Run" being the song selected to represent 1974.
On 1 June 2008 McCartney was joined onstage by Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
lead singer Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
for a special performance in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Grohl played guitar and sang backing vocals on "Band on the Run" and then played drums on Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
songs "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "I Saw Her Standing There
I Saw Her Standing There
"I Saw Her Standing There" is a song written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and is the opening track on The Beatles' debut album, Please Please Me, released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone on 22 March 1963....
". Grohl later performed the song with Paul's band in 2010 at the White House, when Paul was given the Gershwin Award.
On 16 April 2011, the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
cover of the song was released on their album Medium Rare (Foo Fighters album)
Medium Rare (Foo Fighters album)
Medium Rare is a covers album by Foo Fighters. The album was released on April 16, 2011 as a limited-edition vinyl for Record Store Day, an event that celebrates independent record stores...
.
The song was referenced by Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
during his act at The Concert For New York City
The Concert for New York City
The Concert for New York City was a benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians, that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks...
. While impersonating George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, he told viewers of his attempt to come up with new names for the "talliband operation". He says Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
told him to name it "Talliband.. on the run."
Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
performed a snippet of this song at a number of shows during the Plugged '98 Tour.
The synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
section from 1:33 - 1:48 is sampled on the track "Cutting Rhythms" by Tone Lōc
Tone Lōc
Anthony Terrell Smith , better known by his stage name Tone Lōc, is an American rapper and actor.-Early life and career:...
on the album Lōc-ed After Dark
Loc-ed After Dark
Lōc-ed After Dark is the debut album by rapper, Tone Lōc. The album was released in 1989 for Delicious Vinyl Records and was a huge success, making it to #1 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop album charts...
. The opening section of the track is sampled on the song "Brown Girl" by Amanda Diva
Amanda Diva
Amanda Diva is a female rapper, actress, and former replacement of the musical group Floetry.- Personal life :...
from her EP Life Experience.
Video
An official video was released along with the song. It served mostly as a tribute to The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, featuring montages of still pictures from their career. Present-day McCartney and Wings weren't shown. The video ends with a collage of Beatles pictures much like the album cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
.
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United States | 1 |
| United Kingdom | 3 |