Come Running
Encyclopedia
"Come Running" is a song written by singer-songwriter
Van Morrison
and included on his 1970 album Moondance
.
"Come Running" was also the only song to survive the Astral Weeks
demos for Warner Bros.
in 1968.
. It was then rerecorded in both the spring and summer sessions in the same year, before Morrison returned to the track in the September to November sessions at the A&R Recording Studios, 46th Street, New York, that resulted in the recording of most of the tracks that were released on Moondance.
, with a chord progression
of A-D-A-D-A-D-A-D-A-D-A-E-D, which changes at the coda
to A-F#m-A-D-F#m-Bm-D-A. The song has a bright rock tempo
in 4/4 time, which slows at the three bar coda.
Morrison described it as "a very light type of song. It's not too heavy. It's just a happy-go-lucky song. There are no messages or anything like that." Brian Hinton
's interpretation of the song was more complex: "The imagery is just like that at the end of "Madame George
", a train passing, wind and rain ... an image of implacable nature against which human life and death play out their little games. Van and his lover 'dream that it will never end' while knowing that of course it will. Even the injunction to 'put away all your walking shoes' has a temporary sound to it."
The lyrics "you come running to me, you'll come running to me" were later reused in the 1987 track "Queen of the Slipstream
".
remarked that "the lower rung chart success of the "Come Running" 45 hardly accounts for the immediate acceptance of the album's [Moondance] immediate acceptance by a whole new spectrum of young adult listeners." The single peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
and included on his 1970 album Moondance
Moondance
Moondance is the third solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on Warner Bros. Records on 28 February 1970 and peaked at #29 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart....
.
"Come Running" was also the only song to survive the Astral Weeks
Astral Weeks
Astral Weeks is the second solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in November 1968 on Warner Bros. Records. It was Morrison's first album after Warner Bros. had been able to free him from his contract with Bang Records...
demos for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in 1968.
Recording
The song was first recorded at the Warners Publishing Studio, New York in early 1969 with Morrison's producer at the time, Lewis MerensteinLewis Merenstein
Lewis Merenstein is most famous as the record producer for the Van Morrison album, Astral Weeks, and as executive producer for Moondance, Morrison's 1970 album.Astral Weeks is listed as #19 on the Rolling Stone Magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003...
. It was then rerecorded in both the spring and summer sessions in the same year, before Morrison returned to the track in the September to November sessions at the A&R Recording Studios, 46th Street, New York, that resulted in the recording of most of the tracks that were released on Moondance.
Composition
"Come Running" is composed in the key of A majorA major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...
, with a chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of A-D-A-D-A-D-A-D-A-D-A-E-D, which changes at the coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
to A-F#m-A-D-F#m-Bm-D-A. The song has a bright rock tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
in 4/4 time, which slows at the three bar coda.
Morrison described it as "a very light type of song. It's not too heavy. It's just a happy-go-lucky song. There are no messages or anything like that." Brian Hinton
Brian Hinton
Brian Hinton, MBE is an English poet and musicologist. In June 2006 he was honoured in H. M. the Queen’s Birthday Honours List with an MBE for services to the Arts.-Education:...
's interpretation of the song was more complex: "The imagery is just like that at the end of "Madame George
Madame George
"Madame George" is a ten-minute song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It appears on the album Astral Weeks, released in 1968. The song features Morrison performing the vocals and acoustic guitar...
", a train passing, wind and rain ... an image of implacable nature against which human life and death play out their little games. Van and his lover 'dream that it will never end' while knowing that of course it will. Even the injunction to 'put away all your walking shoes' has a temporary sound to it."
The lyrics "you come running to me, you'll come running to me" were later reused in the 1987 track "Queen of the Slipstream
Queen of the Slipstream
"Queen of the Slipstream" is a romantic ballad written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded on his 1987 album, Poetic Champions Compose. It was also released as a single in the U.K...
".
Single release
Biographer Clinton HeylinClinton Heylin
Clinton Heylin is an English author who has written extensively about popular music and the work of Bob Dylan.- Education :...
remarked that "the lower rung chart success of the "Come Running" 45 hardly accounts for the immediate acceptance of the album's [Moondance] immediate acceptance by a whole new spectrum of young adult listeners." The single peaked at number 39 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...
singles chart.
Personnel
- Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
- tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, vocals - John Klingberg - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Jeff LabesJeff LabesJef Labes is an American keyboardist, best known from his work with Van Morrison and Bonnie Raitt. He has also arranged for string and woodwind instruments on numerous albums.-Career:...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Gary MallaberGary MallaberGary Mallaber is a Los Angeles session drummer, percussionist and singer. He got his start playing drums in a band from Buffalo, New York, known as Raven....
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Guy Masson - congaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
- John PlataniaJohn PlataniaJohn Platania is a well-known session musician, guitar player, and record producer.Platania was born in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley, in Ulster County, near Woodstock....
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Jack SchroerJack SchroerJohn Henry "Jack" Schroer was a saxophonist, pianist and arranger best known for his work with Van Morrison in the 1970s as a member of his band The Caledonia Soul Orchestra....
- alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Collin Tilton - tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...