Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)
Encyclopedia
"Run", also known more commonly as "Run", is a song written and recorded by Gnarls Barkley
. It is the first single to be released from the band's second album The Odd Couple
. Released in February 2008 as a digital download
in the UK and the U.S. via the iTunes Store
, a physical release of the single followed in the UK on March 31. The song features a sample from Keith Mansfield
's "Junior Jet Set" from the KPM LP Flamboyant Themes and "Starting Out the Day" by Strawberry Alarm Clock
. The song is featured in the movie X-Men: First Class
, and is heard in promos for Disney-Pixar
's Cars 2
. This song was number 34 on Rolling Stone
UK 7" Vinyl Picture Disc
. Cee-Lo Green sings the song behind a microphone stand, while Danger Mouse
plays the song's music on a turntable
. Justin Timberlake
appears in a cameo
as the host of the show. The video features dizzying special effects such as hypnotic spirals, and as a result was banned from airplay in the United States
after failing the Harding Test
(a test designed to protect sufferers of photosensitive epilepsy
). As of March 5, 2008 the hypnotic spirals have been toned down upon request and the video premiered on TRL
March 6, 2008. The video won for best choreography as well as best art direction in a video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
.
at number 63 based on first-week sales of the digital single but the following week, it fell to number 86 and then again to number 95 but the following week it jumped back up to number 69 and then jumped to a new peak of number 51 a week later. It officially debuted on the UK Top 40 at number 32 on downloads alone and stayed there the following week with physical sales added. The song debuted at Japan
's official J-Wave
chart at number 100 in the last week of February.
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
. It is the first single to be released from the band's second album The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple (album)
The Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and in stores March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8...
. Released in February 2008 as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
in the UK and the U.S. via the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
, a physical release of the single followed in the UK on March 31. The song features a sample from Keith Mansfield
Keith Mansfield
Keith Mansfield is a British composer and arranger known for his creation of prominent television theme tunes, including the Grandstand theme for the BBC...
's "Junior Jet Set" from the KPM LP Flamboyant Themes and "Starting Out the Day" by Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles best known for their 1967 hit "Incense and Peppermints". The group took its name as an homage to the Beatles' psychedelic hit "Strawberry Fields Forever", reportedly, at the suggestion of their record company Uni Records.They are...
. The song is featured in the movie X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics starring the X-Men.-Publication history:The original series was an eight-issue limited series. It began in September 2006 and ended in April 2007. It was written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Roger Cruz...
, and is heard in promos for Disney-Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
's Cars 2
Cars 2
Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated action film produced by Pixar, and it is the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. In the film, race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage...
. This song was number 34 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Tracklisting
German CD Single- "Run" (Album Version) - 2:40
- "Who's Gonna Save My Soul?" (Instrumental) - 3:14
UK 7" Vinyl Picture Disc
- "Run" (Album Version) - 2:40
- "Run" (Instrumental) - 2:50
- "Who's Gonna Save My Soul?" (Instrumental) - 3:14
Music video
The video premiered on MTV Overdrive on February 29, 2008. The video features Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse performing on a TV show called "City Vibin'", reminiscent of Graffiti RockGraffiti rock
Graffiti Rock was a hip-hop based television program, originally screened June 29, 1984. Intended as an on-going series, the show only received one pilot episode and aired on WPIX channel 11 in New York City and a few other markets...
. Cee-Lo Green sings the song behind a microphone stand, while Danger Mouse
Danger Mouse
Brian Joseph Burton , better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' White Album.He...
plays the song's music on a turntable
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
. Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
appears in a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
as the host of the show. The video features dizzying special effects such as hypnotic spirals, and as a result was banned from airplay in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after failing the Harding Test
Harding Test
The HardingFPA Flash and Pattern Analyser is a software solution that is used to analyse video content for flashing and stationary patterns which may cause harm to those who suffer from photosensitive epilepsy. It is an implementation of the guidelines set by Ofcom in the UK...
(a test designed to protect sufferers of photosensitive epilepsy
Photosensitive epilepsy
Photosensitive epilepsy is a form of epilepsy in which seizures are triggered by visual stimuli that form patterns in time or space, such as flashing lights, bold, regular patterns, or regular moving patterns.-Symptoms:...
). As of March 5, 2008 the hypnotic spirals have been toned down upon request and the video premiered on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
March 6, 2008. The video won for best choreography as well as best art direction in a video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios , honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at...
.
Chart performance
"Run" entered the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number 63 based on first-week sales of the digital single but the following week, it fell to number 86 and then again to number 95 but the following week it jumped back up to number 69 and then jumped to a new peak of number 51 a week later. It officially debuted on the UK Top 40 at number 32 on downloads alone and stayed there the following week with physical sales added. The song debuted at Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's official J-Wave
J-Wave
J-Wave is a commercial radio station based in Tokyo, Japan, broadcasting on 81.3 FM from the Tokyo Tower to the Tokyo area. J-Wave airs mostly music covering a wide range of formats. The station is considered the most popular among FM broadcasts in Tokyo, and has surprised the radio broadcast...
chart at number 100 in the last week of February.
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
72 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
32 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100... |
14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 35 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
64 |
| Japan Hot 100 Singles | 48 |
External links
- Review of "Run" on Unreality Music