Run Runaway
Encyclopedia
"Run Runaway" is a hard rock song performed by English band Slade
. The song was written by Jim Lea
and Noddy Holder
and was on their 1983 album The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome
. It reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart
., and proved to be the band's last UK Top 10 hit single.
The album was released, 1984, in the United States with a different track listing under the title Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
. In 1984, the single "Run Runaway" became the band's biggest American hit, benefitting from heavy play on MTV, peaking at #20 and spending a total of eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100
's Top 40. It was also number one for two weeks on the Billboard Top Tracks chart.
The melody is inspired by the hymn "There Is a Happy Land
". Holder himself perfectly summed the song up as "a rocky Scottish jig".
Dave Thompson, from allmusic described the song as "building on the anthemic power of the earlier "My Oh My
" - itself their biggest U.K. single in nine years - "Run Runaway" is raucous chanting, swirling guitars, wild violin, and even a taste of heavy metal bagpipes, helped along by a drum sound that is pure early '80s".
After being asked for his favourite Slade song, vocalist Noddy Holder replied that although "Far Far Away
" was his favourite, hearing "Run Runaway" on the radio a few days before the interview really knocked him out.
In a mid-1989 Slade fan club magazine interview, Powell was asked if there was a Slade track that he felt was one of the band's best efforts on record. Powell replied stated that "Standin' On The Corner" from the 1975 album "Slade in Flame
" was a favourite. Powell also stated "The 12" version of Run Runaway, I liked doing that one as well."
The single peaked at #193 for 1984 on rateyourmusic.
in Ledbury
, Herefordshire
, England.
The track was also performed on many UK TV shows such as Hall of Fame, Saturday Live (with a different backing track) as well as a few Top of The Pops performances. The track was also performed at Montreaux Festival in 1984 along with Slam the Hammer Down
in 1984.
After filming the music video at Eastnor Castle
, the band returned to the place where they'd once played their third ever live gig under Chas Chander's management. The gig was an end of film party for the cast of a film that starred Sammy Davis, Jerry Lewis and Peter Lawson. The band got very drunk during the gig, and Noddy Holder stole a flat cap from the dressing room. On the way home the band were stopped by the police who questioned them about a theft. At first the band thought it was about the cap - but it didn't concern that at all. The police were looking for some antiques stolen from Eastnor Castle.
7" Single (US only alternate version)
12" Single
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
. The song was written by Jim Lea
Jim Lea
Jim Lea , is an English musician, most notable for playing bass guitar, keyboards, violin, guitar, and singing backing vocals in Slade.-Career:...
and Noddy Holder
Noddy Holder
Neville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....
and was on their 1983 album The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome
The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome
The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome is an album by the British rock group Slade. It was released December 3, 1983 and reached number 49 in the UK charts....
. It reached #7 in the 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 ...
., and proved to be the band's last UK Top 10 hit single.
The album was released, 1984, in the United States with a different track listing under the title Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
-Run Runaway:"Run Runaway", a celtic-flavoured rock-jig featuring some elliptical lyrics and the return of Jim Lea's fiddle. RCA saw the potential of the track and appointed John Punter to work on the track. The album version is extended to give more time for the Linn drum gallop...
. In 1984, the single "Run Runaway" became the band's biggest American hit, benefitting from heavy play on MTV, peaking at #20 and spending a total of eight weeks 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...
's Top 40. It was also number one for two weeks on the Billboard Top Tracks chart.
The melody is inspired by the hymn "There Is a Happy Land
There Is a Happy Land
"There Is a Happy Land" is a hymn with lyrics by Andrew Young, to a tune arranged by Leonard P. Breedlove. It is known for being quoted or adapted in various contexts, including the films Arsenic and Old Lace , The King and I , and The Proposition ; the rock song "Run Runaway" by Slade; and a...
". Holder himself perfectly summed the song up as "a rocky Scottish jig".
Dave Thompson, from allmusic described the song as "building on the anthemic power of the earlier "My Oh My
My Oh My (Slade song)
"My Oh My" is a power ballad originally sung by rock band Slade. The song appears on their album The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome and on the band's 1984 American counterpart release, Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. The song reached number two in the UK chart by Christmas 1983 and soon after...
" - itself their biggest U.K. single in nine years - "Run Runaway" is raucous chanting, swirling guitars, wild violin, and even a taste of heavy metal bagpipes, helped along by a drum sound that is pure early '80s".
After being asked for his favourite Slade song, vocalist Noddy Holder replied that although "Far Far Away
Far Far Away (song)
"Far Far Away" is a single from rock band Slade which appeared on the album Slade in Flame. It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea...
" was his favourite, hearing "Run Runaway" on the radio a few days before the interview really knocked him out.
In a mid-1989 Slade fan club magazine interview, Powell was asked if there was a Slade track that he felt was one of the band's best efforts on record. Powell replied stated that "Standin' On The Corner" from the 1975 album "Slade in Flame
Slade in Flame (album)
Slade in Flame was an album by the British rock group Slade released on November 29, 1974. The album contained songs from the film of the same name....
" was a favourite. Powell also stated "The 12" version of Run Runaway, I liked doing that one as well."
The single peaked at #193 for 1984 on rateyourmusic.
Promotion
A music video was created for the single, filmed at Eastnor CastleEastnor Castle
Eastnor Castle is a 19th century mock castle, two miles from the town of Ledbury in Herefordshire, England, by the village of Eastnor. It was founded by John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers as his stately home and continues to be inhabited by his descendents. Currently in residence is the family of...
in Ledbury
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, England.
The track was also performed on many UK TV shows such as Hall of Fame, Saturday Live (with a different backing track) as well as a few Top of The Pops performances. The track was also performed at Montreaux Festival in 1984 along with Slam the Hammer Down
Slam the Hammer Down
"Slam the Hammer Down" is a single from rock band Slade which appeared on the album The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome and the US version titled Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea. The single was released in 1984 within the US only....
in 1984.
After filming the music video at Eastnor Castle
Eastnor Castle
Eastnor Castle is a 19th century mock castle, two miles from the town of Ledbury in Herefordshire, England, by the village of Eastnor. It was founded by John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers as his stately home and continues to be inhabited by his descendents. Currently in residence is the family of...
, the band returned to the place where they'd once played their third ever live gig under Chas Chander's management. The gig was an end of film party for the cast of a film that starred Sammy Davis, Jerry Lewis and Peter Lawson. The band got very drunk during the gig, and Noddy Holder stole a flat cap from the dressing room. On the way home the band were stopped by the police who questioned them about a theft. At first the band thought it was about the cap - but it didn't concern that at all. The police were looking for some antiques stolen from Eastnor Castle.
Formats
7" Single- "Run Runaway" - 3:43
- "Two Track Stereo One Track Mind" - 2:54
7" Single (US only alternate version)
- "Run Runaway" - 3:43
- "Don't Tame A Hurricane" - 2:33
12" Single
- "Run Runaway (Extended version)" - 5:26
- "Two Track Stereo One Track Mind" - 2:52
Chart performance
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 17 | ? |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 27 | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 13 | 20 |
| German Singles Chart | 19 | 12 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 8 | 4 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 21 | 12 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 7 | 5 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 6 | 10 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 4 | 7 |
| UK Singles Chart | 7 | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 20 | 17 |
| U.S. Mainstream Rock Charts | 1 | 2 |
Cover versions
- In 1990, eurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
group Dominoo released an EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
with four different versions of the song. - In 1993, the Polish band Acid DrinkersAcid DrinkersAcid Drinkers are Polish thrash metal band formed in September 1986 in Poznań. Acid Drinkers were formed on September 21, 1986 consisting of Tomasz "Titus" Pukacki and Robert "Litza" Friedrich . The band's style from back then to present is thrash metal, with influences of heavy metal...
recorded a cover on their album Fishdick - In 1995, Canadian band Great Big SeaGreat Big SeaGreat Big Sea is a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year-old Irish, English, and French heritage...
recorded a cover of the song on their album UpUp (Great Big Sea album)Up is an album by Great Big Sea released in September 1995. With at least 100,000 sold in Canada, it is certified 4x platinum in the country.-Track listing:#"Run Runaway" 2:51#"Goin' Up" 3:12...
. It was the first song by Great Big Sea to get significant exposure. - The song was included on the 2001 compilation, Slade Remade: A Tribute to Slade with vocals by Bart Foley.
- Off KilterOff KilterOff Kilter is a Celtic-rock band. Off Kilter was formed in 1997, and has been performing regularly at Epcot ever since. Their first album, Off Kilter included some traditional songs like "Dirty Old Town" and "Fields of Athenry" as well as covers of popular rock songs generally from Canadian artists...
released a version of the song on their 2001 album Etched in Stone. - Swedish technoTechnoTechno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
-countryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
/hi-NRGHi-NRGHi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
group RednexRednexRednex is a Swedish techno/folk/bluegrass band. They had an international novelty hit with the song "Cotton Eye Joe" in 1994. Although extremely popular in Germany, where the band holds the record of most total weeks at No.1 on the German singles chart over the past 30 years—scoring such hits as...
recorded a cover of the song in 2007. An audio sample can be heard on their official MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. - In 2007, the Celtic rockCeltic rockCeltic rock is a genre of folk rock and a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context...
band Prydein recorded a cover of the song on their album Loud Pipes.
Personnel
- Noddy Holder: Lead vocals and guitar
- Jim Lea: Bass guitar, electric violin and backing vocals
- Dave Hill: Lead guitar and backing vocals
- Don Powell: Drums
Additional personnel
- Producer on "Run Runaway" - John Punter
- Writers of "Run Runaway" - Noddy Holder; Jim Lea
- Producer on "Two Track Stereo, One Track Mind" - Jim Lea for Perseverance Ltd.
- Writers of "Two Track Stereo, One Track Mind" - Noddy Holder; Jim Lea
- Producer on "Don't Tame a Hurricane" - Jim Lea for Perseverance Ltd.
- Writers of "Don't Tame a Hurricane" - Noddy Holder; Jim Lea
- Art Direction - Andrew Christian
- Design - Shoot That Tiger!
See also
- List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)