Run to You (song)
Encyclopedia
"Run to You" is a song performed by Whitney Houston
and is the fourth single released from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album.
"Run to You" was written by Jud Friedman and Allan Rich. Originally intended to be a break-up song, it was approved by the production and stars. However, a month later, the director of The Bodyguard
(Mick Jackson) called, saying he liked the song so much, but he'd rather have it to be a love song so the entire song was rewritten, except for the title.
All of the previous releases from The Bodyguard had been successes, landing in the top five. "Run to You" became a moderate hit, peaking at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100
. In the U.S., it spent six weeks inside the top 40, five of which were spent at the number 31 peak. Airplay and singles sales topped out at number 26 and 41, respectively. The single sales stalled at number 41 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales
chart, most likely due to the fact its parent album, The Bodyguard, already was certified 8x platinum and nearing 9x platinum status quickly. Single sales were moderate because most consumers own the song by simply owning the album.
On other Billboard
charts, the song was moderately well received. On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
, it reached a peak position of number 31. The song cracked the top 10 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
, peaking at number 10.
Internationally, it was not as well received, except in the UK, peaking at number 15.
"Run to You" and it's soundtrack-mate "I Have Nothing
," were nominated for a 1992 Academy Award for Best Original Song
, but they lost to "A Whole New World
" from Aladdin.
The music video for "Run to You" features scenes from The Bodyguard intercut with scenes of an angelic Houston running on clouds.
, "I Don't Have the Heart
," but that didn’t necessarily give them an edge in placing a song for The Bodyguard Soundtrack. After all, they had to compete with many of the top songwriters in the industry for the hot soundtrack project. Firstly, Rich began working on the lyric for "Run To You." Rich said that "I was going through a break-up in my life at the time, which may have helped me write a lyric which reflected the feelings I was experiencing. I wrote the lyric in a few days, then I presented the lyric to Jud." Friedman who was inspired by Rich's lyric wrote most of the music, then they finished the song together. When it was completed, they recorded a very simple demo with just piano, guitar samples and strings and then brought in Valerie Pinkston to sing the demo.
Rich then delivered the demo to his publisher, Carol Ware, Vice President of Creative at MCA Music
. She loved the song, and immediately sent the tape to Gerry Griffith, Vice President of A&R at Arista Records
. Griffith loved the song also, and played the demo for Clive Davis
, the Chairman/CEO of Arista. Eventually, the song was not only approved by Davis and Houston, but by Mick Jackson, the director of The Bodyguard
, actor/producer Kevin Costner
and Gary LeMel, President Of Music at Warner Bros. Pictures
. But about a month later, they received a phone call from director Mick Jackson. Jackson called and said,
Davis who answered the phone from Rich and Friedman, said, "I love the song the way it is; it’s a hit. Of course, take a shot at rewriting the lyric, but whatever you do, don’t lose the hitness of it. If the rewrite doesn’t work, we can use the song on a future Whitney project, maybe her greatest hits album." Rich and Friedman ultimately rewrote the entire lyric except for the title. They then redemoed the song and sent the new version to Davis. Davis, Jackson and everyone involved loved the new version of "Run To You," so the song was finally set for the movie.
Soonafter, producer David Foster
started plans for recording the song. Because he loved the arrangement of the original demo, he hired Friedman to do the programming and playing on the record. When the tracks were completed, it was time for Houston to record her vocals for the song. Friedman described his experience with playing the song with Houston:
and Hot R&B Singles
charts, the issue dated June 26, 1993, respectively. Three weeks later the single reached its peak position of number thirty-one on both the charts in the July 17, 1994 issue. On the Hot 100, the song spent six weeks inside the Top 40, five of which were stayed at its number thirty-one peak from July 17 to August 14, 1993. In addition, it peaked at number forty-one and twenty-six on the component charts of the Hot 100, the Hot 100 Singles Sales
and the Hot 100 Airplay
, respectively. The song also peaked at number ten on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart, becoming Houston's seventeenth Top 10 hit of the chart. In Canada, the song debuted at number eighty-six on the RPM 100 Hits Tracks
chart, the issue dated July 10, 1993. The next week it leaped to number thirty-four on the chart and reached the Top 20 in its fourth week of release. On the August 28, 1993 issue, it reached its peak position of number ten on the chart, becoming her sixteenth Top 10 hit in the country.
Internationally, "Run to You" was a moderate hit like in the US. In the United Kingdom, the song entered the UK Singles Chart
at number twenty, the week ending dated July 31, 1993. The following week it reached its peak position of number fifteen on the chart. In Belgium, the song debuted at number nineteen on the VRT Top 30
chart but the next week dropped to outside Top 30. In Ireland, it peaked at number nine on the Irish Singles Chart
, spending four weeks in the chart. In other European countries, it failed to make Top 40 hit and stayed only one or two weeks on the charts, peaking at number forty-seven in France and the Netherlands, respectively, and fifty-eight in Germany.
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
and is the fourth single released from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album.
"Run to You" was written by Jud Friedman and Allan Rich. Originally intended to be a break-up song, it was approved by the production and stars. However, a month later, the director of The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic-thriller film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Costner stars as a former Secret Service Agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect Houston's character, a music star, from an unknown stalker. Lawrence Kasdan wrote the film in the 1970s,...
(Mick Jackson) called, saying he liked the song so much, but he'd rather have it to be a love song so the entire song was rewritten, except for the title.
All of the previous releases from The Bodyguard had been successes, landing in the top five. "Run to You" became a moderate hit, peaking at number 31 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...
. In the U.S., it spent six weeks inside the top 40, five of which were spent at the number 31 peak. Airplay and singles sales topped out at number 26 and 41, respectively. The single sales stalled at number 41 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales
Hot 100 Singles Sales
The Hot Singles Sales chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures sales of commercial singles and is one of three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Airplay and the Hot Digital Songs, that determine the chart positions of singles on the...
chart, most likely due to the fact its parent album, The Bodyguard, already was certified 8x platinum and nearing 9x platinum status quickly. Single sales were moderate because most consumers own the song by simply owning the album.
On other Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts, the song was moderately well received. On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, it reached a peak position of number 31. The song cracked the top 10 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
, peaking at number 10.
Internationally, it was not as well received, except in the UK, peaking at number 15.
"Run to You" and it's soundtrack-mate "I Have Nothing
I Have Nothing
"I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston and released as the third single from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album on February 20, 1993 by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson, and produced by Foster...
," were nominated for a 1992 Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
, but they lost to "A Whole New World
A Whole New World
"A Whole New World" is the Oscar winning featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. It was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is a ballad between the primary characters Aladdin and Jasmine about the new world they are going to discover together....
" from Aladdin.
The music video for "Run to You" features scenes from The Bodyguard intercut with scenes of an angelic Houston running on clouds.
Background and recording
Jud Friedman and Allan Rich had previously written a #1 hit for James IngramJames Ingram
James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...
, "I Don't Have the Heart
I Don't Have the Heart
"I Don't Have the Heart" is the title of a #1 hit song that was written by Allan Rich and Jud Friedman and recorded by American pop-R&B singer James Ingram....
," but that didn’t necessarily give them an edge in placing a song for The Bodyguard Soundtrack. After all, they had to compete with many of the top songwriters in the industry for the hot soundtrack project. Firstly, Rich began working on the lyric for "Run To You." Rich said that "I was going through a break-up in my life at the time, which may have helped me write a lyric which reflected the feelings I was experiencing. I wrote the lyric in a few days, then I presented the lyric to Jud." Friedman who was inspired by Rich's lyric wrote most of the music, then they finished the song together. When it was completed, they recorded a very simple demo with just piano, guitar samples and strings and then brought in Valerie Pinkston to sing the demo.
Rich then delivered the demo to his publisher, Carol Ware, Vice President of Creative at MCA Music
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
. She loved the song, and immediately sent the tape to Gerry Griffith, Vice President of A&R at Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
. Griffith loved the song also, and played the demo for Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
, the Chairman/CEO of Arista. Eventually, the song was not only approved by Davis and Houston, but by Mick Jackson, the director of The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic-thriller film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Costner stars as a former Secret Service Agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect Houston's character, a music star, from an unknown stalker. Lawrence Kasdan wrote the film in the 1970s,...
, actor/producer Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
and Gary LeMel, President Of Music at Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
. But about a month later, they received a phone call from director Mick Jackson. Jackson called and said,
"We still love your song, but there’s just one little detail. We love the song so much, we want to use it earlier in the movie when they fall in love, instead of when they’re breaking up. So could you change the lyric to make it a love song instead of a break-up song."
Davis who answered the phone from Rich and Friedman, said, "I love the song the way it is; it’s a hit. Of course, take a shot at rewriting the lyric, but whatever you do, don’t lose the hitness of it. If the rewrite doesn’t work, we can use the song on a future Whitney project, maybe her greatest hits album." Rich and Friedman ultimately rewrote the entire lyric except for the title. They then redemoed the song and sent the new version to Davis. Davis, Jackson and everyone involved loved the new version of "Run To You," so the song was finally set for the movie.
Soonafter, producer David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
started plans for recording the song. Because he loved the arrangement of the original demo, he hired Friedman to do the programming and playing on the record. When the tracks were completed, it was time for Houston to record her vocals for the song. Friedman described his experience with playing the song with Houston:
"It was on a Friday night that Whitney came into the studio. It was great to meet her, and she was just a pleasure to work with. She was totally professional. Whitney actually had a cold that night, and her speaking voice was whispery and hoarse. But when she started singing, she sounded incredible. For Allan and me to be in the studio to hear her sing our song so beautifully, it was one of the greatest moments in our lives."
Chart performance
Though "Run to You" is one of Houston's recognized songs worldwide, the chart performance was not as successful as her previous hit singles' at the time its release, due to the fact its parent album, The Bodyguard Soundtrack, already had sold 21 million copies globally at the point and most consumers had the song by simply owning the soundtrack. In the United States, "Run to You" debuted at number eighty-three and seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
and Hot R&B Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
charts, the issue dated June 26, 1993, respectively. Three weeks later the single reached its peak position of number thirty-one on both the charts in the July 17, 1994 issue. On the Hot 100, the song spent six weeks inside the Top 40, five of which were stayed at its number thirty-one peak from July 17 to August 14, 1993. In addition, it peaked at number forty-one and twenty-six on the component charts of the Hot 100, the Hot 100 Singles Sales
Hot 100 Singles Sales
The Hot Singles Sales chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures sales of commercial singles and is one of three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Airplay and the Hot Digital Songs, that determine the chart positions of singles on the...
and the Hot 100 Airplay
Hot 100 Airplay
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard...
, respectively. The song also peaked at number ten on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart, becoming Houston's seventeenth Top 10 hit of the chart. In Canada, the song debuted at number eighty-six on the RPM 100 Hits Tracks
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
chart, the issue dated July 10, 1993. The next week it leaped to number thirty-four on the chart and reached the Top 20 in its fourth week of release. On the August 28, 1993 issue, it reached its peak position of number ten on the chart, becoming her sixteenth Top 10 hit in the country.
Internationally, "Run to You" was a moderate hit like in the US. In the United Kingdom, the song entered 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 ...
at number twenty, the week ending dated July 31, 1993. The following week it reached its peak position of number fifteen on the chart. In Belgium, the song debuted at number nineteen on the VRT Top 30
VRT Top 30
The VRT Top 30 or Radio 2 Top 30 is a Belgian record chart that runs on the VRT, more specifically on Radio 2. The list is the new version of the old BRT Top 30, that changed along with the media group's name in 1992....
chart but the next week dropped to outside Top 30. In Ireland, it peaked at number nine on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
, spending four weeks in the chart. In other European countries, it failed to make Top 40 hit and stayed only one or two weeks on the charts, peaking at number forty-seven in France and the Netherlands, respectively, and fifty-eight in Germany.
Formats and track listings
- CD Single
- "Run to You" — 4:22
- "After We Make Love" — 5:07
- CD Maxi-single
- "Run to You" — 4:22
- "After We Make Love" — 5:07
- "For the Love of You — 5:29
- UK CD Maxi-single #2
- "Run to You" — 4:22
- "I Belong to YouI Belong to You (Whitney Houston song)"I Belong to You" is the fifth single released from Whitney Houston's multi-platinum third album I'm Your Baby Tonight. It was written by Derek Bramble and Franne Golde...
" — 5:31 - "Greatest Love of AllGreatest Love of All"The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed and originally recorded by George Benson for the 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic The Greatest. The song was later popularized by Whitney Houston. Creed wrote the lyrics in the midst of her struggle with breast cancer...
" — 5:29
Chart positions
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (VRT Top 30 VRT Top 30 The VRT Top 30 or Radio 2 Top 30 is a Belgian record chart that runs on the VRT, more specifically on Radio 2. The list is the new version of the old BRT Top 30, that changed along with the media group's name in 1992.... ) |
19 |
| Canada (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
10 |
| Ireland (IRMA Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... ) |
9 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1991) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Contemporary Singles | 39 |
Covers
- Christina AguileraChristina AguileraChristina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
sang this song live in 2001 as a tribute to Whitney Houston at the 1st Annual BET AwardsBET AwardsThe BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
. - Smokie NorfulSmokie NorfulRev. W.R. "Smokie" Norful, Jr. is an American gospel singer and pianist, best known for his 2002 album, I Need You Now and his 2004 release, Nothing Without You, which won a Grammy at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2004.-Early life:Norful, a minister who...
recorded his version on a 2006 album Life Changing.