Runaway (The Corrs song)

"Runaway"
Artwork for Irish and French CD editions
Single by the Corrs
from the album Forgiven, Not Forgotten
B-side	"Leave Me Alone"
Released	September 1995 (1995-09)
Length	4:24 (album version) 3:47 (radio edit)
Label	143 Atlantic Lava
Songwriter(s)	The Corrs
Producer(s)	David Foster Jim Corr
The Corrs singles chronology
"Runaway" (1995) "Forgiven, Not Forgotten" (1996)

"Runaway" is a song by Irish family band the Corrs, released in September 1995 as the debut single from their first album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten (1995). It had middling chart success except in Ireland and Australia, peaking at number 10 in both countries. It was also an adult contemporary hit in Canada, reaching number two on the RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and number 25 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. On the UK Singles Chart, it originally reached number 49, but a re-release in 1999 saw the single reach a new peak of number two on the same chart.

Background and composition

The song was written by Andrea, Sharon and Caroline Corr, and co-produced by their older brother Jim, with David Foster. Andrea has said the first time she sang it in front of her parents, she was embarrassed because of the line "make love to me through the night" and noted that she knew her mother would be thinking "where did she learn that?!"^[1]

The song has a subtle key change. It is written in F major, but towards the end, the fourth (a B flat) gets augmented (becoming a B), so the key changes to lydian mode. Rhythmically, a similar change happens in the drums, which initially play a slow 6/8th. In the end, a snare drum is played on the 2-eh and 5-eh, which makes a double-time feel.^{[original research?]}

Critical reception

Steve Baltin from Cash Box stated that the song "should immediately make a mark" at Adult Contemporary, because of its producer, David Foster. He added that the Corrs "has a very soothing quality running through this string-based mid-tempo tune. With all the pluses working for it, the Corrs should strike quickly into the American pop scene."^[2] A reviewer from Music Week rated it four out of five, describing it as an "excellent single", with "touches of Fairground Attraction".^[3] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Programmers who like their playlist material to be full of melody and harmony should stop here. The Corrs are four siblings from County Louth, Ireland, who specialise in blending stately and melodic pop with more traditional Celtic music, resulting in a record perfect for daytime ERR and ACE."^[4]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Runaway", directed by Randee St. Nicholas, was shot in Dublin over two days in August 1995, featuring locations such as Phoenix Park and Pearse Railway Station.^[1] Shot mostly in black-and-white, with flashes of colour in certain scenes, the video begins with Andrea on a train, looking out the window and singing, then follows the band as they sing and perform in several locations, including in a forest and on a train station platform, before ending with her getting off the train and running towards the camera.

Sharon once said this video should give fans an impression of what Ireland is like. Accordingly, it was raining the day the scenes where Andrea is running through the woods were shot.^[1]

Track listings

UK and European CD single^[5]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Runaway" (radio edit)	3:47
2.	"Runaway" (LP version)	4:25
3.	"Leave Me Alone" (LP version)	3:39

UK cassette single^[6]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Runaway" (radio edit)	3:47
2.	"Leave Me Alone" (LP version)	3:39

US CD and cassette single^[7]^[8]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Runaway"	4:25
2.	"Leave Me Alone"	3:39
3.	"Special previews from Forgiven, Not Forgotten"	2:18

Australian CD and cassette single^[9]^[10]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Runaway" (radio mix)	3:47
2.	"Leave Me Alone"	3:39
3.	"Special previews from Forgiven, Not Forgotten"	2:18

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995–1996) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[11] 10 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 25 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[13] 2 Germany (GfK)[14] 89 Ireland (IRMA)[15] 10 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 48 Scotland (OCC)[17] 54 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[18] 30 UK Singles (OCC)[19] 49 US Billboard Hot 100[20] 68 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[21] 20

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position Australia (ARIA)[22] 27 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[23] 51

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[24]	Platinum	70,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Ireland	September 1995	—	143 Atlantic Lava	[25]
United States	12 September 1995	Contemporary hit radio		[26]
United Kingdom	22 January 1996	CD cassette		[27]

Remix version

"Runaway"
Single by the Corrs
from the album Talk on Corners: Special Edition
B-side	"What Can I Do"
Released	15 February 1999 (1999-02-15)[28]
Length	4:03
Label	143 Atlantic Lava
Songwriter(s)	The Corrs
Producer(s)	David Foster Jim Corr Tin Tin Out
The Corrs singles chronology
"So Young" (1998) "Runaway" (1999) "I Know My Love" (1999)

The song was re-released in February 1999, remixed by Tin Tin Out, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart, held from the top by Britney Spears's debut single "...Baby One More Time". Atypical of Tin Tin Out's usual output and their previous remix of the Corrs' song "What Can I Do", the remix for "Runaway" is a lighter, more folk-oriented recording which utilizes a stripped back live band arrangement with a simple drum kit, a rhythmic bass guitar and a strummed acoustic guitar, retains Sharon Corr's fiddle from the original recording, features orchestral strings in the latter half of the song performed by the Duke Quartet and removes the rhythm change present in the original version.

Track listing

UK CD and cassette single^[29]^[30]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Runaway" (Tin Tin Out remix edit)	4:03
2.	"Runaway" (album version)	4:25
3.	"What Can I Do" (Mangini mix)	4:02

Music video

Dani Jacob's fourth Corrs video is, similar to "Love to Love You", compiled of backstage and concert footage; this time from one single gig at the Manchester Evening News Arena on 1 February 1999. It also includes a few scenes of the band in the recording studio with Tin Tin Out working on the remixed version of the song. Footage of the band walking through the corridor to the stage was later used for the intro for the rest of their concerts from 1999 to 2001.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1999) Peak position Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[31] 11 Scotland (OCC)[32] 3 UK Singles (OCC)[33] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position UK Singles (OCC)[34] 67 UK Airplay (Music Week)[35] 19

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[36]	Platinum	600,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Runaway – Trivia". Planet Corr. Archived from the original on 23 February 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
2. Baltin, Steve (23 September 1995). "Pop Singles: Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 7. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
3. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 2 November 1996. p. 35. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
4. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 14 October 1995. p. 12. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
5. Runaway (UK & European CD single liner notes). The Corrs. 143 Records, Atlantic Records, Lava Records. 1996. A5727 CD, 7567-95733-2.
6. Runaway (UK cassette single sleeve). The Corrs. 143 Records, Atlantic Records, Lava Records. 1996. A5727 CD, 7567-95733-2.
7. Runaway (US CD single liner notes). The Corrs. 143 Records, Atlantic Records, Lava Records. 1995. 98133-2.
8. Runaway (US cassette single sleeve). The Corrs. 143 Records, Atlantic Records, Lava Records. 1995. 7567-98133-4.
9. Runaway (Australian CD single liner notes). The Corrs. 143 Records, Atlantic Records, Lava Records. 1995. 7567957152.
10. Runaway (Australian cassette single sleeve). The Corrs. 143 Records, Atlantic Records, Lava Records. 1995. 7567-95715-4.
11. "The Corrs – Runaway". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
12. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2864." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
13. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2834." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
14. "The Corrs – Runaway" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Runaway". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
16. "The Corrs – Runaway". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
17. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
18. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 8480486392.
19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
20. "The Corrs Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
21. "The Corrs Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
22. "1996 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
23. "RPM Year End Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
24. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
25. Best of The Corrs (European album booklet). The Corrs. 143 Records, Atlantic Records, Lava Records. 2001. 7567-93073-2.
26. "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1111. 8 September 1995. p. 71. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
27. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 20 January 1996. p. 31. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
28. "New Releases – For Week Starting 15 February, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 13 February 1999. p. 27. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
29. Runaway (UK CD single liner notes). The Corrs. 143 Records, Atlantic Records, Lava Records. 1999. AT0062CD, 7567-84436-9.
30. Runaway (UK cassette single sleeve). The Corrs. 143 Records, Atlantic Records, Lava Records. 1999. AT0062C, 7567-84436-4.
31. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 10. 6 March 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
32. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
33. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
34. "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. 22 January 2000. p. 27.
35. "Most Broadcast of 1999: Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music Week. 22 January 2000. p. 31. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
36. "British single certifications – Corrs – Runaway". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 June 2024.