10 Best Rock Songs With The Word 'Run' In The Title

Feature Photo: Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com

Growing up in the Bronx, one of the things that I learned to do pretty much to stay alive was run. Of course, it wasn’t just about running fast; it was knowing where to run and where not to run. Never run into an alley that had no way out. Never run into a building and up the stairs unless you wanted to jump over roofs. Yes, running was a way of life in New York City. So I thought for memory’s sake it would be fun to put together a collection of songs that use the word ‘run’ in the title.

# 10 – Take The Money And Run – Steve Miller Band

Steve Miller wrote and produced “Take the Money and Run” for the Steve Miller Band’s 1976 album Fly Like an Eagle. The song follows Billy Joe and Bobbie Sue, two young criminals who head for Texas after a robbery turns deadly. Miller keeps the story moving quickly, with Gary Mallaber on drums and Lonnie Turner on bass helping give the record its easy, rolling groove. The contrast between the cheerful music and the trouble in the lyric is a big part of why the song works. “Take the Money and Run” reached number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains one of Miller’s best story songs and a natural way to open a list built around running.

# 9 – ‘Til The Money Runs Out – Tom Waits

“‘Til the Money Runs Out” appears on Tom Waits’ 1980 album Heartattack and Vine. Bones Howe produced the record, which pushed Waits toward a harder electric-blues sound than much of his earlier work. Waits described the song’s rhythm as an old mambo-type beat, although the finished recording sounds as dirty and nocturnal as the characters in the lyric. The verses tumble through drifters, hustlers, booze, bad decisions, and the kind of late-night street imagery Waits could make feel completely lived in. There is no grand promise in the title; the narrator is only staying as long as the money lasts. That blunt little bargain fits perfectly into one of Waits’ roughest albums.

# 8 – It Keeps You Runnin’ – The Doobie Brothers

Michael McDonald wrote “It Keeps You Runnin'” for the Doobie Brothers’ 1976 album Takin’ It to the Streets. Ted Templeman produced the recording, with McDonald’s keyboards and lead vocal helping define the smoother, more soul-oriented direction the band was taking. Tiran Porter, John Hartman, Keith Knudsen, Patrick Simmons, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, and the rest of the group keep the arrangement moving without crowding the vocal. The lyric is about somebody who keeps hiding from emotional honesty and then wonders why the same problems never go away. The song became a Top 40 single and later appeared in Forrest Gump. It is one of the clearest examples of how dramatically McDonald’s arrival changed the Doobie Brothers.

# 7 – Runnin’ Away – Eddie Money

Eddie Money released “Runnin’ Away” on his 1982 album No Control. Money wrote the song with Alan Pasqua and Mark Leonard, while Tom Dowd produced and arranged the recording. Gary Mallaber plays drums, Ralph Carter handles bass and backing vocals, and Jimmy Lyon and Marty Walsh supply the guitars. The lyric treats running as emotional avoidance, with the narrator recognizing that putting distance between himself and his problems is not solving anything. The song never became one of the album’s big radio hits, which makes it easy to miss beside “Shakin'” and “Think I’m in Love.” It is a strong deep cut from one of the best records Eddie Money ever made.

Read More: Top 10 Eddie Money Songs

# 6 – Run Run Run – The Who

“Run Run Run” opens the Who’s 1966 album A Quick One. Pete Townshend wrote the song, and Kit Lambert produced the album during the period when the band was beginning to broaden its songwriting beyond Townshend alone. Roger Daltrey sings the lead while Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon push the track with the restless energy of the early Who. The lyric piles up bad-luck signs and superstitions before telling its unlucky subject to keep moving. It is not as ambitious as the mini-opera that closes the album, but that is part of its appeal. “Run Run Run” catches the Who before they became grander, when speed, volume, and attitude were still enough.

# 5 – Run Like Hell – Pink Floyd

David Gilmour and Roger Waters wrote “Run Like Hell” for Pink Floyd’s 1979 double album The Wall. Bob Ezrin, Gilmour, Waters, and James Guthrie produced the recording, with Gilmour’s heavily delayed guitar giving the track its instantly recognizable pulse. Inside the album’s story, the song arrives during one of Pink’s ugliest fantasies, so the warning to run carries far more menace than excitement. Waters delivers the lead vocal with the force of somebody giving orders rather than advice. Released as a single in 1980, “Run Like Hell” became one of the songs that survived especially well outside the full concept of The Wall. The guitar pattern alone can make a stadium feel like something dangerous is closing in.

# 4 – Run To You – Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance wrote “Run to You” for Adams’ 1984 album Reckless. Adams and Bob Clearmountain produced the album, and the song became the first single released from the record. The lyric is darker than the driving guitar suggests, with a narrator admitting that he keeps leaving a faithful partner for another woman. Adams sings it without trying to make the character sound innocent, which gives the record an edge that some of his later ballads do not have. “Run to You” reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped turn Reckless into Adams’ breakthrough blockbuster. Four decades later, that opening guitar figure still identifies the song almost immediately.

Read More: Top 10 Bryan Adams Albums

# 3 – Nowhere To Run – Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas released “Nowhere to Run” in 1965 on Motown’s Gordy label. Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote and produced the song, surrounding Reeves with the relentless drive of the Funk Brothers. The famous percussion includes tire chains, an industrial sound that fits the lyric’s feeling of being trapped with no safe direction left to go. Reeves sings from the viewpoint of someone who knows a relationship is wrong but cannot escape the emotional hold it has on her. The single reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the group’s signature records. Few Motown songs ever made emotional confinement sound this exhilarating.

# 2 – Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen released “Born to Run” in 1975 as the title song of the album that changed his career. He spent months building the recording at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, New York, chasing a huge sound influenced by Phil Spector and the records he had grown up loving. Springsteen, Mike Appel, and Jon Landau are credited as producers, while Clarence Clemons’ saxophone gives the track one of its defining moments. The lyric turns escape into a promise between the narrator and Wendy, even though Springsteen never pretends that the road ahead will be easy. The single reached number twenty-three on the Billboard Hot 100 and gave Springsteen his first Top 40 hit. “Born to Run” still sounds like four and a half minutes of somebody trying to break through a wall.

Read More: Top 10 Bruce Springsteen Albums

# 1 – Band On The Run – Paul McCartney & Wings

Paul and Linda McCartney wrote “Band on the Run,” the title track of Wings’ 1973 album. Paul produced the recording after drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough left the group just before the Lagos sessions, leaving Paul, Linda McCartney, and Denny Laine to make the album as a trio. The song moves through three distinct musical sections while telling a loose story about confinement, escape, and life on the run. Paul played most of the instruments, with Linda on keyboards and backing vocals and Laine contributing guitar and vocals. Released as a single in 1974, “Band on the Run” reached number one in the United States and number three in the United Kingdom. It takes the top spot because few rock songs have made escape sound this big, strange, and joyful.