| "Run for Your Life" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bucks Fizz | ||||
| from the album Hand Cut | ||||
| B-side | "Shot Me Through the Heart" | |||
| Released | March 1983 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 4.12 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Andy Hill, Ian Bairnson | |||
| Producer(s) | Andy Hill | |||
| Bucks Fizz singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Run for Your Life" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was written by Andy Hill and Ian Bairnson and became the group's eighth consecutive top 20 hit in the UK. It featured on the group's third album Hand Cut .
"Run for Your Life" was written by the group's regular songwriter Andy Hill and Ian Bairnson, who was a prolific session guitarist and had worked with Bucks Fizz many times. [1] It was also produced by Hill. The song's lyrics talk about feelings of paranoia and insecurity. Lead vocals are shared by members Mike Nolan and Bobby G in the verses, while the whole group sing the bridge and chorus.
The song was the opening track on the group's third album, Hand Cut , which was released the same month. The single was released on 7" vinyl and a special 10" picture disc. The B-side was "Shot Me Through the Heart", which also featured on the Hand Cut album. Around this time, the group filmed a BBC television special, Live at Blazers, to promote the album and closed with this song. [2] They also embarked on a UK tour, comprising 25 dates during March and April, finishing with two nights at the Dominion Theatre in London. [3]
In 2008, a new extended version of this song was produced and included on the group's album, The Lost Masters 2 - The Final Cut.
The promotional video for the song is set at an old manor house where an old man (presumably the caretaker) appears and then vanishes out of sight. An owl also appears throughout the video. Bucks Fizz arrive in a car (driven by Aston) and then enter the house to find it deserted. On opening a door, they find themselves in a white void, where their clothes change from everyday wear to orange and black leather outfits. During these sequences they perform the song and dance routine to the camera. They later flee the house with the suggestion it is haunted. [4]
Critical reception for the song was, as always, mixed. NME gave the single a particularly good review, complimenting the production among other things. [5] Record Mirror , however, said that it was not an original sound for the group and seemed to be a copy of earlier hit "My Camera Never Lies". The same magazine complimented the group the same month though when reviewing "I'm Never Giving Up" by Sweet Dreams by saying "at least Bucks Fizz now make exceedingly good music". [6] Smash Hits criticised the song for being too cluttered. [7]
"Run for Your Life" became a hit in the UK, entering the chart on 12 March 1983. It was the highest new entry of the week at No.31. [8] It rose to No.21 the following week, and then to its peak of No.14 on 26 March. The song then dropped down the chart, remaining there for a total of seven weeks. It was the group's eighth consecutive top 20 hit. [9] In Ireland, the song peaked even higher, reaching the top 10 at No.8. [10] No chart positions for other countries are available.
7" and 10" Vinyl
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK [9] | 14 |
| Ireland [10] | 8 |
Bucks Fizz are a British pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. They received attention for the dance routine which accompanied the song, in which the male members of the group ripped the female members' outer skirts off to reveal much shorter mini-skirts beneath. The group went on to have a successful career around the world, but the UK remained their biggest market, where they had three No.1 singles with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. They also had UK Top 10 hits with "Now Those Days Are Gone" (1982), "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (1982), "When We Were Young" (1983) and "New Beginning " (1986). Bucks Fizz have sold over 50 million records worldwide.
Jay Hilda Aston is an English singer and occasional songwriter. She was a member of the British pop group Bucks Fizz from 1981 to 1985. She was the youngest member of the group's original line-up, aged 19 when they won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest. During Aston's membership, the group had 12 of their 13 UK top 40 hit singles, including three number one hits. Since 2009, she has performed alongside fellow original Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan. The group used to perform under the name the Original Bucks Fizz but are now known as the Fizz.
Bucks Fizz is the eponymous debut studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 26 July 1981, it features their Eurovision-winning song "Making Your Mind Up" as well as the two follow-up singles "Piece of the Action" and "One of Those Nights". The album was produced by Andy Hill and released on RCA Records. Bucks Fizz has been re-released twice on CD, first in 2004 with bonus tracks and as a two-disc edition in 2015.
Are You Ready is the second studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 26 April 1982 and features the UK No. 1 singles "The Land of Make Believe" and "My Camera Never Lies" as well as the follow-up "Now Those Days Are Gone". It was produced by Andy Hill and released on RCA records. It remains the group's most successful album.
Hand Cut is the third studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 1 March 1983 and features the UK top 20 hits, "If You Can't Stand the Heat" and "Run for Your Life".
I Hear Talk is the fourth studio album by the pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in November 1984, the album featured the singles "Talking in Your Sleep", "Golden Days" and "I Hear Talk".
Writing on the Wall is the fifth and final studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 24 November 1986 and featured the comeback top ten single "New Beginning ". It was their first and only album to feature then new member Shelley Preston and their only album released on Polydor Records. Despite the album being initially unsuccessful in the charts, it was re-released twice - first in 2004 and again in 2012, both times with different track listings. It remains the group's final studio album to date.
"Love the One You're With" is a song by folk rock musician Stephen Stills. It was released as the lead single from his debut self-titled studio album in November 1970. The song, inspired by a remark Stills heard from musician Billy Preston, became his biggest hit single, peaking at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1971. David Crosby and Graham Nash, Stills' fellow members of Crosby, Stills & Nash, provide background vocals on the song. The song was also covered by a number of artists, notably the Isley Brothers, Bucks Fizz and Luther Vandross.
Andrew Gerard Hill is an English record producer and songwriter, who was involved in creating many hits during the 1980s and 1990s. He is most famous for his work with Bucks Fizz and Celine Dion.
"When We Were Young" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. The track features lead vocals by band member Jay Aston. The song became their sixth top-ten-hit in the UK and it is one of their biggest hits in Europe.
"Piece of the Action" is the second single by pop group Bucks Fizz, the follow-up to the Eurovision-winning song "Making Your Mind Up". It was released in May 1981 and became a UK top 20 hit.
The Very Best of Bucks Fizz is a compilation album of the hits of pop group Bucks Fizz. The album was released in 2007 and was coupled with a DVD of the group's Promotional Videos. This was the first time the group's videos had been available on DVD. The album reached No.40 in the UK Charts - the first time Bucks Fizz had appeared on the album charts since 1986. Allmusic gave the album a favourable three and a half stars out of five, but commented on the fact that Bucks Fizz were always more successful as a singles band. A review in the Nottingham Post bemoaned the fact that while Bucks Fizz are usually remembered for their Eurovision winner, their later songs were much better, naming "My Camera Never Lies", "I Hear Talk" and "New Beginning" as particularly strong.
Live at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon is a live album released in 1991 by pop group Bucks Fizz. It was their first and only release with Jet Records.
The Story So Far is a compilation album by British pop group Bucks Fizz, released in 1988. The album collects together 18 of the group's biggest hit singles spanning the years 1981 to 1988, including their three number ones.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in November 1983.
"If You Can't Stand the Heat" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in November 1982 and became the group's fifth top 10 single in the UK. The song was written by Andy Hill and guitarist Ian Bairnson. It was also produced by Hill.
"London Town" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was their first single not to reach the UK top 20, breaking a run of nine consecutive top 20 hits. The song was written and produced by Andy Hill.
"I Hear Talk" is a 1984 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz, written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield, the team responsible for the group's biggest hit in the UK, "The Land of Make Believe". It was also produced by Hill. Released as a single in December 1984, it is the title track from the group's fourth studio album. In 2010, the song was chosen as the first single by the Original Bucks Fizz in a live jazz-style reworking.
"You and Your Heart So Blue" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. Released in June 1985, the song was written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield and was produced by Hill. This single was the last to feature member Jay Aston, who quit the group the same month.
"Now Those Days Are Gone" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It became a UK top ten hit in July 1982 and featured on the group's album Are You Ready. The song was nominated for an Ivor Novello award the following year.
