Take It on the Run

Last updated

"Take It on the Run"
Take It on the Run cover.jpg
Single by REO Speedwagon
from the album Hi Infidelity
B-side "Someone Tonight"
ReleasedMarch 1981
Recorded1980
Genre
Length3:59 (album version) 3:39 (radio edit)
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Gary Richrath
Producer(s)
REO Speedwagon singles chronology
"Keep On Loving You"
(1980)
"Take It on the Run"
(1981)
"Don't Let Him Go"
(1981)
Live video
"Take It on the Run" on YouTube

"Take It on the Run" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon off the band's ninth studio album Hi Infidelity (1980). The song was written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath. "Take It on the Run" was the follow-up single behind the group's number-one hit, "Keep On Loving You". The single went gold on April 17, 1989. "Take It on the Run" has appeared on dozens of "various artists" compilation albums, as well as several REO Speedwagon greatest-hits albums. [1] The 2017 song "Messin' Around" by Pitbull featuring Enrique Iglesias interpolates "Take It on the Run". [2]

Contents

Background

The lyrics are sung by someone who suspects his partner of being unfaithful. While the singer claims "I don't believe it, not for a minute," he also says if it's true "then I don't want you around."

According to REO Speedwagon lead singer Kevin Cronin, the original title to the song was "Don't Let Me Down." [3] Cronin said that:

As soon as I heard ["Don't Let Me Down"], I knew it could be awesome. This really grabbed me by the nuts. So, [lead guitarist Gary Richrath and I] then developed it together, and one of the things we did was change the title to "Take It On The Run." The opening line is so special: ‘Heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend…’. Somehow, it captures the imagination and hooks you in. [4]

Cronin says that he insisted that the title should be "Take It on the Run" and that he added the line to the refrain "You’re under the gun / So you take it on the run," which he says "either makes sense or it doesn’t, but it sure sung well and it sure rhymed, and it was a spur-of-the-moment thing that when I heard the rest of the song, that’s what I felt." [3] The official songwriting credit names Richrath as the sole writer, but the liner notes for Hi Infidelity credit Cronin for "lyrical assistance".

Record World described it as a "power ballad" and said it was a "blockbuster." [5]

According to Cronin, Epic Records was not convinced that "Take It on the Run" was good enough to be released as the follow-up single to "Keep On Loving You" and wanted to release "In Your Letter" instead, but the band insisted on releasing "Take It on the Run." [4]

The song's music video was the ninth video played on MTV's first day, August 1, 1981. However, due to technical difficulties the video went to black just 12 seconds into the song, and never did finish. [6] [7]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw rated it REO Speedwagon's all-time 2nd greatest song. [8]

Personnel

REO Speedwagon

Charts

"Take It on the Run" was released as a single in 1981 and reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [9] It also reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. [10]

Sources

  1. "REO Speedwagon, Take It on the Run (Appears On)". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  2. "Pitbull & Enrique Iglesias Reference "Take It On The Run" On Their New Track". reospeedwagon.com. April 15, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Wardlaw, Matt (November 21, 2017). "The History of REO Speedwagon's 'Hi Infidelity': Interview". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Cronin, Kevin (May 11, 2016). "The 10 Best REO Speedwagon Songs, by Kevin Cronin". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  5. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 21, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  6. "Random Facts: 1st Video to Ever Play on MTV". JMedinaLive.com. June 8, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  7. "The first fifty music videos ever played on MTV". Data Lounge. May 1, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  8. Wardlaw, Matt (October 6, 2013). "Top 10 REO Speedwagon Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Top Pop Singles 1955-2012. Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, Inc. p. 703. ISBN   978-0-89820-205-2.
  10. "REO Speedwagon". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 250. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  12. "CHART NUMBER 1271 – Saturday, May 23, 1981". Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). CHUM. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  13. "Top Singles – Volume 34, No. 26, June 6, 1981". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. June 6, 1981. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  14. "REO Speedwagon - Take It on the Run". Officialcharts.de. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  15. "Irish Singles Chart". The Irish Charts. Retrieved February 18, 2015. Note: REO Speedwagon must be searched manually.
  16. "REO Speedwagon Singles". Umdmusic.com. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  17. "Take It on the Run". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  18. "UK album and singles database". everyHit.com. Retrieved January 28, 2015. Note: REO Speedwagon must be searched manually.
  19. 1 2 "Artist Chart History – REO Speedwagon". Billboard charts. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  20. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MAY 30, 1981". Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2014.. Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  21. "Song artist 610 - REO Speedwagon". TsorT. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  22. "REO Speedwagon". Gghunt.utasites.cloud. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  23. "Charts". Gghunt.utasites.cloud. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  24. "Top Singles – Volume 35, No. 22, December 26, 1981". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  25. "Top 100 Hits for 1981". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  26. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1981". Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2014.. Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  27. "American single certifications – R.E.O. Speedwagon – Take It on the Run". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved January 19, 2015.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">REO Speedwagon</span> American rock band

REO Speedwagon, or simply REO, is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. Their best-selling album, Hi Infidelity (1980), contained four US Top 40 hits and sold more than 10 million copies.

<i>Hi Infidelity</i> 1980 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Hi Infidelity is the ninth studio album by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980, by Epic Records. The album became a big hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200, spending 15 weeks at number one. It went on to become the biggest-selling album of 1981, eventually being certified 10 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>Wheels Are Turnin</i> 1984 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Wheels Are Turnin' is the eleventh studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in November 1984. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The lead single was "I Do' Wanna Know," which stalled at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Can't Fight This Feeling," was REO's second and longest-running number one single. Other singles released were "One Lonely Night" and "Live Every Moment". These singles also reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #19 and #34, respectively. The singles from the album also had success on other Billboard charts: "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "I Do' Wanna Know" each reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, with "One Lonely Night" reaching #17, and "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "One Lonely Night" reached #3 and #10, respectively on the Adult Contemporary chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Fight This Feeling</span> 1984 single by REO Speedwagon

"Can't Fight This Feeling" is a power ballad performed by the American rock band REO Speedwagon. The song first appeared on the 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and held the top spot for three consecutive weeks from March 9 to March 23, 1985. It was the group's second and last number-one hit on the U.S. charts and reached number sixteen in the UK. "Can't Fight This Feeling" has appeared on dozens of 'various artists' compilation albums, as well as several REO Speedwagon greatest hits albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keep On Loving You (song)</span> 1980 single by REO Speedwagon

"Keep On Loving You" is a ballad written by Kevin Cronin and performed by American rock band REO Speedwagon. It features the lead guitar work of Gary Richrath. The song first appeared on REO Speedwagon's 1980 album Hi Infidelity. It was the first REO Speedwagon single to break the top 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching the number-one spot for one week in March 1981. The single was certified platinum for U.S. sales of over one million copies. It peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>You Can Tune a Piano, but You Cant Tuna Fish</i> Album by REO Speedwagon

You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish is the seventh studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1978. It was their first album to be co-produced by lead singer Kevin Cronin and lead guitarist Gary Richrath. The album was REO's first to make the Top 40, peaking at No. 29. The album sold over 2 million copies in the US, which led it to being certified 2× Platinum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Richrath</span> American musician

Gary Dean Richrath was an American guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a songwriter for the band REO Speedwagon from 1970 until 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Cronin</span> American singer

Kevin Patrick Cronin Jr. is an American musician who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the Billboard Hot 100 throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including two chart-toppers written by Cronin: "Keep On Loving You" (1980) and "Can't Fight This Feeling" (1984).

<i>Good Trouble</i> (album) 1982 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Good Trouble is the tenth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1982 as a follow-up to Hi Infidelity. It peaked at #7 on the Billboard charts. The single "Keep the Fire Burnin'" gave the band a #7 hit on Billboard's Pop Singles Chart and a #2 hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, their highest-charting hit on this chart.

<i>Nine Lives</i> (REO Speedwagon album) 1979 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Nine Lives is the eighth studio album by REO Speedwagon. It peaked at number #33 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1979. The album went gold on December 5, 1979. The title Nine Lives was chosen because the album was the band's ninth, including their live album, and it also featured nine songs. It was the last REO album to prominently feature a more hard rock sound. The group would turn to more pop-oriented material with 1980's Hi Infidelity. In 2013, the album was released on CD by UK-based company Rock Candy Records, with expanded liner notes and photos.

<i>Ridin the Storm Out</i> 1973 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Ridin' the Storm Out is the third studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1973. It peaked at number 171 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1981, and reached platinum status in 1989. It was the first album to feature Mike Murphy on vocals. The sessions started out with Kevin Cronin, but he left the band before the album was finished, due to creative differences. The title track would later become a hit for the band on their live album, after Cronin had returned to the band. The song refers to the band being stuck in a harsh winter blizzard after a show in Boulder, Colorado, at a bar named Tulagi.

<i>Life as We Know It</i> (REO Speedwagon album) 1987 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Life as We Know It is the twelfth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">REO Speedwagon discography</span>

This article lists the discography of the American rock band, REO Speedwagon. The band formed in the autumn of 1967 by Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer. REO Speedwagon released their debut album, R.E.O. Speedwagon, in 1971. They have undergone many changes of personnel over the years, And today, currently the members of the band as of January 2023 are Kevin Cronin, Bruce Hall, Dave Amato, and Bryan Hitt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keep the Fire Burnin' (REO Speedwagon song)</span> 1982 single by REO Speedwagon

"Keep the Fire Burnin'" is a song by REO Speedwagon from their 1982 album Good Trouble. This single was the only track from the Good Trouble album to make the top ten on the pop charts, cresting at number seven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Let Him Go</span> 1981 single by REO Speedwagon

"Don't Let Him Go" is a song written by Kevin Cronin. It was originally released as the opening song for REO Speedwagon's #1 album Hi Infidelity. It was also released as a single, reaching #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Don't Let Him Go" has appeared on several REO Speedwagon greatest hits albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Your Letter</span> 1981 single by REO Speedwagon

"In Your Letter" is a song written by Gary Richrath that was first released on REO Speedwagon's 1980 album Hi Infidelity. It was released as the fourth single from the album and just made the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #20. It also reached #26 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It also had some chart success in Canada, reaching #34.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time for Me to Fly (song)</span> 1978 single by REO Speedwagon

"Time for Me to Fly" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released in 1978 as the second single from the album You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish. It was written by lead singer Kevin Cronin and took 10 years to write. The song originally reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, but later reached number 34 on the Digital Songs chart after being used in Netflix's Ozark. It also reached number 90 on the Canadian charts. The song has a BPM of 81 BPM and plays in 4/4 time signature. Cash Box praised the "melodic singing and acoustic guitar work...enveloping chorus and...catchy lyric." Record World said that it is "characteristic of the group's imaginative use of rock's common raw materials."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Lonely Night (song)</span> 1985 single by REO Speedwagon

"One Lonely Night" is a song performed by the American band REO Speedwagon, written by keyboardist Neal Doughty. The song is the third single from the band's 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. It peaked at No. 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the second best performing single from the album in the United States, although very far from the success of "Can't Fight This Feeling".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Do' Wanna Know</span> 1984 single by REO Speedwagon

"I Do' Wanna Know" is a song written by Kevin Cronin that was the lead single from REO Speedwagon's 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin'. It was more of a rocker reminiscent of the songs REO Speedwagon had released in the 1970s than the ballads the band had been successful with in the early 1980s. It had limited success on popular music charts, which was blamed for delaying sales of the album until the release of the follow-up single, the ballad "Can't Fight This Feeling." The video to the song was nominated for several awards.