Runaway (Aurora song)

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"Runaway"
A blonde woman with a brown parka is staring forward against a forest background. The subject's hair is covering the right side of her face.
Single by Aurora
from the EP Running with the Wolves and the album All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend
Released7 February 2015 (2015-02-07)
Recorded2013–2014
StudioLydriket (Bergen)
Genre
Length4:08
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Odd Martin Skålnes
  • Magnus Skylstad
Aurora singles chronology
"Under Stars"
(2014) 		"Runaway"
(2015) 		"Running with the Wolves"
(2015)
Music video
"Runaway" on YouTube

"Runaway" is a song by Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora, included in her debut extended play (EP) Running with the Wolves (2015) and debut album All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend (2016). It was released on 7 February 2015 by Decca and Glassnote Records as the lead single of both projects. The song was written by Aurora with Magnus Skylstad and produced by the latter with Odd Martin Skålnes. Musically, "Runaway" is a downtempo folktronica, synth-pop, electronic, and electropop song with influences from Nordic-folk music. The track's lyrics express escaping reality and realising the need to return home.

"Runaway" was lauded by music critics, who praised its musical style and lyrical content. In spring 2021, the song went viral on the video-sharing platform TikTok, resulting in new chart successes and streams on various platforms.[1][2] Although "Runaway" did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number one on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart for two weeks. The song also charted in various countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, Germany, and Ireland.

The song was certified platinum in Norway by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and gold in the United States and the United Kingdom by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), respectively. An accompanying music video directed by Kenny McCracken was released on 26 June 2017 and it features Aurora walking through various landscapes of Bergen while singing the song. Aurora included "Runaway" on the setlist of her All My Demons Tour (2016). The song was later included on her first compilation EP For the Humans Who Take Long Walks in the Forest (2021).

Background and release

"Runaway" became Aurora's first collaboration with producer Magnus Skylstad (pictured), who would later take a major role in the singer's career.

Aurora began playing piano at age six, and she wrote most of the songs of her debut album, including "Runaway" at a young age. She began writing the song when she was 11 or 12 years old and created the melody on the piano she had at her home, which took an hour approximately.[3] The demo of the song was produced by Magnus Skylstad and became available in the By:larm website in late 2013.[4][5] In 2014, Aurora signed a recording contract with Petroleum Records in Norway, Glassnote Records in North America, and Decca Records in the rest of the world.[6] "Runaway" was eventually re-recorded on winter 2014 at Lydriket Studios in Bergen.[7][8]

On 7 February 2015 the song was released worldwide as the lead single of her debut EP Running with the Wolves. The track was later included as the lead single of her debut album All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, released in March 2016. Due to the popularity in streaming services and the six-year anniversary of "Runaway" in 2021, Aurora released a series of compilation EPs that contained her released songs at the time.[9] The song was eventually included on the compilation EP For the Humans Who Take Long Walks in the Forest, released on 4 February.[10] She also released two acoustic versions of the song: a guitar acoustic version on 5 March[11] and a piano acoustic version on 11 March.[12] A revamped version titled "Runaway (Lvl.2)" was released on 7 May.[13]

Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Runaway" is a downtempo folktronica,[2] synth-pop,[14] electronic,[15] and electropop song[16] with influences from Nordic-folk music.[17] Its sparse production contains "echoing water droplet effects, creeping screeches, and windswept transitions."[18] According to sheet music website Musicnotes.com, "Runaway" runs at a moderately slow tempo of 58 beats per minute (BPM), and is played in the key of A minor. Aurora's vocals span a range between the notes of A3 and E5.[19] Her vocals were compared to those of Emilie Nicolas,[15] Florence Welch, and Joni Mitchell.[14] Aurora said she wanted "Runaway" to open All My Demons Greeting Me As a Friend because she felt the song "puts people in the right mood and mind for the rest of it."[20]

Lyrically, the song is about escapism and "realising you want to get home again."[21] Aurora expanded that "home" for her refers to "where my parents are," which was something she reflected while touring.[22] In an interview with The 405 she said: "It's strange how this song fits my life better now that I could ever imagine when I wrote the song itself. It's about how important it is to have a soft place to fall".[23] According to Aurora, the lyrics "came out of nowhere" and the lyrics became meaningful to her after she grew up.[3] The singer has stated that "Runaway" is one of the few songs from her debut album to be about her.[24] The verses cover various topics like "climbing trees, painting pictures, and dancing in the rain."[25] At the chorus of the song she begs "Take me home, home where I belong."[26]

Critical reception

"Runaway" received general acclaim from music critics.[27] Robin Murray of Clash called the song "a graceful return" and lauded the singer's mature songwriting.[28] Miranda Feneberger from Paste wrote that the track "channels a soft power".[14] Alexandra Pollard for Gigwise noted in her review of All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend that "there's an eeriness lurking beneath the beauty of opening track, she added that "its cavernous clicks and echoes make themselves at home before it bursts into something warmer." She also labeled its lyrics as "unsettling."[29] A writer for Rolling Stone called the song a "viral lullaby."[30] Will Hodgkinson of The Times characterised "Runaway" to be "about feeling lost that has a poetic wisdom belying her 19 years." He praised how Aurora "uses her clear and unadorned tones to good effect" in the song.[31] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic was less favourable towards "Runaway", she pointed out that the song "turn[s] out to be the average of what the substantial LP offers rather than standouts."[18] The song received praise from American singer-songwriter Katy Perry, tweeting that the song is "makes my [heart] a flutter".[32] Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan also commented about the song, saying it is "100% my fave [sic] song at the minute."[33] Aurora was awarded a NOPA grant of kr 30,000 for this song in 2014.[34]

Commercial breakthrough

Upon its release, "Runaway" was streamed over a million times in six weeks on streaming platform Spotify.[35] The song did not impact any record charts until it gained attention in 2021 with a trend on video-sharing platform TikTok.[36] The trend consisted of using a filter that changed the backlighting of a video to a "night" background for several times.[37]

Music video

Background and synopsis

A music video for the song was released on Aurora's official YouTube channel via Vevo on 27 February 2015. It was directed by Kenny McCracken, who would later direct the videos for "Conqueror", "Half the World Away" and the acoustic version of "Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)". The video was filmed in early 2015 in various landscapes of Bergen (near Aurora's hometown) and took 3 days to do it.[38] About filming the video, Aurora told in an interview with NME: "It was extremely cold... I didn't have a lot of clothes. We were stood in the middle of the snow for a lot of hours. I was sick for a lot of time after, which I always am after a video because I insist to have them outside in the cold."[3] Aurora appears wearing a parka and a wool jumper as the video progresses. In one scene she is seen sleeping in the ground.[25] The music video is Aurora's most successful music video as a solo artist, and as of June 2022 it has accumulated more than 425 million views.

Reception

Clash's Robin Murray wrote that the clip "neatly counterpoints the gentle fragility in Aurora's own music."[39] American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish credits the video of this song as one of the reasons she began working on music.[40]

Live performances and usage in media

Aurora performing in 2015 at the Way Back When Festival.

Aurora has promoted "Runaway" through a number of live performances. She first sang it on 20 February 2014 among some of her songs at the Nabovarsel Minifestival in Bergen, being her first "real" performance with a band. She also performed the song at the 2014 festivals of by:Larm and Øyafestivalen. These performances depicted the demo version of the song rather than the final one.[41] Aurora first performed the official version of the song in 2 July 2015 during the talk show Lindmo.[42] In November 2015 she performed an acoustic version of the song with "Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" and "Running with the Wolves" at NPR Tiny Desk. Aurora also performed "Runaway" at the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Concert along with "Half the World Away" and "Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)". She performed the song along with others from her debut album in a concert promoted by Honda Stage at the Bowery Ballroom to promote All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend.[43] The song was added to the setlist of her 2016 All My Demons Tour.[44]

"Runaway" was used at the finale of the third season of the Fox American television psychological thriller series The Following.[45]

Track listings and formats

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend.[8]

Recording and management

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Runaway"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[79] Gold 35,000double-dagger
Norway (IFPI Norway)[80] Platinum 60,000double-dagger
Poland (ZPAV)[81] Platinum 50,000double-dagger
Portugal (AFP)[82] Gold 10,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[83] Gold 400,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[84] Gold 500,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  2. ^ a b Cospey, Rob (12 April 2021). "AURORA's 2016 single Runaway is climbing the charts thanks to TikTok: "People are so beautiful!"". Official Charts. Retrieved 12 April 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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External links

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