Runaway (Aurora song)
| "Runaway" | ||||
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| Single by Aurora | ||||
| from the EP Running with the Wolves and the album All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend | ||||
| Released | 7 February 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2013-2015 | |||
| Studio | Lydriket (Bergen) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Glassnote | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Aurora singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Runaway" on YouTube | ||||
"Runaway" is a song by Norwegian singer Aurora released as the first and lead single of both 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 through Glassnote Records. The song was written by Aurora with Magnus Skylstad and produced by the latter with Odd Martin Skålnes. "Runaway" is a downtempo folktronica, synth-pop, electronic, and electropop song with influences from Nordic folk music that was compared to the works of Florence Welch and Joni Mitchell. The track's lyrics express escaping reality and realizing the need to return home. The song was later included on her first compilation EP For the Humans Who Take Long Walks in the Forest (stylized in all caps) (2021).
"Runaway" received positive reviews from music critics who praised its lyricism and musical style. In 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 2 weeks. The song also charted in various countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, Germany, and Ireland.
The song has been certified gold in the United States, Italy, and Portugal by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Federation of the Italian Music Industry (FIMI), and Portuguese Phonographic Association (AFP), respectively. An accompanying music video for the song on June 26, 2017, and directed by Kenny McCracken. It features Aurora walking through various landscapes of Bergen while singing the song. Aurora included the song on the setlist of her All My Demons Tour (2016).
Background and release[]
Aurora wrote most of the songs of her debut album, including "Runaway" at a young age. She began Aurora writing the song between the ages of 11 and 12, 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 on the By:larm website in late 2013.[4][5] 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 2016. Due to the popularity in streaming services and six-year anniversary of "Runaway" in 2021, Aurora released a series of compilation EPs that contained her released songs at the time.[6] The song became part of the EP titled For the Humans Who Take Long Walks in the Forest (stylized in all caps), released on 4 February.[7] She also released two acoustic versions of the song: a guitar acoustic version on 5 March[8] and a piano acoustic version on 11 March.[9] A revamped version titled "Runaway (Lvl.2)" was released on 7 May.[10]
Composition[]
"Runaway" is a downtempo folktronica,[2] synth-pop,[11] electronic,[12] and electropop song,[13] with an influence from Nordic folk music.[14] The song "has echoing water droplet effects, creeping screeches, and windswept transitions among its sparse arrangement."[15]
Lyrically, it is a song about escape and "realizing you want to get home again". 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".[16] According to Aurora, the lyrics "came out of nowhere" and the lyrics became meaningful to her after the 2011 Norway attacks.[3] At the chorus of the song she begs "Take me home, home where I belong."[17]
Reception[]
"Runaway" received positive reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone described the song as a "viral lullaby."[18] Miranda Feneberger from Paste wrote the track "channels a soft power" and compared it to works by Florence Welch and Joni Mitchell.[11] Alexandra Pollard in her review of the album for Gigwise noted "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."[19] Will Hodgkinson of The Times described the song is "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 this track of the album.[20] The track received praising from American singer-songwriter Katy Perry, tweeting the song is "new music that makes my ❤️a flutter [sic]".[21] Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan also commented about the song, saying it is "100% my fave [sic] song at the minute."[22]
Music video[]
Background[]
A music video for the song was released on Aurora's official YouTube channel on 26 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.[23] 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] The music video is Aurora's most successful music video as a solo artist, and as of October 2021 it has accumulated more than 300 million views.
Reception[]
Singer and songwriter Billie Eilish credits the video of this song as one of the reasons she began working on music.[24]
Live performances and usage in media[]
Aurora first performed "Runaway" 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 officially released. [25] Aurora first performed the official version of the song in 2 July 2015 during the talk show Lindmo. [26] 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.[27] The song was added to the setlist of her 2016 All My Demons Tour. [28]
"Runaway" was used at the finale of the third season of the Fox American television psychological thriller series The Following.[29]
Track listings and formats[]
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Credits and personnel[]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend.[35]
Recording and management[]
- Recorded and mixed at Lydriket (Bergen, Norway)
- Published by Ultra Music Publishing Europe SG
Personnel[]
- Aurora Aksnes – vocals, piano, synth
- Odd Martin Skålnes – synth, mixing
- Magnus Åserud Skylstad – synth, drums & percussion, mixing
- Alex Wharton - mastering
Charts[]
Weekly charts[]
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Year-end charts[]
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Certifications[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[62] | Platinum | 60,000
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| Poland (ZPAV)[63] | Platinum | 50,000
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| Portugal (AFP)[64] | Gold | 10,000
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| United Kingdom (BPI)[65] | Silver | 200,000
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| United States (RIAA)[66] | Gold | 500,000
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References[]
- ^ Trendell, Andrew (9 April 2021). "Aurora's 'Runaway' soars up the charts following TikTok success". NME. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c Trendell, Andrew. "AURORA opens up about 'Runaway' – the song that inspired Billie Eilish". NME. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Demo of Runaway". by:larm. Archived from the original on 1 December 2013.
- ^ "demo of Runaway song".
- ^ Lavin, Will (3 February 2021). "AURORA to celebrate six-year anniversary of 'Runaway' with new EP and livestream". NME. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "For the Humans Who Take Long Walks In the Forest - EP". Apple Music. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ @auroramusic (5 March 2021). "Hello my darlings, I wanted to do a little acoustic version of "Runaway" for you all. It's very simple. And it's very honest. And it's a little piece of the core from which Runaway was born from