Run-Around (song)

"Run-Around" is a song by American rock band Blues Traveler, featured on their fourth studio album, Four (1994). The song was the band's breakthrough hit, peaking at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. It gave the band their first Grammy Award in 1996, for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.[5]

This article is about the Blues Traveler song. For other songs, see Run around § Music.

"Run-Around"
The artwork depicts a maze superimposed on a smoking cat
Single by Blues Traveler
from the album Four
B-side
  • "Trust in Trust"
  • "Regarding Steven"
  • "Escaping"
  • "The Poignant & Epic Saga of Featherhead and Lucky Lack"
ReleasedFebruary 28, 1995
StudioBearsville (Woodstock, New York)[1]
GenreAlternative rock[2][3][4]
Length
  • 4:40 (album version)
  • 4:12 (single edit)
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)John Popper
Producer(s)
Blues Traveler singles chronology
"Defense & Desire"
(1993)		 "Run-Around"
(1995)		 "Hook"
(1995)

Overview and history

"Run-Around" debuted on June 24, 1993, during a solo show featuring Blues Traveler frontman John Popper. The first full band performance of the song took place the next time it was played, February 21, 1994. The 1994 show was significant because it took place at the famous CBGB and the show introduced a number of songs that were to be on their next album, Four.

The song tells of the relationship Popper had with original bass player Felicia. Popper had a crush on her, but was worried because they also shared a close friendship.[6] According to guitarist Chan Kinchila the two still remained close friends after the events of the songs.[6] She was also the subject of a later song, "Felicia".[7]

Music video

The video for the song has a Wizard of Oz motif, with Blues Traveler playing behind a curtain in a nightclub while a young, "hip" and more "photogenic" group appears to be playing the song. Dorothy Gale (Diana Marquis), the main character of the story, tries to get into the club.[8]

She is turned away by the doorman, as are three other people whose appearances resemble the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and Tin Woodman characters. They rush to the locked back door, where they catch a glimpse of the show. Finding a club-goer passed out nearby, Dorothy transfers the stamp on his hand to her own and to the hands of her three companions, and they are able to get inside.

By this time, several brief shots of the actual band have been seen; they are playing the song in a darkened back area, with several bouncers guarding the entrance, and the onstage group is only lip-synching and miming in time. As Dorothy begins to realize something is amiss, her dog Toto slips past the bouncers and pulls open a curtain to expose the real band. She and the other three are quickly whisked away and the curtain is yanked shut by the club owner (Ken Ober) as the song ends.[9]

Although the video for this song shows a Kansas driver's license, the license shown was not the current design but instead the design the state used in the mid to late 1980s. The name appearing on the license was misspelled as "Dorthy". The song was ranked number 76 in VH1'S 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s.

Live performances

In Blues Traveler's live shows, "Run-Around" has been played 997 times (as of February 2016) which is roughly 54% of the shows since its debut.[7]

The band originally played the song much slower, as Popper wrote it to reflect a depressed mood; however, they sped it up before recording it. Starting in late 1998, the band began experimenting with a different sound. This new version of the song, referred to as "Fucked Run," brings out the depressed and slower side of the song that Popper felt when he wrote it. However, when they perform this version, it is as a segue into another song.[10] The last half of the song is sung as the normal version.

While Blues Traveler recorded part of the third verse as "I shall drink in and always be full / yeah I will drink in and always be full", Popper originally wrote the second line as "My cup shall always be full." When they perform the song live, the band uses the original lyrics.

Track listings

All songs were written by John Popper except "Trust in Trust" and "The Poignant & Epic Saga of Featherhead and Lucky Lack", with lyrics by Popper and music by Chan Kinchla, and "Save His Soul", with music and lyrics by Brendan Hill.

Charts

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States February 28, 1995
  • CD
  • cassette
 A&M
United Kingdom October 2, 1995
[28]

References
  1. Walsh, Christopher (October 13, 2001). "Songs From The Wood: 30 Years of Bearsville Studios". Google Books. Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  2. "The 95 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1995". SPIN. August 6, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  3. "100 Of The Best 90s Alternative Songs: When The Underground Went Mainstream". udiscovermusic. May 17, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  4. Yglesias, Matthew (May 21, 2007). "The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  5. "1995 Grammy Winners". Grammy Awards. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  6. Macintosh, Dan. "CHAN KINCHLA OF BLUES TRAVELER". Songfacts. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  7. Run-Around Song Info. BluesTraveler.net
  8. Reifer, Jodi Lee (November 30, 2010). "Staten Island indie filmmaker's 'Dream' project gets screened a decade later". SILive.com. Staten Island: Advance Digital Media. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  9. Blues Traveler - Run-around on YouTube (VEVO)
  10. BTDb.org This link shows all the songs that have been segued into for 2002.
  11. Run-Around (US maxi-CD single disc notes). Blues Traveler. A&M Records. 1995. 31458 0983 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. Run-Around (US cassette single cassette notes). Blues Traveler. A&M Records. 1995. 31458 0982 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. Run-Around (UK CD single liner notes). Blues Traveler. A&M Records, Polydor Records. 1995. PZCD 339, 580 827-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. Run-Around (UK cassette single sleeve). Blues Traveler. A&M Records, Polydor Records. 1995. POCS 339, 580 826 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. Run-Around (European CD single liner notes). Blues Traveler. A&M Records. 1995. 580 826-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2749." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  17. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9856." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  18. "Blues Traveler Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  19. "Blues Traveler Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  20. "Blues Traveler Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  21. "Blues Traveler Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  22. "Blues Traveler Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  23. "Blues Traveler Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  24. "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  25. "Billboard Top 100 – 1995". Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  26. "1995 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 51. December 23, 1995. p. YE-80. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  27. "1996 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 52. December 28, 1996. p. YE-84. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  28. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. September 30, 1995. p. 61.
  29. Fritz, Ben (November 12, 2007). "Brash leaps on 'Jumper'". Variety. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  30. Minsker, Evan (December 1, 2014). "Why Did Blues Traveler's "Run-Around" Matter in 2014?". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
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