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Run (Foo Fighters song)

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"Run"
Single by Foo Fighters
from the album Concrete and Gold
ReleasedJune 1, 2017 (2017-06-01)
Genre
Length5:23
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Greg Kurstin
Foo Fighters singles chronology
"Saint Cecilia"
(2015) 		"Run"
(2017) 		"The Sky Is a Neighborhood"
(2017)
Music video
"Run" on YouTube

"Run" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters. It was released as a single on June 1, 2017,[5] and is off their ninth studio album, Concrete and Gold.[6] The song performed well commercially and critically, topping the Billboard US Mainstream Rock Songs chart. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song and was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 2018 Grammys.

Background

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The song had first been played live in February 2017.[5] The studio version of the song was released as a single on June 1, 2017,[7][5][8] making it the band's first single since "Saint Cecilia" in 2015.[9][10] Many music journalists noted the song was expected, but not confirmed, to be off of the band's then-upcoming ninth studio album, Concrete and Gold.[11][12] The single was a surprise release, without any prior indication being made of its existence, other than the band's vague allusions to working on music over the course of 2017.[13][14] Seven weeks after its initial release, the song topped the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart,[15] the seventh song from the band to do so.[16]

Music video

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A music video for the song was released on the same day.[12] The video features the band performing the song in a nursing home (abandoned St Luke's Hospital in Pasadena, CA), in make-up making them appear as elderly versions of themselves, and end up inciting a riot amongst other patients and orderlies.[12][8] The nurse in the video is played by Missi Pyle. Multiple outlets, including Billboard and People magazines, felt the music video was an homage to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,[5][11] while Team Rock noted its additional similarity to the film Cocoon.[17] The video ends with a brief choreographed dance routine,[18] noted by Variety and ABC News as being similar to the routine done in Michael Jackson's video for the song "Thriller".[19][2] The video was directed by band frontman Dave Grohl.[10] The old age makeups were designed by Tony Gardner, and created by Alterian, Inc. The video was inspired by drummer Taylor Hawkins lamenting having to do promotional work for the song and album cycle while the band was beginning to look older; when Grohl told him that "it doesn't really matter", Hawkins proposed taking it in the opposite direction, and purposefully making themselves look older, inspiring Grohl to write up a treatment for the video.[20]

Composition and themes

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The song is approximately five-and-a-half minutes long, and features a 40-second intro with just soft guitar notes and mellow vocals by Grohl.[21] After the intro, the song erupts into a hard rock sound, featuring heavy, distorted guitar riffs, thunderous drums, and alternating melodically sung and screamed vocals by Grohl.[5][1][11] The song features breakdowns similar to that found in heavy metal and noise rock music.[21][19] A number of outlets described the song as one of the heaviest rock songs the band has ever released.[5][22] Lyrically, the line "Wake up/run for your life with me" is urgently repeated through the song by Grohl.[2]

Reception

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The song was generally well-received upon release, with many journalists praising the band for maintaining their high-energy rock sound with the song, while being over twenty years into their career.[23][12] People praised the song for being "a return to full-speed-ahead rock. Like the best of Foo Fighters, it's hard and occasionally hilarious."[11] Similarly, NPR praised the song for being "an enjoyably ludicrous bit of viral silliness" and concluded "'Run' itself is no joke: Eight (and perhaps soon to be nine) albums into his Foo Fighters career, Grohl still wails with the infectiously unhinged force of a kid a third his age."[12] Loudwire named the song the eighth best hard rock song of 2017.[3] The single had the highest first day sales of any prior singles for the band.[24]

SPIN Magazine proclaimed "Run" a "thunderous lead single" and a "a galloping game of heavy-metal Red Light, Green Light".[4]

The song received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance.[25]

Personnel

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Credits adapted from Concrete and Gold liner notes.[26]

Foo Fighters
Other musicians

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[52] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[53] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards

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Year Award Results
2018 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song Won
2018 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b Foo Fighters Release Heavy New Song 'Run' with Funny Video radio.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Watch now: Foo Fighters stage a literal "Oldchella" in new "Run" video abcnewsradioonline.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Loudwire Staff. "25 Best Hard Rock Songs of 2017". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b Camp, Zoe (19 September 2019). "Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold Review". SPIN Magazine. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Foo Fighters Crank Up the Heavy on New Song 'Run' billboard.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  6. ^ Young, Alex (June 20, 2017). "Foo Fighters announce new album, Concrete and Gold, due out in September". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  7. ^ Foo Fighters Prove You're Never Too Old to Rock With 'Run' Video Loudwire.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Watch Foo Fighters Perform as Retirees in Crazy New "Run" Video pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  9. ^ Foo Fighters surprise fans with rowdy new song, 'Run' ew.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Foo Fighters – "Run" spin.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d Foo Fighters Are Back! Elderly Dave Grohl Leads a Nursing Home Revolt in Video for New Song, 'Run' people.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  12. ^ a b c d e Foo Fighters' New Song, 'Run,' Sparks A Nursing-Home Uprising npr.org. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  13. ^ Foo Fighters Return with "Run" Video exclaim.ca. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  14. ^ Foo Fighters' New 'Run' Single and Video Stages a Nursing Home Riot diffuser.fm. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  15. ^ "Foo Fighters - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-26.
  16. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (20 July 2017). "Foo Fighters 'Run' All the Way to No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Songs Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  17. ^ Watch the Foo Fighters mind-warping new video, Run teamrock.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  18. ^ Watch Foo Fighters Rage With Retirees in Surprise 'Run' Video rollingstone.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  19. ^ a b Foo Fighters Return With the Bruising 'Run' Single and Video (Watch) variety.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  20. ^ "Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl: 'The guy who did our make-up in 'Run' was in the 'Thriller' video'". Nme.com. 2 June 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  21. ^ a b Foo Fighters return with glorious new single "Run" and video — watch consequence.net. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  22. ^ Foo Fighters Release New Song and Video, "Run" metalsucks.net. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  23. ^ Listen to "Run," the first new Foo Fighters single since 2015 avclub.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  24. ^ Foo Fighters Lay Out 'Concrete and Gold': Listen billboard.com. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  25. ^ Lynch, Joe (28 November 2017). "Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees". Billboard.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  26. ^ Concrete and Gold (booklet). RCA Roswell. 2017.
  27. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #424". auspOp. June 10, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  28. ^ "Foo Fighters – Run" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  29. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  30. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  31. ^ "CZ - Radio - Top 20 Modern Rock - Foo Fighters - Rescued" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  32. ^ "Foo Fighters: Run" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  33. ^ "Foo Fighters: Run" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  34. ^ "Foo Fighters – Run" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  35. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  36. ^ "Foo Fighters - Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  37. ^ "Netherlands Single Tip Chart - June 17, 2017". Mega Charts. June 25, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  38. ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  39. ^ "Foo Fighters – Run". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  40. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  41. ^ "Foo Fighters – Run" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  42. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 23, 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  43. ^ "Foo Fighters – Run". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  44. ^ "Foo Fighters: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  45. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  46. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  47. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  48. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  49. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  50. ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  51. ^ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. 13 December 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  52. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  53. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Foo Fighters – Run". Music Canada. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  54. ^ "British single certifications – Foo Fighters – Run". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
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