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Runaway (Aurora song)

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"Runaway"
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)
Recorded2013-2015
StudioLydriket (Bergen)
Genre
Length
  • 4:13 (single version)
  • 4:08 (album version)
LabelGlassnote
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 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 performing in 2015 at the Way Back When Festival.

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

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend.[35]

Recording and management

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for "Runaway"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[36] 30
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[37] 27
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[38] 2
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[39] 39
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[40] 14
France (SNEP)[41] 44
Germany (GfK)[42] 30
Global 200 (Billboard)[43] 22
Hungary (Single Top 40)[44] 30
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[45] 24
India (IMI)[46] 13
Ireland (IRMA)[47] 21
Italy (FIMI)[48] 80
Lithuania (AGATA)[49] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[50] 53
Norway (VG-lista)[51] 14
Portugal (AFP)[52] 27
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[53] 19
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[54] 51
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[55] 21
UK Singles (OCC)[56] 25
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[57] 1
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[58] 10
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[59] 39
US Rolling Stone Top 100[60] 72

Certifications

Certifications for "Runaway"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Norway (IFPI Norway)[61] Platinum 60,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[62] Platinum 50,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[63] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[65] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Trendell, Andrew (9 April 2021). "Aurora's 'Runaway' soars up the charts following TikTok success". NME. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  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)
  3. ^ a b c Trendell, Andrew. "AURORA opens up about 'Runaway' – the song that inspired Billie Eilish". NME. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Demo of Runaway". by:larm. Archived from the original on 1 December 2013.
  5. ^ "demo of Runaway song".
  6. ^ Lavin, Will (3 February 2021). "AURORA to celebrate six-year anniversary of 'Runaway' with new EP and livestream". NME. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  7. ^ "For the Humans Who Take Long Walks In the Forest - EP". Apple Music. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  8. ^ @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 🌙✨💫" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ a b "Runaway (Piano Acoustic)". iTunes Store. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  10. ^ @auroramusic (7 May 2021). "we had to make a little baby-radio-runaway and its very cute" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ a b Feneberger, Miranda (10 March 2016). "All My Demons Greeting Me As a Friend Review". Paste. Retrieved 11 July 2021.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ The Line of Best Fit (16 February 2015). "Listen: Aurora - "Runaway" Premiere". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  13. ^ Elmahdi, Adam (21 September 2015). "Aurora leads a joyous celebration of melancholy in East London". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  14. ^ Ginsberg, Gab (6 December 2019). "Aurora Explains How She Became the 'Voice of the Mountains' For 'Frozen 2's 'Into the Unknown'". Billboard. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  15. ^ "All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend - Aurora". AllMusic. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  16. ^ "Track-by-Track: Aurora's All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend". The 405. 11 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  17. ^ Vain, Madison (11 March 2016). "AURORA's 'All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend': EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  18. ^ Rolling Stone (25 January 2016). "10 New Artists You Need to Know: January 2016". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  19. ^ Pollard, Alexandra (10 March 2016). "Album of the week: Aurora - All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend". Gigwise. Retrieved 12 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (11 March 2016). "Pop: Aurora: All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend". The Times. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  21. ^ @katyperry (4 March 2015). "Finally. New music that makes my ❤️a flutter. Check this 17 yr old angel @AURORAmusic RUNAWAY" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ @troyesivan (13 March 2015). "also this is 100% my fave song at the minute" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Music video for Aurora Runaway by Other Finger". Creative Commission. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  24. ^ Smith, Krista (31 May 2018). "Billie Eilish: The Young Upstart with Co-Signs from Lorde and Halsey". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Nabovarsel minifestival: Aurora Aksnes". Srib.no (in Norwegian). 21 February 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  26. ^ Aurora (7 February 2015). "My First TV interview turned out to be.. Quite awkward, but....interesting! You'll know what I mean if you watch it 10pm at NRK1 tonight. You'll also see me performing "Runaway" live". Facebook. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  27. ^ Aurora (7 February 2015). "HQ: Honda Stage captured the sold out show at The Bowery Ballroom in New York and now you can watch it here!". Facebook. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  28. ^ "Average setlist for tour: All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend - AURORA". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  29. ^ "S3E15: The Reckoning - The Following Soundtrack". Tunefind.com. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  30. ^ "Runaway (CDr, Single, Promo)". Discogs. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  31. ^ "Runaway – Single". iTunes Store. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  32. ^ "Runaway: Aurora". Amazon (US). Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  33. ^ "Runaway (Guitar Acoustic)". iTunes Store. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  34. ^ "Runaway (Lvl.2)". iTunes Store. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  35. ^ All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend (booklet). AURORA. Decca Records. 2016. 4737926.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  36. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  37. ^ "Aurora %5BNO%5D – Runaway" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  38. ^ "Aurora %5BNO%5D – Runaway" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  39. ^ "Aurora Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  40. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 16. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  41. ^ "Top Singles (Week 15, 2021)". SNEP. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  42. ^ "Aurora %5BNO%5D – Runaway" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  43. ^ "Aurora Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  44. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  45. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  46. ^ "Top 20 Charts". Indian Music Industry. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 21 June 2021. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  47. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  48. ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 16" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  49. ^ "2021 17-os SAVAITĖS (balandžio 23-29 d.) SINGLŲ TOP100" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 30 April 2021. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  50. ^ "Aurora – Runaway" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  51. ^ "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single 2021-17". VG-lista. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  52. ^ "Aurora %5BNO%5D – Runaway". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  53. ^ "ČNS IFPI". IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 202116 into search. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  54. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  55. ^ "Aurora %5BNO%5D – Runaway". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  56. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  57. ^ "Aurora Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  58. ^ "Aurora Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  59. ^ "Aurora Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  60. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)
  61. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Aurora – Runaway" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  62. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2021 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  63. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Aurora – Runaway" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  64. ^ "British single certifications – Aurora – Runaway". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  65. ^ "American single certifications – Aurora – Runaway". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
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