Runaway

"Runaway" is a song by AURORA. It is the lead single and the first track on her debut extended play, Running with the Wolves and debut studio album, All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend. It was written by herself and Magnus Skylstad, and produced by Skylstad and Odd Martin Skålnes.

On February 9, 2015, the single became available on select platforms^[1] and on February 16, 2015, it was officially released worldwide.^[2]

A guitar acoustic version was released on March 5, 2021, followed by a piano acoustic version on March 11, 2021. On May 7, 2021, "Runaway (Lvl.2)" was surprise-released because of the original version's virality thanks to a social media trend. "Runaway" was released as vinyl single for the first time on November 11, 2022.^[3]

Background[]

Aurora wrote the song when she was 11-12 years old for a school assignment,^[4] originally the chorus had the "take me home" line only once.^[5]
The song was the first demo she recorded with co-writer and producer Magnus.^[6] It was made available to listen online late 2013.^[7]^[8]
The first known live performance of the song was on 2/20/2014 at Nabovarsel Minifestival. After signing a record deal, the song was recorded again in winter 2014 for Aurora's debut EP.^[9]

About the song[]

The song is about escape and "realizing you want to get home again." In a 2016 interview she stated

"For me now, that song is about my actual home where my parents are."^[10]

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."^[11]

Aurora has since noted that the song came to have various meanings to her over the years. An in-depth analysis Aurora did for Song Exploder can be listened here. Nordic folk music was an inspiration for the song.^[12]

Lyrics[]

I was listening to the ocean
I saw a face in the sand
But when I picked it up
Then it vanished away from my hands, dah
I had a dream I was seven
Climbing my way in a tree
I saw a piece of Heaven
Waiting, impatient, for me, dah

And I was running far away
Would I run off the world someday?
Nobody knows, nobody knows
I was dancing in the rain
I felt alive and I can't complain
But now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I can't take it anymore

I was painting a picture
The picture was a painting of you
And for a moment I thought you were here
But then again, it wasn't true, dah
And all this time I have been lying
Oh, lying in secret to myself
I've been putting sorrow on the farthest place on my shelf

And I was running far away
Would I run off the world someday?
Nobody knows, nobody knows
I was dancing in the rain
I felt alive and I can't complain

But now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
Now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
Now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I can't take it anymore

But I kept running
For a soft place to fall
And I kept running
For a soft place to fall
And I kept running
For a soft place to fall
And I kept running
For a soft place to fall

And I was running far away
Would I run off the world someday?

But now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
Now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go

Now take me home
Home where I belong
No, no
Now take me home
Home where I belong
Ho, ho, ho
Now take me home
Home where I belong
No, no
Now take me home
Home where I belong

I can't take it anymore

I was listening to the ocean
I saw a face in the sand
But when I picked it up
Then it vanished away from my hand
I had a dream I was seven
Climbing my way in a tree
I saw a piece of heaven
Waiting, impatient, for me

And I was running far away
Would I run off the world someday?
Nobody knows, nobody knows
And I was dancing in the rain
I felt alive and I can't complain
But now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I can't take it anymore

I was painting a picture
The picture was a painting of you
And for a moment I thought you were here
But then again, it wasn't true
And all this time I have been lying
Oh, lying in secret to myself
I've been putting sorrow on the highest place on my shelf

And I was running far away
Would I run off the world someday?
Nobody knows, nobody knows
I was dancing in the rain
I felt alive and I can't complain

But now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
Now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
Now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I can't take it anymore

And I fell like rain is falling down
I fell like a stone against the ground
This emptiness inside my heart
Has been there from the start
I fell like rain is falling down
I fell like a stone against the ground
This emptiness inside my soul
Has been there all along

But I kept running
I kept running home
And I kept running
For a soft place to fall

And I was running far away
Would I run off the world someday?

But now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
Now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
Now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I got no other place to go
Now take me home
Take me home where I belong
I can't take it anymore

Music video[]

The music video for "Runaway" was directed by Kenny McCracken and shot during January 31 to February 2, 2015, in Bergen, Norway.^[13]^[14]^[15] It was released on February 27, 2015, with a limited premiere on February 26.^[16]^[17]^[18]

An article in Norwegian tabloid newspaper Dagbladet noted:

"Today she releases her first music video. Aksnes, on the other hand, does not define the video as such. - It is intended as a promo, so it really has no major meaning. The whole point was that it should be nice and weird, and that people should get an impression of me as an artist. It probably gets weirder as I make a real music video, Aksnes tells Dagbladet by phone from Berlin."^[19]

In 2021, the video surpassed 100 million views on YouTube. It was Aurora's first song as a solo artist to reach that mark, after the video for Idina Menzel & AURORA's "Into the Unknown" did the same. Runaway ended 2021 with well over 300 million views.

Behind the scenes[]

Demo version[]

Fan repost

Commercial performance[]

"Runaway" was received positively by various press and online music blogs.^[20] Upon its single release, the song was streamed over a million times in 6 weeks on Spotify, a successful release for Aurora at the time.^[21]

In 2021, six years after its release and after the song went viral on social media, "Runaway" debuted in the official Singles charts in Ireland and in the UK. In Ireland, the song peaked at 80 during the week March 19-26, 2021. In the UK it entered the Singles chart at 100 for the week March 26-April 1, 2021. Its current peak is 25 (as of May 19, 2021).

Charts[]

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Ireland (IRMA)^[22]	21
UK Singles (OCC)^[23]	25
Canadian Hot 100 ^[24]	39
French Singles Chart^[25]	44
Billboard Global 200^[26]	22
Swiss Singles 100^[27]	21
Billboard Bubbling Under 100^[28]^[29]	1 (101)
German Singles Chart^[30]	30
Norway Singles Chart^[31]	14
ARIA Singles Chart^[32]	30

Trivia[]

Aurora won a NOPA grant for this song in 2014 (still a demo at that point), awarded to her on by:Larm festival.^[33]
Shortly after the music video released, pop star Katy Perry linked to it in a Tweet saying: "Finally. New music that makes my [heart] a flutter."^[34]
The fur ruff on the coat seen in the cover photo and music video is made from synthetic fur.^[35]
Singer and songwriter Billie Eilish credits this song as one of the reasons she began working on music.^[36]^[37]^[38]
- Aurora and Billie have since met on two occasions, and both are fans of each other.
The song's 2021 resurgence can mostly be credited to a viral trend on social media.^[39]^[40] A user made a filter titled "Runaway Aurora".^[41] This augmented reality filter makes silhouette photos and videos, soundtracked and timed on the beat of Runaway.
- 1.6 million TikTok videos using "Runaway" were created, as of June 2022.^[42]
To celebrate the song hitting 100 million streams on Spotify, AURORA released For the Humans Who Take Long Walks in the Forest and did a YouTube livestream.^[43]
A shorter version (Radio Edit) was released on a compilation in 2021.^[44]
The song was featured on episode 15, season 3 (2015, series finale) of American thriller TV series The Following.^[45]
It was also featured on the trailer and teaser of Norwegian drama film Hva Vil Folk Si (2017).^[46]^[47]
The instrumental version of the song featured on episode 10, season 3 (2022) of American TV comedy/drama series Never Have I Ever.^[48]

References[]

Navigation[]

v • e All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend
Featured Tracks	Runaway • Conqueror • Running with the Wolves • Lucky • Winter Bird • I Went Too Far • Through the Eyes of a Child • Warrior • Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) • Home • Under the Water • Black Water Lilies
Deluxe Tracks	Half the World Away • Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) (Acoustic) • Nature Boy (Acoustic) • Wisdom Cries • Running with the Wolves (Pablo Nouvelle Remix)
Super Deluxe Tracks	I Went Too Far (PWDNTIAC Remix) • Under Stars (Loon Remix) • Mr. Tambourine Man
Producers	Odd Martin Skålnes • Magnus Skylstad • Nicolas Rerbscher • Jeremy Wheatley • Alf Lund Godbolt • Electric • Pablo Nouvelle • Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Related	Scrapped Songs • Running with the Wolves (EP)

v • e Running with the Wolves
Featured Tracks	Runaway • Running with the Wolves • In Boxes • Little Boy in the Grass
Deluxe Tracks	Awakening • Under Stars
Producers	AURORA • Magnus Skylstad • Michelle Leonard • Nicolas Rebscher • Electric • Odd Martin Skålnes
Related	Scrapped Songs • All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend

v • e Singles
2012	Puppet
2014	Awakening • Under Stars
2015	Runaway • Running with the Wolves • Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) • Half the World Away
2016	Conqueror • Warrior • I Went Too Far • Winter Bird
2018	Scarborough Fair • Queendom • Forgotten Love
2019	Animal • The River • A Different Kind of Human • The Seed • Apple Tree • Daydreamer • Walking in the Air
2020	Into the Unknown • Exist for Love • The Secret Garden • Thank U • Stjernestøv • Running with the Wolves (Wolfwalkers Version)
2021	Runaway (Guitar Acoustic) • Runaway (Piano Acoustic) • Runaway (Lvl.2) • Cure for Me • Cure for Me (Acoustic) • Giving In to the Love • Midas Touch • Heathens
2022	A Dangerous Thing • Everything Matters • A Temporary High • The Woman I Am • Storm • The Devil Is Human • A Potion for Love
2023	Your Blood
2024	The Conflict of the Mind • Some Type of Skin • Animal Soul • To Be Alright • Starvation

[1] ttps://soundcloud.com/auroraaksnes/runawaysingle

[2] ttps://aurora.lnk.to/runaway1 (promotional link, ca 2021)

[3] ttps://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shop/uo-exclusive-singles-day-limited-lp-37

[4] ttps://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/aurora-enya-has-been-medicine-to-me-my-whole-life-1.4779466

[5] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiLQ9Ebe1vI&t=24s

[6] ttps://twitter.com/magnusskylstad/status/668511431680241667

[7] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20140209074148/http://bylarm.no/nor/artists/14124;Aurora-Aksnes

[8] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20140807202056/http://nordicplaylist.com/playlists/up-and-coming-12/ (published March 2014)

[9] ttps://songexploder.net/aurora (timestamp 10:10)

[10] ttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/aurora-on-her-debut-album-john-lewis-christmas-advert-and-remote-upbringing-a6930691.html

[11] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20180623004709/https://www.thefourohfive.com/music/article/aurora-track-by-track-145

[12] ttps://www.billboard.com/pro/aurora-frozen-2-into-the-unknown-emerging-artists-spotlight/

[13] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20211104072854/https://www.creative-commission.com/project/aurora/runaway/music-video/otherfinger (archived from original)

[14] ttps://www.instagram.com/p/yguHhztmj5/

[15] ttps://www.instagram.com/p/ymTHVjNmmR/

[16] ttps://twitter.com/AURORAmusic/status/571005085490286592

[17] ttps://diymag.com/2015/02/26/aurora-shares-video-for-runaway

[18] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20220715185218/https://indie-mag.com/2015/02/indie-presents-exclusive-video-premiere-of-runaway-by-aurora/ (archived from original)

[19] ttps://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/sosteren-designet-antrekk-til-musikkvideo-debuten/60847066 (translated from Norwegian)

[20] ttps://hypem.com/track/29hae/AURORA+-+Runaway

[21] ttps://kultura.onet.pl/muzyka/koncerty/aurora-to-swietne-uczucie-wiedziec-ze-katy-perry-jest-moja-fanka/d8bghn9

[22] ttps://www.irma.ie/singles (week 18, 2021)

[23] ttps://www.officialcharts.com/artist/31723/aurora/

[24] ttps://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-hot-100/2021-05-08/

[25] ttps://acharts.co/france_singles_top_100/2021/16

[26] ttps://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-global-200/2021-05-08/

[27] ttps://hitparade.ch/charts/singles/25-04-2021

[28] ttps://www.billboard.com/charts/bubbling-under-hot-100-singles/2021-05-08/

[29] ttps://www.billboard.com/charts/bubbling-under-hot-100-singles/2021-05-15/

[30] ttps://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single/for-date-1619128800000

[31] ttps://acharts.co/norway_singles_top_20/2021/17

[32] ttps://www.aria.com.au/charts/singles-chart/2021-05-10

[33] ttps://nopa.no/utmerkelser/nopa-stipendet/

[34] ttps://twitter.com/katyperry/status/573250516123324416

[35] ttps://twitter.com/AURORAmusic/status/575380543199645697

[36] ttps://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/05/billie-eilish-the-young-upstart-with-co-signs-from-lorde-and-halsey

[37] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9tyECALPps&t=133s

[38] ttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/AWs8tPkQqwk (copy from Snapchat, 04/28/2019)

[39] ttps://radio.nrk.no/podkast/oppdatert/sesong/202105/l_5f308ef6-24b2-4a07-b08e-f624b28a0713

[40] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJSiidpwbuw

[41] ttps://www.instagram.com/renaldfadli/

[42] ttps://www.tiktok.com/music/Runaway-6604064037363780357

[43] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX1gQQyAm68

[44] ttps://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/now-thats-what-i-call-music-109-tracklisting-revealed__33472/

[45] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVnAbGnZLYA

[46] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HY3fFuRJd8

[47] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hwweg03aR8

[48] ttps://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a40863751/never-have-i-ever-season-3-soundtrack/

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Aurora Aksnes Wiki