Runaway Train (Soul Asylum song)

"Runaway Train"
Single by Soul Asylum
from the album Grave Dancers Union
ReleasedJune 1, 1993 (1993-06-01)
Recorded1992
Genre
Length4:26
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Dave Pirner
Producer(s)Michael Beinhorn
Soul Asylum singles chronology
"Black Gold"
(1993) 		"Runaway Train"
(1993) 		"Sexual Healing"
(1993)
Music video
"Runaway Train" on YouTube

"Runaway Train" is a song by American alternative rock band Soul Asylum, released in June 1993 by Columbia Records as the third single from their sixth album, Grave Dancers Union (1992). The power ballad[7][3] became a success around the world, reaching numbers five and four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, and climbing to the top position on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. The single earned a gold sales certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after selling 600,000 copies in the US. Outside North America, it reached number two in New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland and peaked within the top five on the charts on several other European countries.

"Runaway Train" helped bring Grave Dancers Union to a multi-platinum level and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994. Its accompanying music video, directed by Tony Kaye, is notable for featuring images of missing people, most of them young children and teenagers. Lead singer Dave Pirner has stated that the lyrics originally described his experience of depression.[8]

  1. ^ Yglesias, Matthew (May 21, 2007). "The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  2. ^ Goodman, William (July 5, 2011). "Soul Asylum Recording First Album Since 2006". SPIN. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Mamo, Herna (February 2021). "Kelly Clarkson Takes Us on a 'Runaway Train' to Nostalgia For Her Soul Asylum Cover". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Toland, Michael (December 13, 2018). "SOUL ASYLUM – Say What You Will…Everything Can Happen / Made to Be Broken". Blurt Online. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  5. ^ Pareles, Jon (June 4, 1995). "RECORDINGS VIEW;Growing Up Means Keeping It Down a Bit". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  6. ^ Staunton, Terry. "Welcome To The Minority: The A&M Years 1988-1991". Record Collector. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  7. ^ "Video for 1994 Song 'Runaway Train' Helped Recover 21 Missing Kids — But 11 Have Not Been Found". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Peisner, David (July 24, 2013). "Wrong Way on a One-Way Track: The Oral History of Soul Asylum's 'Runaway Train'". SPIN. Retrieved February 15, 2021.