| "Runaway" | ||||
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| Single by Janet Jackson | ||||
| from the album Design of a Decade: 1986–1996 | ||||
| Released | August 16, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | July–August 1995 | |||
| Studio | Flyte Tyme (Edina, Minnesota) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
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| Janet Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Runaway" on YouTube | ||||
"Runaway" is a song by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson from her first greatest hits album, Design of a Decade: 1986–1996 (1995). Written and produced by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as one of the two original songs on the album, it was made available commercially as the lead single on August 29, 1995, by A&M Records in the United States. Originally written for a possible duet with her brother Michael Jackson, it is a pop and dance song with influences of Middle Eastern music, including church bells and sitars in the composition. It lyrically talks about traveling around the world. The song received positive reviews from music critics, who appreciated its production and compared it to works by Prince, as well as with Janet Jackson's past singles.
"Runaway" was commercially successful upon release. In the US, it reached number three and became the fourth highest debut of all time on the Billboard Hot 100, and also made Jackson the first female artist in history to debut at the top 10 of the chart twice. The song also experienced success in other regions, peaking inside the top 10 in countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. An accompanying music video was directed by Marcus Nispel at an airplane hangar in California in August 1995. It shows Jackson traveling and visiting many locales around the world. The singer performed "Runaway" on The Velvet Rope Tour (1998–99), All for You Tour (2001–02), Rock Witchu Tour (2008), Number Ones, Up Close and Personal tour (2011), and most recently on second leg of her State of the World Tour in 2018.