I Ran (So Far Away)

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"I Ran" redirects here. For the A Flock of Seagulls live album, see A Flock of Seagulls discography.
"I Ran (So Far Away)"
Single by A Flock of Seagulls
from the album A Flock of Seagulls
B-side "Pick Me Up"
Released March 1982 (1982-03) (UK)[1]
Format
Recorded Battery Studios, London, November 1981
Genre
Length
  • 5:07 (long version)
  • 3:58 (video version)
  • 3:43 (radio edit)
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Mike Howlett
A Flock of Seagulls singles chronology
"Telecommunication"
(1981)		 "I Ran (So Far Away)"
(1982)		 "Space Age Love Song"
(1982)
Music video
"I Ran" on YouTube

"I Ran (So Far Away)",[5] also released as "I Ran", is a song by English new wave band A Flock of Seagulls. It was released in 1982 as the second single from their self-titled debut album. Since then, it has been their most successful single, reaching number nine in the United States and number one in Australia.

Versions

Three different versions of the song exist:

  • The long version (5:07) features an introduction with swirling synthesizer noises imitating seagulls which then segues into a lengthy instrumental passage by the band before leading into the song. It concludes with a guitar solo and comes to a full ending. This version was featured on some pressings of A Flock of Seagulls and is featured on all CD versions of the album.
  • The video version (3:58) omits most of the introductory section and begins with a cymbal crash but retains the full ending of the long version. This version was featured on some pressings of A Flock of Seagulls.
  • The radio edit (3:43) begins with a cymbal crash and loops the song's final chorus, fading out at the end.

Single release and legacy

The single was promoted by a distinctive music video directed by Tony van den Ende in which the band members performed in a room covered in aluminum foil and mirrors. The cameras used to film the video are clearly visible in many of the background reflections, their stands also covered in foil. The video is an homage to Brian Eno and Robert Fripp's (No Pussyfooting) album cover, which was also portrayed by The Strokes for their single, "The End Has No End" two decades later. The video received heavy rotation on MTV in the summer of 1982,[5] and helped the single to become a hit.

The band toured the United States extensively to promote the single, supporting Squeeze on their 1982 tour. As well as reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, "I Ran" peaked at number 3 on the Top Tracks chart and number 8 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. Subsequently, the album reached number 10 on the Billboard 200.[6]

Despite success in the US and Australia, the single did not enjoy similar success in the band's home country (United Kingdom), failing to make the top 40.

In an interview on the VH1 special 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s, Mike Score said that he resents the song, but plays it live because people enjoy it. "I Ran" was listed at #55 on the countdown. In VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s, the song was listed at #2, with Mike Score's interview played again.

Although considered an '80s new wave classic, the song experienced somewhat of a revival in 2002 as the signature theme for the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, being played during the game's television commercials and during gameplay as one of the songs in the playlist for radio station Wave 103.[7]

It appeared as a karaoke song in the 2012 game Sleeping Dogs.

The master recording is available as a playable song in Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s as well as the rebooted version of Karaoke Revolution, the song is also available in the game Rock Band 3 as a DLC.

Cover versions

"I Ran" has been covered by a number of artists:

Chart performance

Preceded by Australian Kent Music Report number-one single
2 August 1982 – 9 August 1982 (2 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant

References

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  9. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6547." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  10. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – A Flock Of Seagulls – I Ran". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – A Flock Of Seagulls – I Ran" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – A Flock Of Seagulls – I Ran". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "A Flock Of Seagulls: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  14. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 23, 1982 at the Wayback Machine (archived 20 September 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  17. ↑ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1982 at the Wayback Machine (archived 21 September 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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