"Run"
Single by George Strait
from the album The Road Less Traveled
B-side"The Real Thing"[1]
ReleasedSeptember 24, 2001
Recorded2001
Genre
Length
  • 4:05 (album version)
  • 3:46 (single edit)
LabelMCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Tony Lane
Anthony Smith
Producer(s)Tony Brown
George Strait
George Strait singles chronology
"If You Can Do Anything Else"
(2001) 		"Run"
(2001) 		"Living and Living Well"
(2002)

"Run" is a song written by Anthony Smith and Tony Lane, and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in September 2001 as the lead single from Strait's album The Road Less Traveled.

Content

The narrator tells his lover to leave Dallas, Texas and "run" to him. During the song the narrator lists many different forms of transport that his lover can take to reach him.

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor in his review of the single for Billboard Magazine called the song's production "intriguing" and that Strait's "warm vocals weave through a haunting melody." He said that there is a progressive feel to the track but the mandolin and steel guitar keep it traditional.[2]

Commercial performance

"Run" debuted at number 36 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the chart week of October 13, 2001. The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in December 2001, where it was blocked by Toby Keith's "I Wanna Talk About Me". It then reached number 2 again in early January 2002, where it was blocked by Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)", and again in early February of the same year, being blocked by Steve Holy's "Good Morning Beautiful". It also peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a minor crossover hit. The song has sold 390,000 copies in the United States as of April 2019.[4]

The song's b-side, "The Real Thing", was later the b-side to the album's next single, "Living and Living Well". Although not released as a single itself, "The Real Thing" charted at number 60 for the country chart dated March 22, 2003.[1]

Charts

Chart (2001–2002) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 34

Year-end charts

Chart (2002) Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 30

Certifications

Certifications for Run
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 406–408. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. ^ a b c "Single Reviews". Billboard. 13 October 2001.
  3. ^ Weiner, Natalie (May 18, 2022). "Best George Strait Songs: 20 Country Anthems". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  4. ^ Bjorke, Matt (April 15, 2019). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: April 15, 2019". RoughStock. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  5. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  6. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "Best of 2002: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2002. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  8. ^ "American single certifications – George Strait – Run". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 2, 2023.


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