"Run Away" is the hit single by the German Eurodance and Pop music project Real McCoy from their album, Another Night, which was the U.S. version of their second album, Space Invaders. The song was first produced in 1994 in Germany by the music producers Juergen Wind and Frank Hassas under the producer team name "Freshline". "Run Away" was first released in Europe in 1994 as the group's third single from their album sophomore Space Invaders. When the song was released in America in March 1995 as single, it gained immense popularity and reached number 3 on the U.S. BillboardHot 100, where it was certified Gold, and number 6 in the United Kingdom. It also peaked within the top-10 in Finland, Ireland, New Zealand and Scotland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Run Away" reached number 12. In 2017, BuzzFeed listed the song at number 56 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s.
Critical reception
editor Bryan Buss picked the song as one of the standout tracks from Another Night. Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the follow-up to the certified platinum "Another Night" "does not tamper with the European dance act's winning formula of bouncy hi-NRG rhythms, topped with throaty male rapping and female chirping at the chorus. Single has already begun to gather deserved airplay from a number of crossover and top 40 stations on import—its domestic release almost guarantees instant success." Chuck Eddy from Entertainment Weekly noted that "this Berlin trio has invaded U.S. radio by tap-dancing space-invader-disco synths beneath soul-diva testifying, "Sprockets"-accented raps, and Martian munchkin chatter. Yet there’s an odd paranoid undercurrent flowing through tunes like "Run Away" — the best dance-pop here isn't merely escapist; it's about escaping." Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented that "the title of this one says it all. Programmers have been playing this import since late last year and now the official release is here. This one should be as big or bigger than their debut release, "Another Night."" Howard Cohen from Herald-Journal described "Run Away" as "tuneful". Robbie Daw from Idolator described "Run Away" as a "energetic, strobelight-friendly" hit. Liverpool Echo noted it as a "rousing pop/rap track with an escapist message." Music & Media encouraged "take a bit of this smooth slice of Eurodance, which serves as a preview for the forthcoming Space Invaders album. As the title implies ambient influences are present, even in the radio mixes." John Kilgo from The Network Forty described the song as "dynamite".
Music video
"Run Away" has two music videos versions. The first version was made for the European market, directed by Matt Broadley. It contains a desert-like setting starring singer Patricia "Patsy" Petersen walking in the desert while miming the vocals of studio singer Karan Kasar. The American version was directed by Nigel Dick and contains a factory-setting with many overworked "slave-like" workers; meanwhile the rapper Olaf "O-Jay" Jeglitza plays the role of "Big Brother," monitoring and performing the rap vocals while watching all the progress and demanding the workers to work harder while yelling at them.
Official mixes and remixes
"Run Away" 3:52
"Run Away" 3:58
"Run Away" 4:01 - taken from "Space Invaders" and is a label cut of the Club Attack Mix
In October 1994, a promotional version of this track was released to select Rhythmic Top 40 / dance radio stations in Chicago and Orlando. This was a more upbeat and enhanced remix of the Space Invaders / Club Attack Mix, and was never released on any album or single.
