Run On (Moby song)

"Run On" is a song by American electronica musician Moby. It was released as the second single from his fifth studio album Play on April 26, 1999.[1] The song incorporates prominent vocal samples from "Run On for a Long Time" by Bill Landford and the Landfordairs.

"Run On"
Single by Moby
from the album Play
B-side
  • "Spirit"
  • "Running"
  • "Sunday"
  • "Down Slow" (full length version)
  • "Memory Gospel"
ReleasedApril 26, 1999
Recorded1998
StudioMoby's home studio (Manhattan, New York)
Genre
Length
  • 4:23 (extended)
  • 3:44 (album version)
  • 3:33 (single version)
  • 3:10 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)Moby
Producer(s)Moby
Moby singles chronology
"Honey"
(1998)		 "Run On"
(1999)		 "Bodyrock"
(1999)

Background and composition

Recorded by Moby for his fifth studio album Play, "Run On" features samples from "Run On for a Long Time", a 1949 recording by Bill Landford and the Landfordairs of the traditional folk hymn "God's Gonna Cut You Down", which make up the song's vocal content.[2][3] Moby was unaware of the original hymn's considerable popularity in country and gospel music as a standard while recording the song.[4] He later recalled that "Run On" was "really hard to put together, because it has so many samples in it. I didn't use computers at this point, it was all done with stand-alone samplers. When it was finished, I collapsed in exhaustion."[4]

Music video

The music video for "Run On" was directed by Mike Mills.[5] Mills' video depicts Moby working at an office whose employees all wear white. A flashback is then shown involving a workout instructor who faints while teaching a class; Moby then arrives and puts an inhaler in her mouth, reviving her. The video proceeds through subsequent flashbacks to explain the entire plot: the office Moby works in is heaven, the instructor is self-conscious and unsure of her capabilities, and heaven is a self-help phone line. Towards the end of the video, Moby is seen dead in a parking lot, with a man checking his pulse. The video concludes similarly to the opening scene, with Moby working in an office while still living, only everyone is unkind and emotionally distant.[5]

Track listing
  • CD single (CDMUTE221)[6]
  1. "Run On" – 3:33
  2. "Spirit" – 4:12
  3. "Running" – 7:07
  • CD single – extended (LCDMUTE221)[7]
  1. "Run On" (extended) – 4:24
  2. "Sunday" – 5:00
  3. "Down Slow" (full length version) – 5:56
  • 12-inch single (12MUTE221)[8]
  1. "Run On" (Moby Young & Funky Mix) – 6:08
  2. "Run On" (Dave Clarke Mix) – 5:08
  3. "Run On" (extended) – 3:55
  • CD single (63881-27583-2)[9]
  1. "Honey" – 3:27
  2. "Honey" (Moby's 118 Mix) – 4:49
  3. "Honey" (Sharam Jey's Sweet Honey Mix) – 6:41
  4. "Honey" (Aphrodite & Mickey Finn Mix) – 6:24
  5. "Run On" (extended) – 4:27
  6. "Run On" (Moby's Young and Funky Mix) – 6:05
  7. "Run On" (Sharam Jey's Always on the Run Remix) – 6:01
  8. "Memory Gospel" – 6:42

Charts
Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 93
Scotland (OCC)[11] 35
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 33
UK Dance (OCC)[13] 27
UK Indie (OCC)[14] 7
US Dance/Electronic Singles Sales (Billboard)[15] 49

References
  1. "Run On – Moby". AllMusic. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  2. Play (liner notes). Moby. V2 Records. 1999. 63881-27049-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. JeffK (July 22, 2013). "Johnny Cash and the Many Versions of "God's Gonna Cut You Down"". No Depression. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  4. Weingarten, Christopher R. (July 2, 2009). "'Play' 10 Years Later: Moby's Track by Track Guide to 1999's Global Smash". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  5. Moby (September 4, 2012). "Moby 'Run On' – Official video". YouTube. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  6. "Run On – Moby (CD – Mute #CDMUTE 221)". AllMusic. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  7. "Run On – Moby (CD – Import #LCDMUTE 221)". AllMusic. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  8. "Run On – Moby (12 inch Vinyl Single – Mute #)". AllMusic. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  9. "Honey / Run On / Memory Gospel: Moby". United States: Amazon. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  10. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Moonlight Publishing.
  11. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  13. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  14. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  15. "Moby – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
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