My Sunday Song – “Runaway” by Bon Jovi

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic

For My Sunday Song #191, we are going to discuss the first of ten songs from Bon Jovi.  We will start it off with the first single and first song off their debut album called “Runaway”.  It was officially released in February 1984 and hit #39 on the Billboard charts. It was the first of many hits to come from this New Jersey band.

The song was written by Jon Bon Jovi and George Karak and was first recorded by Jon back in his Power Station Demo time period around 1981.  Then in 1982, he recorded it again as Jon Bon Jovi and The All Star Review.  This band included Hugh McDonald on bass…hmm…where have we heard that name before?  Oh yeah, he became the bass player for Bon Jovi in 1994 after original bass player Alec John Such left the band.  The band also had Tim Pierce on guitar, Frankie LaRocka on drums (cool name) and Roy Bittan on keyboard.  However, Mick Seeley actually wrote the keyboard intro for the song. I know Aldo Nova played a little on the album, but not sure exactly if he was on this song or not (BTW, I’m an Aldo fan so that any connection is cool to me).

If you haven’t figured it out, none of the original Bon Jovi band members are actually on this song.  And this is the version you hear on the album and the radio.  The band would be pieced together after the song started to become a hit on New Jersey radio and Jon needed a band.  And the rest is history at that point.

640full-bon-jovi-cover

The song is a sad commentary about what Jon say whenever he went in to New York City and he would see all this young kids full of sadness and desperation.  The song tells the story of young girl who ran away and does whatever she “has” to do to survive.  The song sounds a little dated with the opening synthesizer and those notes during the song, but the heavy guitar and overall gritty sound give it a little punch to make it memorable.  Although that opening keyboard is pretty much instantaneously recognizable.  I remember hearing on MTV and thinking, these guys are pretty awesome.  Little did I know how big they would get.

Give the song a listen and let me know what you think.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have and have a Happy Sunday!

“Runaway”

On the street where you live girls talk about their social lives
They’re made of lipstick, plastic and paint, a touch of sable in their eyes
All your life, all your life all you’ve asked when’s your daddy gonna talk to you
But you were living in another world tryin’ to get your message through.No one heard a single word you said.
They should have seen it in your eyes
What was going around your head.Ooh, she’s a little runaway.
Daddy’s girl learned fast
All those things he couldn’t say.
Ooh, she’s a little runaway.

A different line every night guaranteed to blow your mind
I see you out on the streets, calling for a wild time
So you sit home alone ’cause there’s nothing left that you can do
There’s only pictures hung in the shadows left there to look at you

You know she likes the lights at night on the neon Broadway signs
She don’t really mind, it’s only love she hoped to find

Ooh, she’s a little runaway.
Daddy’s girl learned fast
All those things he couldn’t say.
Ooh, she’s a little runaway.

No one heard a single word you said
They should have seen it in your eyes
What was going around your head.

Ooh, she’s a little runaway
Daddy’s girl learned fast
All those things he couldn’t say

Ooh, she’s a little runaway
Daddy’s girl learned fast
Now she works the night away

Ooh, she’s a little runaway
Daddy’s girl learned fast
All those things he couldn’t say

Ooh, she’s a little runaway
Daddy’s girl learned fast
Now she works the night away

Written by Jon Bon Jovi and George Karak

24 thoughts on “My Sunday Song – “Runaway” by Bon Jovi”

      1. They had less songs to choose from then I suppose! I didn’t see them until Crush era and a few times after that. So I guess they’d whittled it down to just Runaway by then. Although one time they did open with it which was great.

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  4. Excellent choice for the next series, John!
    I was thinking about this the other day & realized I can’t lose with your Sunday songs.
    Either:
    a) It’s an artist I don’t know at all, and I learn 10 new tracks
    b) It’s an artist I’m familiar with some (like the Crüe), there’s some overlap & your posts help show me where to look next
    c) It’s an artist like Jon Bon, where I know a lot of the tunes already & we get to compare notes!

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  6. Great keyboard riff and a great melodic rock song overall.

    Dave Snake Sabo also plays guitar on this track from the interviews I have read.
    JBJ also said he has written a lot of better songs lyrically that he would like to be remembered by than Runaway but it is what it is..

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