Hi everyone, I'm a newbie and have been trying to find details on the song "Runaway Train". The song was about actual missing children and I think it was in the 90's but can anyone tell me who sang it and is it possible to download it for free on the internet?Thank you for any help...
It was Soul Asylum, and it was used in conjunction with a campaign on missing and exploited children. Songwriter Dave Pirner said in interviews at the time that the song wasn't written about missing children (or drugs, or any other social cause) but the video featured photos of missing kids and was used in partnership with a campaign to find missing and exploited kids. I don't know if it's available for free anywhere, but it's from the album Grave Dancer's Union which can be found in bargain bins everywhere.
....but it's from the album Grave Dancer's Union which can be found in bargain bins everywhere.
I'd say that album, if found in a bargain bin, is actually a pretty good bargain. It's packed with some really good songs in addition to "Runaway Train".
----- We were wasps with new wings, now we're bugs in the jar.
I saw Soul Asylum for free a few years back. Not a bad show. My favorite song is "Never Really Been" which was the B-side of the "Runaway Train" single.
Originally posted by ericg75: I'd say that album, if found in a bargain bin, is actually a pretty good bargain. It's packed with some really good songs in addition to "Runaway Train".
Good call on that. Soul Asylum actually was a pretty decent band, even though they're kind of thought of as a one-hit-wonder. I think I remember hearing that they were actually releasing a new album sometime soon. Not sure though...
Originally posted by Dudebro: Didnt Tom Petty Originally sing this song?
I could have sworn he wrote it!
Petty's "Runaway Train" came out around five years earlier on Let Me Up (I've Had Enough).
It's funny, but this isn't the first time I've heard somebody question as to whether Soul Asylum's is a cover of the Petty song. They sound very different to my ears, but I've heard the question posed at least a half-dozen times over the years.
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Originally posted by less_success: Good call on that. Soul Asylum actually was a pretty decent band, even though they're kind of thought of as a one-hit-wonder. I think I remember hearing that they were actually releasing a new album sometime soon. Not sure though...
I wouldn't say they were a one hit wonder at all. They came out of the same Minneapolis punk scene in the 80s that brought us bands like The Replacements & Husker Du. They had some mild success in the underground community even before Grave Dancers Union came out. That album was quite a bit mellower than there previous albums, and made them a household name in the early 90s (and even scored Dave Pirner a relationship with Winona Ryder). "Runaway Train" was probably the biggest hit, but they also did pretty well with the singles "Black Gold" and "Somebody to Shove"(my personal fave). They also did okay (though not quite as well) with their follow up album, Let Your Dim Light Shine, which featured the very cool single, "Misery".
----- We were wasps with new wings, now we're bugs in the jar.
Originally posted by ericg75: and "Somebody to Shove"(my personal fave). They also did okay (though not quite as well) with their follow up album, Let Your Dim Light Shine, which featured the very cool single, "Misery".
Those two are also probably my favorite Soul Asylum songs. The video for "Runaway Train" must have had quite an impact on my young self because I can still remember it vividly. Weird.
Originally posted by less_success: Soul Asylum actually was a pretty decent band, even though they're kind of thought of as a one-hit-wonder. I think I remember hearing that they were actually releasing a new album sometime soon. Not sure though...
That perception (by many) is based solely on 'radio hits.' Soul Asylum were the cool Minneapolis band when the Replacements were a Paul Westerberg solo project and Husker was gone, and they were one of the best live bands going from 1989-1993. They did only have one big 'hit' but they had a string of great records on Twin/Tone and Columbia before fizzling.
They have a new one out now, as a matter of fact, and it's decent. Not great, but good. They've got Tommy Stinson, of the Replacements, playing bass these days and Michael Bland, former Prince sideman, on drums.
Petty's "Runaway Train" and Soul Asylum's are different songs. I'll verify that the melody, lyrics, and songwriting credits all differ.
Originally posted by ericq75: ...their follow up album, Let Your Dim Light Shine, which featured the very cool single, "Misery".
Yeah, I remember that single. That was a pretty great song, but I haven't heard it for awhile.
I wasn't saying that I thought of Soul Asylum of as a one-hit-wonder, only that in general they are probably thought of as one by people who remember them.
Originally posted by less_success: I wasn't saying that I thought of Soul Asylum of as a one-hit-wonder, only that in general they are probably thought of as one by people who remember them.
Maybe more of a one-album wonder. I remember "Black Gold" being a pretty big hit too.
Incidentally, Soul Asylum's pre-Grave Dancer's Union stuff is as good if not better than the stuff most people know. Especially if you're a fan of bands like the Replacements. "Stranger" from Say What You Will Clarence...Karl Sold The Truck may be my favorite Soul Asylum tune.
----- We were wasps with new wings, now we're bugs in the jar.
