The release of Chicago 13 in August of 1979 could have been the perfect bookend to a decade that saw Chicago emerge as one of the most successful and artistically relevant bands in American music history.
Instead, the collection of songs that made up the album reflected its declining influence on popular music and represented a band that was struggling hard to remain relevant in a world where disco was becoming king and punk was beginning to emerge as a major player.
“Run Away,” the 10th song on the album, was written by James Pankow and is his only contribution on Chicago 13. This is a noticeable drop off for the once-prolific writer. In fact, this song should have served as a call to action for consumers thinking of purchasing the album: Run away. Run far away.
On any previous Chicago release, aside from 1978’s slightly better Hot Streets, this song would have been laughed out of the room. With vocals by Peter Cetera and Hot Licks Dacus, “Run Away” was never released as a single. A promotional video was produced, however, and it looks as though the intention may have been for it to be offered to radio – but the lackluster response to “Must Have Been Crazy” and “Street Player” may have caused Columbia Records to reconsider.
“Run Away” is memorable for its complete lack of complexity, a common theme on the entire album. Previous Pankow compositions were never formulaic or bland. They were examples of his musicianship and creativity. “Run Away” demonstrates neither of those. The lyrics are bland, the arrangement sterile, and the structure is quite simply a prototypical pop/rock song with the Chicago horns.
Despite these elements, “Run Away” has a decent hook and could have been relatively successful as a single had it been released. However, with Chicago we expect more. We expect much, much more.
- Chicago, “90 Degrees and Freezing” from ‘Chicago XXX’ (2006): Saturdays in the Park - October 23, 2021
- Chicago, “Show Me a Sign” from ‘Heart of Chicago Vol. II’ (1998): Saturdays in the Park - August 14, 2021
- Chicago, “Sophisticated Lady” from ‘Night & Day: Big Band’ (1995): Saturdays in the Park - May 29, 2021
