Runaway Love (Ludacris song)
"Runaway Love" | ||||
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Conscious hip hop | ||||
Length | 4:41 | |||
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Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Ludacris singles chronology | ||||
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Mary J. Blige singles chronology | ||||
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"Runaway Love" is the third
Writing and composition
"Runaway Love" was written by Ludacris,
Song information
Each of the three verses provides a fictional account of the troubles faced by a different runaway female preadolescent: nine-year-old Lisa, ten-year-old Nicole, and eleven-year-old Erika, all of whom end up running away to escape their individual problems.
A brief, commonly used sample of Slick Rick saying "Like this" appears in the beginning and at approximately 1:08 in the song. At the end of the song, Ludacris expresses that he feels like running away himself sometimes.
Lisa
The 1st account involves nine-year-old Lisa (played by Arielle Lopez), who has never met her father and has a drug-addicted mother (played by Kim Delaney) who brings home men at different hours of the night (including one played by Michael Rapaport). When the drugs render her mother unconscious, the men that her mother brought home go to Lisa's room and molest her, hitting her whenever she resists. Lisa tries to explain this to her mom, who doubts her. She then decides to run away.
Nicole
The second plot involves lonely ten-year-old Nicole (played by Raquel Castro), who believes she is not beautiful, and thinks nobody likes her, and wonders why this is so. Her alcoholic stepfather (played by Jon Seda) physically abuses her, and when her schoolteachers constantly ask her about her bruises (which her stepfather caused), she lies to them. Nicole promises her only best friend, Stacy, that they'll be close forever. However, one day, Stacy is unintentionally killed in an accidental drive-by shooting. Feeling alone again, Nicole decides to run away.
Erika
The final tale involves eleven-year-old Erika (played by
Music video
The
Critical reception
Whilst Release Therapy was released to a largely mixed reception, "Runaway Love" drew general acclaim from music critics. In particular, many praised Ludacris and the serious subject matter addressed on the song, and the stylistic and thematic departure from his previous work.
Credits and personnel
The credits for "Runaway Love" are adapted from the liner notes of Release Therapy.[1]
- Recording
- Recorded at: East Los Angeles in California and Right Track–Sound on Sound Recording, New York City.
- Personnel
- songwriting
- Polow da Don – producer, songwriting
- Mary J. Blige – vocals
- Keri Hilson – background vocals, songwriting
- Mike Hartnett – guitar, bass
- Jason Perry – keyboards
- J. R. Rotem – keyboards
- Slick Rick – songwriting
- Doug E. Fresh – songwriting
- Phil Tan – mixing
- Josh Houghkirk – engineering
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA)[20] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Release Therapy (Liner notes). Ludacris. The Island Def Jam Music Group. 2007. 1708937.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Ludacris Digs Deep On 'Release Therapy'". billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
- ^ The Ludacris Foundation – Runaway Love Campaign Archived 2007-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ludacris promotes National Runaway Switchboard
- ^ Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ a b Rabin, Nathan (October 17, 2006). "Ludacris: Release Therapy". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ Schwartz, Barry (September 28, 2006). "Ludacris – Release Therapy". Stylus. Todd Smith. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Ludacris Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 7, 2007". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Ludacris feat. Mary J Blige – Runaway Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Ludacris: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Ludacris Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Ludacris Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Ludacris Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Ludacris Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "Ludacris Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "American single certifications – Ludacris – Runaway Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
External links
- "Runaway Love" Official music video on YouTube