Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
#dolbyatmos #runawaytrain #soulasylum
To experience full mutichannel audio, you must connect a soundbar/home theater
"Runaway Train" helped bring Grave Dancers Union to a multi-platinum level and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994. Its accompanying music video, directed by Tony Kaye, is notable for featuring images of missing people, most of them young children and teenagers. Lead singer Dave Pirner has stated that the lyrics originally described his experience of depression.
"It overshadowed everything else we did, but I'm pleased that the song has a resonance that is not about partying and screwing. It's a sad and reflective song that reminds people that it's not all candy out there, but that they're not alone."
— Dave Pirner talking about the song.
Pirner suffered from a nervous breakdown after he thought he was losing his hearing. He started playing an acoustic guitar, and one of the songs that came out of this was "Runaway Train". Pirner had been fascinated by trains since he was a kid, having watched a "Casey Jones" TV show (likely the local "Lunch with Casey" program that aired in the Twin Cities from 1954-1973). Pirner would use a runaway train as a metaphor for the depression that was spinning out of control.
The first line, "Call you up in the middle of the night" would refer to a friend of Pirner who lived in New York and was kind enough to answer him on the phone, no matter what time it was. After a practice-room tape was presented to various labels in New York, Columbia Records was most interested. The song was then recorded with producer Michael Beinhorn. Pirner told in an interview with The Guardian, "If the vocal on it sounds world-weary, it’s because he made me sing it 100 times." The band's drummer, Grant Young, was replaced during the session by Sterling Campbell. Then keyboards were put on the track in a studio in LA by Booker T from the MGs. "Runaway Train" was released as the third single of the Grave Dancers Union album on June 1, 1993.
MUSIC VIDEO
The accompanying music video for "Runaway Train" was directed by English director of films, music videos, advertisements, and documentaries Tony Kaye and received heavy airplay on MTV and VH1 during its duration.
Several versions of the video were made. The video for the United States version begins with a fade to a black screen with a big, white blocked text reading: "There are over one million youth lost on the streets of America", while the UK version begins with "100,000 youth are lost on the streets of Britain". The next scene shows a drawing of an adolescent girl, and a Dave Pirner voice-over saying that the drawing is by a girl who had run away more than 110 times. The scene was often omitted when the video was shown, a common practice when videos had additional footage before or after the song.
After Pirner spoke, the video continued with various shots of the band playing the song, and Pirner singing. Three concrete scenes are shown interspersed among the other images of the video. During the first verse, a child is shown witnessing his grandfather beating and eventually killing his grandmother, before fleeing in fear. During the second verse, a young teenage girl is pimped as a prostitute, and initially purchased by the aforementioned abuser. Later, she is dragged into a van by a gang; afterwards, she is picked up by paramedics and taken to the hospital. During the coda of the song, a small baby is snatched from his stroller by an older woman, with his mother running after the kidnapper's car.
Throughout the music video, various images of children running, or appearing with injuries from abuse, are shown. During the choruses, pictures of missing children would appear on the screen. After each picture was shown, their full name would appear in large capital letters on the screen, along with the year they had been "missing since...".
After the video, in an ending also not regularly shown, Pirner says in front of the camera, "If you've seen one of these kids, or you are one of them, please call this number," with the following screen showing a number one could contact. MTV cut this part out because they did not want to have the video confused with being a public service announcement. VH1 shows the UK version in its full length.
There were three original versions of the video in the United States, totaling 36 missing children shown. The children shown varied with the location of the broadcast, using missing children from that area.
The video received its world premiere on MTV's late-night alternative rock program 120 Minutes on May 16, 1993.
#dolbyatmos #runawaytrain #soulasylum
To experience full mutichannel audio, you must connect a soundbar/home theater
"Runaway Train" helped bring Grave Dancers Union to a multi-platinum level and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994. Its accompanying music video, directed by Tony Kaye, is notable for featuring images of missing people, most of them young children and teenagers. Lead singer Dave Pirner has stated that the lyrics originally described his experience of depression.
"It overshadowed everything else we did, but I'm pleased that the song has a resonance that is not about partying and screwing. It's a sad and reflective song that reminds people that it's not all candy out there, but that they're not alone."
— Dave Pirner talking about the song.
Pirner suffered from a nervous breakdown after he thought he was losing his hearing. He started playing an acoustic guitar, and one of the songs that came out of this was "Runaway Train". Pirner had been fascinated by trains since he was a kid, having watched a "Casey Jones" TV show (likely the local "Lunch with Casey" program that aired in the Twin Cities from 1954-1973). Pirner would use a runaway train as a metaphor for the depression that was spinning out of control.
The first line, "Call you up in the middle of the night" would refer to a friend of Pirner who lived in New York and was kind enough to answer him on the phone, no matter what time it was. After a practice-room tape was presented to various labels in New York, Columbia Records was most interested. The song was then recorded with producer Michael Beinhorn. Pirner told in an interview with The Guardian, "If the vocal on it sounds world-weary, it’s because he made me sing it 100 times." The band's drummer, Grant Young, was replaced during the session by Sterling Campbell. Then keyboards were put on the track in a studio in LA by Booker T from the MGs. "Runaway Train" was released as the third single of the Grave Dancers Union album on June 1, 1993.
MUSIC VIDEO
The accompanying music video for "Runaway Train" was directed by English director of films, music videos, advertisements, and documentaries Tony Kaye and received heavy airplay on MTV and VH1 during its duration.
Several versions of the video were made. The video for the United States version begins with a fade to a black screen with a big, white blocked text reading: "There are over one million youth lost on the streets of America", while the UK version begins with "100,000 youth are lost on the streets of Britain". The next scene shows a drawing of an adolescent girl, and a Dave Pirner voice-over saying that the drawing is by a girl who had run away more than 110 times. The scene was often omitted when the video was shown, a common practice when videos had additional footage before or after the song.
After Pirner spoke, the video continued with various shots of the band playing the song, and Pirner singing. Three concrete scenes are shown interspersed among the other images of the video. During the first verse, a child is shown witnessing his grandfather beating and eventually killing his grandmother, before fleeing in fear. During the second verse, a young teenage girl is pimped as a prostitute, and initially purchased by the aforementioned abuser. Later, she is dragged into a van by a gang; afterwards, she is picked up by paramedics and taken to the hospital. During the coda of the song, a small baby is snatched from his stroller by an older woman, with his mother running after the kidnapper's car.
Throughout the music video, various images of children running, or appearing with injuries from abuse, are shown. During the choruses, pictures of missing children would appear on the screen. After each picture was shown, their full name would appear in large capital letters on the screen, along with the year they had been "missing since...".
After the video, in an ending also not regularly shown, Pirner says in front of the camera, "If you've seen one of these kids, or you are one of them, please call this number," with the following screen showing a number one could contact. MTV cut this part out because they did not want to have the video confused with being a public service announcement. VH1 shows the UK version in its full length.
There were three original versions of the video in the United States, totaling 36 missing children shown. The children shown varied with the location of the broadcast, using missing children from that area.
The video received its world premiere on MTV's late-night alternative rock program 120 Minutes on May 16, 1993.
