"Run for Your Life" is a 1983 single by UK pop group

Bucks Fizz Bucks Fizz were a British pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comp ...

. It was written by Andy Hill and

Ian Bairnson Ian Bairnson (born 3 August 1953 as ''John Bairnson'') is a Scottish musician, best known for being one of the core members of The Alan Parsons Project. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who has played saxophone and keyboards, although he is best ...

and became the group's eighth consecutive top 20 hit in the UK. It featured on the group's third album ''

Hand Cut ''Hand Cut'' is the third studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 1 March 1983 and features the UK top 20 hits, " If You Can't Stand the Heat" and " Run for Your Life". Overview ''Hand Cut'' continued the group' ...

''.

Overview

Song information

"Run for Your Life" was written by the group's regular songwriter Andy Hill and

, who was a prolific session guitarist and had worked with Bucks Fizz many times. It was also produced by Hill. The song's lyrics talk about feelings of

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...

and insecurity. Lead vocals are shared by members

Mike Nolan Michael Tullis Nolan (born March 7, 1959) is a former American football coach. Nolan previously served as a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers, and a defensive coordinator for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, ...

and

Bobby G Bobby G (also known as Bobby Gee) (born Robert Alan Gubby, 23 August 1953) is a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, best known for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and for achieving three UK number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981 ...

in the verses, while the whole group sing the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

and chorus. The song was the opening track on the group's third album, ''

'', which was released the same month. The single was released on 7" vinyl and a special 10" picture disc. The B-side was "Shot Me Through the Heart", which also featured on the ''Hand Cut'' album. Around this time, the group filmed a

BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

special, ''Live at Blazers'', to promote the album and closed with this song. They also embarked on a UK tour, comprising 25 dates during March and April, finishing with two nights at the

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following year ...

in London. In 2008, a new extended version of this song was produced and included on the group's album, ''The Lost Masters 2 - The Final Cut''.

Promotional video

The

promotional video In video production, a promotional video is marketing or advertising: Arts, media and entertainment * Promotional recording, an audio or video recording distributed to publicize a recording * Trailer (promotion), a commercial advertisement for a ...

for the song is set at an old

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

where an old man (presumably the caretaker) appears and then vanishes out of sight. An owl also appears throughout the video. Bucks Fizz arrive in a car (driven by Aston) and then enter the house to find it deserted. On opening a door, they find themselves in a white void, where their clothes change from everyday wear to orange and black leather outfits. During these sequences they perform the song and dance routine to the camera. They later flee the house with the suggestion it is haunted.

Reception

Critical reception for the song was, as always, mixed. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' gave the single a particularly good review, complimenting the production among other things. ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'', however, said that it was not an original sound for the group and seemed to be a copy of earlier hit "

My Camera Never Lies "My Camera Never Lies" is a 1982 single by pop group Bucks Fizz. It became the group's second consecutive (and third overall) UK number-one in April 1982. The song was written by Andy Hill and Nichola Martin, and was featured on Bucks Fizz's sec ...

". The same magazine complimented the group the same month though when reviewing "

I'm Never Giving Up "I'm Never Giving Up", written and composed by Ron Roker, Jan Pulsford, and Phil Wigger, was the 's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, performed by the trio Sweet Dreams. Sweet Dreams won the right to perform at Munich by winning the UK n ...

" by Sweet Dreams by saying "at least Bucks Fizz now make exceedingly good music". ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' criticised the song for being too cluttered. "Run for Your Life" became a hit in the UK, entering the chart on 12 March 1983. It was the highest new entry of the week at No.31. It rose to No.21 the following week, and then to its peak of No.14 on 26 March. The song then dropped down the chart, remaining there for a total of seven weeks. It was the group's eighth consecutive top 20 hit. In Ireland, the song peaked even higher, reaching the top 10 at No.8. No chart positions for other countries are available.

Track listing

7" and 10" Vinyl # "Run for Your Life" (4.12) # "Shot Me Through the Heart" (4.25)

Chart positions

References

{{Bucks Fizz 1983 singles Bucks Fizz songs Songs written by Andy Hill (composer) Songs written by Ian Bairnson 1983 songs RCA Records singles