"Running with the Boys" is a song recorded by Canadian

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

artist

Lights Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision. Light or Lights may also refer to: Illumination * Light bulb * Traffic light Arts and entertainment Music * Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian singer-son ...

for her third studio album, ''

Little Machines ''Little Machines'' is the third studio album by Canadian electropop singer-songwriter Lights, released on September 19, 2014, through Warner Bros. Records. It was preceded in July 2014 by the release of its lead single "Up We Go", which debuted o ...

'' (2014). It was co-written by Lights and the album's producer, Drew Pearson. The song was first released September 9, 2014 as the album's second countdown single through

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

, and was later serviced to Canadian radio on January 26, 2015, as the second official single.

Composition

"Running with the Boys" is a new wave-inspired song with a duration of four minutes and twelve seconds. Its instrumentation features prominent percussion beats, and additionally consists of

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s, and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

. The song's nostalgic lyrics express a feeling of freedom and "being a kid again," according to Lights.

Music video

The video for "Running with the Boys" was directed by Amit Dabrai and was shot in Stouffville, Ontario. It premiered via

MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...

on January 26, 2015, and was added to her

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

account on January 30. Featuring the singer's real-life friends (Ryan Cain, Ashley Poitevin and Raina Douris), the video follows a group of young women through a day of reenacting typical childhood activities.

Chart performance

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from ''Little Machines'' liner notes. *

— vocals, synths, guitar, bass, drum programming, writing * Drew Pearson — additional synths, guitar, bass, drum programming, production, engineering, writing * Maurie Kaufmann — drums *

Spike Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sh ...

— mixing *Pherbie Midgely, Blake Mares — engineering (assistant) *João Carvalho — mastering

Release history

References

{{Lights 2014 songs 2015 singles Lights (musician) songs Warner Records singles Songs written by Drew Pearson (songwriter) Songs written by Lights (musician)