"Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)", also known more commonly as "Run", is a song written and recorded by

Gnarls Barkley Gnarls Barkley are an American soul duo, composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, ''St. Elsewhere'', in 2006. It contained their hit single "Crazy", which peaked at number two ...

. It is the first single to be released from the band's second album ''

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...

''. Released in February 2008 as a digital download in the UK and the US via the

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, a physical release of the single followed in the UK on March 31. The song features a sample from

Keith Mansfield Keith Mansfield (born 1941 in London, England) is a British composer and arranger known for his creation of prominent television theme tunes, including the '' Grandstand'' theme for the BBC. Career Other works include "The Young Scene" (the ...

's "Junior Jet Set" from the KPM LP ''Flamboyant Themes'' and "Starting Out the Day" by

Strawberry Alarm Clock Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band formed in 1967 with origins in Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 20 ...

. The song is featured in the film '' X-Men: First Class'', as a playable song in the video game ''

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'', and is heard in promos for

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's '' Cars 2'' and the eight series of

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's '' Raven''. This song was number 34 on ''

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''s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.

Track listing

;German CD single # "Run" (album version) – 2:40 # " Who's Gonna Save My Soul" (instrumental) – 3:14 ;UK 7" vinyl picture disc # "Run" (album version) – 2:40 # "Run" (instrumental) – 2:50 # "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" (instrumental) – 3:14

Music video

The video premiered on MTV Overdrive on February 29, 2008. The video features Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse performing on a TV show called "City Vibin'", reminiscent of ''

Graffiti Rock ''Graffiti Rock'' was a hip-hop based television program, originally aired on June 28, 1984. Intended as an ongoing series, the show only received one pilot episode and aired on WPIX channel 11 in New York City and 88 markets around the country, ...

''.

Cee-Lo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway - Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. He is known for his work in hip hop and R&B, including the Gnarls ...

sings the song behind a microphone stand, while Danger Mouse plays the song's music on a

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. Justin Timberlake appears in a cameo as the host of the show. The video features dizzying special effects such as hypnotic spirals, and as a result was banned from airplay in the

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after failing the Harding test (a test designed to protect sufferers of

photosensitive epilepsy Photosensitive epilepsy (PSE) is a form of epilepsy in which seizures are triggered by visual stimuli that form patterns in time or space, such as flashing lights; bold, regular patterns; or regular moving patterns. PSE affects approximately o ...

). The hypnotic spirals were later toned down upon request and the video premiered on ''

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'' March 6, 2008. The video won for Best Choreography as well as Best Art Direction in a Video at the

2008 MTV Video Music Awards The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008, live from Paramount Pictures Studios (which, like MTV, is owned by Viacom), honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories wer ...

. The music video was directed by Happy.

Chart performance

"Run" entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number 63 based on first-week sales of the digital single but the following week, it fell to number 86 and then again to number 95 but the following week it jumped back up to number 69The Official UK Charts Company : TOP 100 SINGLES CHART
/ref> and then jumped to a new peak of number 51 a week later. It officially debuted on the UK Top 40 at number 32 on downloads alone and stayed there the following week with physical sales added.

Charts

References

External links

*
Review of "Run"
on Unreality Music {{DEFAULTSORT:Run (I'm A Natural Disaster) 2008 singles Gnarls Barkley songs Song recordings produced by Danger Mouse (musician) Songs written by CeeLo Green Songs written by Danger Mouse (musician) Warner Music Group singles 2008 songs