''Runaway Horses'' is the third solo studio album by American singer

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in ...

, released on October 3, 1989, by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

. The album features songs written by

Rick Nowels Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists Charlotte Caffey Charlotte Irene Caffey (born October 21, 1953) is an American guitarist, best known for her work in the rock band the Go-Go's in the 1980s, including writing "We Got the Beat". Career Caffey began her musical career playing bass guitar in the ...

and a song co-written by Carlisle herself. The album contains an array of guest artists, including

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

and

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

. The album peaked at number 37 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, a considerable fall in sales from Carlisle's 1987 album, '' Heaven on Earth'', but reached number four in the United Kingdom, where it was certified Platinum.

Reception and chart performance

In positive review of November 11, 1989, Rob Garner of ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' called this record "a very well packaged group effort." He resumed: "Any one of these chorus-with-a-hook tracks could find play."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

retrospectively reviewed the album as being not as strong as '' Heaven on Earth'' but still generally likeable and appealing. The album made its debut on the ''Billboard'' 200 on October 21, 1989, and after seven weeks of slowly moving up the charts reached its peak position of number 37, a lower position than her previous two albums. The album spent a total of 25 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. ''Runaway Horses'' was Carlisle's last album to chart in the United States. The album debuted on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

on November 4, 1989, at number four, which was the album's peak position, matching that of her previous album. The album moved down and back up the chart over the next 18 months and re-entered the top 10 in 1991. Five singles from the album entered the UK Top 40, two of which reached Top 10. The album spent a total of 39 weeks in the UK Top 100 and was certified Platinum by the BPI. Carlisle was presented with her Platinum disc live on the Saturday morning children's television show ''

Going Live! ''Going Live!'' was a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 26 September 1987 to 17 April 1993. It was presented by Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene. Other presenters included Trevor and Simon, Annabel Giles, Phillip ...

'' on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

. The album was also a success in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

; it peaked at number six and was certified double Platinum becoming the 24th best-selling album of 1990. Six singles were released from ''Runaway Horses'', and were successful in most markets; the album giving Carlisle four more international top ten hits. " Leave a Light On" was the first song released from the album and became a top ten hit around the world including the UK, where it hit number four (and was certified Silver), Australia, where it hit number five, and Canada, where it hit number six. The song narrowly missed the top ten in the United States peaking at number 11. " La Luna" was the second song released from the album and became a top 40 hit in Australia and the UK, also becoming her third top ten in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. " Summer Rain" was the third song released and became a top ten hit in Australia and a top 30 hit in the US (where it was released as the second single) and the UK (where it was released as the sixth single in December 1990). "

Runaway Horses is a 1969 novel by Yukio Mishima, the second in his ''Sea of Fertility'' tetralogy. Mishima did much research to prepare for this novel, visiting locations recorded in the book and studying historical information about the Shinpūren Rebellio ...

" (the title track) was the fourth single released, but was not as successful as the previous singles, only managing to reach number 40 in the UK. "

Vision of You "Vision of You" is a song by American singer Belinda Carlisle, released as the fifth single from her third solo album, ''Runaway Horses'' (1989). The song was released on May 14, 1990, in the United Kingdom and reached number 41. A year later, it ...

" was the fifth song released and became the lowest-charting single on the album only peaking at number 41 in the UK, and a re-release in 1991 reached 71. The sixth and final song released from the album was " (We Want) The Same Thing", becoming Carlisle's fifth top ten single in the UK. For its single release, " (We Want) The Same Thing" was totally remixed from a heavily accented punk rock staccato mix to a pop song. ''Runaway Horses'' was re-released on August 26, 2013, in a 2CD+DVD casebook edition from Edsel Recording (EDSG 8026) featuring the original album remastered, the single versions, remixes and B-sides. The DVD features the videos from the album and an exclusive interview with Carlisle discussing the album. ''Runaway Horses 30th Anniversary Edition'' was released in 2019 to coincide with her ''Runaway Horses 30th Anniversary Tour''. This version features the 27 tracks from the 2013 re-release without the DVD, plus three new cover recordings:

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

's "

If You Could Read My Mind "If You Could Read My Mind" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Lightfoot wrote the lyrics while he was reflecting on his own divorce. It reached 1 on the Canadian Singles Chart on commercial release in 1970 and charted in ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

's " I Need You to Turn To" and

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

's "

Both Sides Now "Both Sides, Now" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. First recorded by Judy Collins, it appeared on the US singles chart during the fall of 1968. The next year it was included on Mitchell's album '' Clouds'', and became one ...

". The digital download features all 30 tracks and the Deluxe Edition is a 4LP+CD Box Set.

Track listing

Personnel

* Belinda Carlisle – lead vocals * Charles Judge – keyboards (1-7, 10), acoustic piano (2, 7, 9) *

Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely Da ...

–

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

(5) * Sandy Stewart – acoustic piano (8) * David Munday – keyboards (8), guitars (8), bass (8), drum programming (8) *

–

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

solo (1), 12-string guitar (7), 6-string bass (7) * X.Y. Jones – guitars (1, 4, 6-10), electric guitar (2) *

Steve Lukather Steven Lee Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a stea ...

– guitars (6) * John Pierce – bass (1-4, 6, 7, 9) * Eric Pressly – bass (10) * Rudy Richman – drums (1, 3) *

Luis Conte Luis Conte (born 16 November 1954) is a Cuban percussionist best-known for his performances in the bands of artists including James Taylor, Madonna, Pat Metheny Group, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart and Shakira. He began ...

– Native American drums (2), percussion (2, 10),

bongos Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...

(3), shaker (3) * Jorge Black – percussion (2),

tom-tom A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go as l ...

(2), bass (5) *

Kenny Aronoff Kenny Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American session drummer. Early life Aronoff grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts He developed an interest in music at an early age and gravitated to the drums as "drumming was one hundred percent ene ...

– drums (6, 7, 9) *

Paul Buckmaster Paul John Buckmaster (13 June 1946 – 7 November 2017) was a Grammy Award-winning British cellist, arranger, conductor and composer, with a career spanning five decades. He is best known for his orchestral collaborations with David Bowie, Sha ...

– string arrangements and conductor (4) *

Sid Page Sid Page is an American violinist who has been active in many genres of music since the late 1960s. He has been a member of Dan Hicks (singer), Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. From 1973 to 1974, he was a member of Sly and the Family Stone and appea ...

– violin (5) *

Bekka Bramlett Rebekka Ruth Lazone Bramlett (born April 19, 1968) is an American singer and session background singer. She is the daughter of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, of the music duo Delaney & Bonnie. She has been a member of Mick Fleetwood's band the Z ...

– backing vocals (1-9) *

Donna De Lory Donna De Lory is an American singer, dancer and songwriter. Part of a musical family, De Lory has been performing since a young age. Her voice can be heard on albums by Carly Simon, Ray Parker Jr., Kim Carnes, Santana, Martika, Laura Branigan, Be ...

– backing vocals (1-5, 7, 8, 9) *

Ellen Shipley Ellen Shipley (born March 24, 1949 in New York City, New York, United States) is an American musician and songwriter. Career At sixteen years old, Shipley got a NYC Cabaret license. She performed a duo act in Greenwich Village in the early 70's ...

– backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9) *

Maria Vidal Maria Elena Vidal (born August 1, 1960) is an American singer songwriter. She is known for her hit single "Body Rock", which reached No. 8 on the US Dance Charts, No. 48 on the Hot 100, No. 5 on the Springbok Charts in South Africa, and No. 11 i ...

– backing vocals (1-9) *

N'Dea Davenport N'Dea Davenport (born September 22, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and producer. She was the lead vocalist in the UK acid jazz band the Brand New Heavies and made pioneering contributions to the genre of acid jazz. Career He ...

– backing vocals (3) * Carmen Twillie – backing vocals (6) * Mona Lisa Young – backing vocals (6) * Laura Harding – backing vocals (8) *

– backing vocals (9)

Production

* Rick Nowels – producer * Laura Harding – production coordination * Timothy McDaniel – production coordination * Robert Feist – engineer * David Leonard – engineer * Steve MacMillan – engineer, mixing * Steve Marcantonio – engineer *

Dave Meegan Dave Meegan is a record producer. He trained under Trevor Horn and is best known for his work with Marillion. Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery has said he admires Meegan's work so much he considers him to be "a sixth member of the band". He also ...

– engineer * Lawrence Ethan – assistant engineer * Lori Fumar – assistant engineer * Scott Symington – assistant engineer * Mike Tacci – assistant engineer * Randy Wine – assistant engineer * Marc DeSisto – mixing *

Shelly Yakus Sheldon Gershon "Shelly" Yakus (born November 1945) is an American music engineer and mixer. Formerly chief engineer and vice president of A&M Records, he was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Yakus is referenced ...

– mixing *

Stephen Marcussen Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California, United States. He has been mastering music since 1979. Biography Marcussen's introduction to music recording happened in 1976 when, at ...

– mastering at Precision Lacquer (Hollywood, CA). * Norman Moore – art direction, design *

Herb Ritts Herbert Ritts Jr. (August 13, 1952December 26, 2002) was an American fashion photographer and director known for his photographs of celebrities, models, and other cultural figures throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His work concentrated on black a ...

– photography * Jeannine Braden – personal assistant

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Runaway Horses (Album) 1989 albums Albums produced by Rick Nowels Belinda Carlisle albums MCA Records albums Virgin Records albums