"We'll Run Away" is a song by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

from their 1964 album '' All Summer Long''. Written by

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

and

Gary Usher Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 – May 25, 1990) was an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer, who worked with numerous California acts in the 1960s, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Dick Dale. Usher also produced fic ...

, the song is a

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

in 12/8 time. The lyrics are about a young couple wishing to

elope Elopement is a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, sometimes involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting married without parental approval. A ...

, and their respective parents are warning them against such an impulse.

Recording

The song was recorded on April 29 and May 18, 1964 at

United Western Recorders United Western Recorders was a two-building recording studio complex in Hollywood that was one of the most successful independent recording studios of the 1960s. The complex merged neighboring studios United Recording Corp. on 6050 Sunset Boule ...

. Historian Andrew Doe notes that the April 29 date may have been erroneously labelled.

Critical reception

Music journalist

Nick Kent Nick Kent (born 24 December 1951) is a British rock critic and musician, best known for his writing for the ''NME'' in the 1970s, and his books ''The Dark Stuff'' (1994) and ''Apathy for the Devil'' (2010). Early life Kent, the son of a forme ...

wrote that, with "We'll Run Away", Wilson and Usher "zeroed in" on a certain type of teen angst that would culminate more fully in Wilson's "

Wouldn't It Be Nice "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys and the opening track from their 1966 album '' Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson, Tony Asher, and Mike Love, it is distinguished for its sophisticated Wall of Soun ...

". Jonny Abrams of ''Rocksucker'' wrote: "'We'll Run Away' is such a languid, pretty little thing that it’s easy to overlook but repeated listens reveal it to be the kind of innocently romantic pop marvel that so frequently punctuated The Beach Boys’ early output."

References

1964 songs The Beach Boys songs Songs written by Brian Wilson Songs written by Gary Usher Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson Songs about marriage Doo-wop songs {{1960s-rock-song-stub