Songfacts®:

• Guitarist Ben Bruce explained to Billboard magazine the song is, "more uplifting than their previous material," adding that it is targeted towards fans who are, "upset with their lives or are being bullied at school or going through the general hardships of growing up."
  "We figure we kind of have a responsibility to these kids," he continued. "They look up to us, so we tried to use our voice for a good reason in this song, kind of saying, 'We're here for you, there's a light at the end of the tunnel,' that kind of thing. It's a more positive approach to songwriting than we've done before."
• Singer Danny Worsnop told Artist Direct how this song, along with the rest of the band's third album, reflects his own more positive mindset: "It's got an uplifting feel, and it essentially says, 'Don't be what you're told to be. Follow your own path. Be your own person. Don't get held down by everyone else.' he said. "I feel like I've done in the album in a way that captures my feelings and what I was going through at the point of writing it. This album is much more positive because I'm in a better place. I'm stronger as a person, and I know what I want out of life so the album reflects that."
• Asking Alexandria first released "Run Free" to promote their headlining spot on the 2012 Monster Energy Outbreak Tour.
• Speaking to Artist Direct, Ben Bruce explained that he always writes "songs with the drum beat first," and he had this tune's open drumbeat in his head "because it's so driving." He continued: "I wanted to go straight into it. I based the guitar around that drumbeat oddly enough rather than the drumbeat around the guitar riff. I'm the primary songwriter in Asking Alexandria, and I start with the drumbeats first. I find it easier. If you have a specific drumbeat, you can play any number of riffs over it that will fit. In that way, I have options in which direction I want to take the song and what kind of riff I want to play as a lead, lick, or chords. It keeps my mind open to different things throughout the writing process."
• Asking Alexandria recorded a live video for the song, which was filmed at the band's January 19, 2013 show at Brixton O2 Academy in London, England.