Runaway

Album: All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend (2016)
Charted: 25 101
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • If what she says about this song is true, Aurora Aksnes must be the nearest thing Norway has produced to Mozart, because according to her December 2015 interview with Jacqui Swift of the Sun, she wrote it when she was 11 or 12, quite a feat. How many kids are even fluent in a foreign language at that age? In an interview earlier in the year with Andrew Hannah, she said it was about an escape and "realizing you want to get home again." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England
  • Aurora told The 405: "It's strange how this song fits my life better now that I could ever imagine when I wrote the song itself. It's about how important it is to have a soft place to fall."
  • Aurora sings here about how she yearns to be back home and safe. She told The Independent that she wrote the song after she "wandered off for a while."

    "For me now, that song is about my actual home where my parents are," the Norwegian singer added. "When I was 17, I remember being quite scared [when she was away and touring] because it seemed so far away and I thought, 'will my family die?'"
  • Aurora recalled to NME the day of filming the video as being "extremely cold." The Norwegian singer didn't have much clothing and had to stand in the middle of the snow for a good number of hours. Not surprisingly, she was sick for a long time afterwards.

    Aurora added: "I was really angry because they were insisting for me to put on lipstick for one of the scenes. I remember it felt really strange and the hair stuck to my lips. It really cold and annoying, but also nice because I did forget where I was."
  • Billie Eilish hailed this song as a major inspiration for her getting into music. "When I was 12, I saw Aurora's 'Runaway' music video," she told Vanity Fair. "Something inside me clicked, like, that is what I want to do, no matter whether it goes anywhere or not."
  • Six years after its release, the song charted for the first time when a live version went viral on TikTok.

Comments: 7

  • Kcd123Love It So Muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
  • Anonymoushow old is she
  • ShadokieIt's "Would I run off the WORLD someday?" not wall
  • Ct4 from Adrainamazingly she wrote this when she was 11!
  • Kevin from New Yorkthe music video is so amazing and well planned
  • Maggie from Philadelphia,pa People were saying that when she said take me home, she meant heaven. Is this true?
  • Ch-jani from Japanamazing
    just amazing
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.