Always on the Run

Album: Mama Said (1991)
Charted: 41
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song features Slash from Guns N' Roses on guitar. Slash and Kravitz went to the same high school (Beverly Hills High School), but knew each other only fleetingly. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Martin - Rostock, Germany
  • Kravitz initially invited Slash to record a solo for "Fields Of Joy," but they decided to also write a song together. Slash already had the music in mind for a Guns N' Roses song, but because Steven Adler couldn't do the drumming, he brought it to Kravitz instead.
  • This featured in the films The Waterboy (1998) and Go (1999).
  • Slash met up with Kravitz for a vodka-fueled songwriting session directly after finishing his European tour. "After the last date, he jumped on the Concorde and flew from London to New York at nine in the morning," Kravitz recalled to Rolling Stone. "He had me get a gallon of vodka and a bag of ice, and we went in the studio and bang, there it was. The two of us wrote and cut the tune. I played drums; he played guitar; then I played my guitar, bass and did the vocals. I brought the horn players in and it was done. Then he got on a plane the next morning and went to LA It was a wild day."
  • The album takes its name from the song's first line: "My mama said that your life is a gift." This track, in particular, was inspired by her wisdom. The singer explained: "The lyrics are about how my mom always wanted to give me her wisdom. She would want me to slow down sometimes to think and take things in. I was just on a crazy ride at the time and couldn't slow down. She was telling me this stuff at the time... 'but I'm always on the run."

Comments: 3

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 17th 1993, Lenny Kravitz performed "Always On The Run" on the NBC-TV program 'Saturday Night Live'...
    One year earlier it reached #8 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart...
    The video of the song was directed by singer Bob Dylan's eldest son, Jesse.
  • Michael from Staten Island, NyWow, only one comment on this song and three facts? This song deservs way better. Any song with either Slash or Lenny Kravitz is destined for greatness. Put these two together, and wow. Aerosmith's manager stated that is he were to pick a replacement for Stephen Tyler (as he;s definetly out of the band), he would pick Lenny Kravitz.
  • Jim from Long Beach, CaGreat riff, You gotta love Slash on this.Lenny Kravitz should front Velvet Revolver, now that would be interesting..
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces