Run To The Water
by Live

Album: The Distance To Here (1999)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Live singer Ed Kowalczyk explained the meaning behind this spiritual rock ballad in a 2004 interview: "We are one in consciousness. In reality we are one, beyond difference, beyond the ego, beyond the separative impulse that we have with one another. We are one consciousness. And 'Run To The Water' is just run to that oneness, run to that water, and be cleansed in that, and be free."
  • Kowalczyk explained how he connects with water, which is often used as a metaphor in Live songs, saying, "I've always related to water as the way consciousness feels in meditation, that when you're in deep meditation and deep feeling that it feels like you are in an infinite ocean of feeling and bliss, and that feels like water. It feels like being submerged. Water has always been even traditionally used as a metaphor for spirit."
  • This wasn't officially released as a single in the US, but it did reach #17 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #14 on the Alternative Airplay chart.
  • In the late '90s, bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit were serving up hyper-aggressive rock hits, so a comparatively mild track like this one was an anomaly. "And everybody was like, 'Oh my God, what are we going to do with 'Run To The Water,'" Kowalczyk recalled. "And I thought, I don't give a s--t what you do with it, commercially. This is it."
  • Martin Weisz, who directed the water-centric clip for "The Dolphin's Cry," also helmed this video, which finds Kowalczyk singing in a grimy bathroom while a riot erupts in the streets outside. The rain is a temporary panacea for the violence until a bomb explodes and engulfs the band in flames. The singer wakes from the nightmare and, relieved, washes his face in the sink.

    Kowalczyk described the video as having a "Bladerunner, end of the world, apocalyptic, kind of feel, which for the time we were making it really felt like the world that we were living in. Sort of an impending kind of disaster, which really did come pretty radically a few years later."
  • The video heavily employed special effects, which meant the band had to film in front of a green screen, which made Kowalczyk a bit nervous. "You have no idea what it's going to be like, if it's going to be super cheese ball or if it's going to be really cool. You're just flipping a coin with lots and lots of somebody's money. Probably your own."
  • The Distance To Here, the band's fifth studio album, peaked at #4 in the US, where it sold 1 million copies.

Comments: 2

  • Oneness from EarthThis song is reaching out to everyone it is Eternal
  • Luna Loud from Royal Woods, MichiganBeautiful song man! Gets me every time. I like how the song changes key for the last chorus, and goes up a whole step.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music Scene

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"They're Playing My Song

As a songwriter and producer, Narada had hits with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Starship. But what song does he feel had the greatest impact on his career?

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

P.F. Sloan

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.