Running Red Lights by The Avalanches (featuring Rivers Cuomo)

Album: We Will Always Love You (2020)

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The Avalanches teamed up with Rivers Cuomo for this bittersweet slice of cosmic pop. Over the Australian duo's dreamy soundscape, a melancholic Cuomo sings of being uncertain about the future of a relationship. "Something's gone horribly wrong," the Weezer frontman croons, as he speeds through the "red lights" to get to his woman.
The Avalanches' Tony Di Blasi explained to Apple Music that Cuomo's assistant sent them a spreadsheet with three different lyrical ideas. They asked to hear the melodies that go along with them, so he sang all three melodies and told them, "Let us know which ones you want." The Avalanches replied they wanted to see all three.
The Avalanches released "Running Red Lights" as the second single from We Will Always Love You. Robbie Chater from the duo explained it didn't start out as a "defining moment; 'a single' as it were." He added: "Rivers responded to our fuzzed-out Spacemen 3 inspired jam with such open heartedness, that we soon dropped all pretence and got down to the heart of the matter... loss. We love that wide eyed, elated, almost evangelical Los Angeles sense of possibility that he tapped into."
The track also features American rapper Pink Siifu on the bridge. He recites words by the late Silver Jews frontman David Berman, taken from the Purple Mountains song "Darkness and Cold." The Avalanches previously linked up with Berman for their 2016 Wildflower track, "Saturday Night Inside Out."
Robbie Chater told Uncut magazine about David Berman's contribution to the track. "He and I wrote a lot doing their making of the Wildflower song 'Saturday Night Inside Out,'" he said. "During part of that time I was lost in addiction and he was there for me with humor and love and support. When we started making this record he and I emailed a lot. We were exploring this theme of light. Lyrics he wrote for the beautiful Purple Mountain's record fitted that theme, so he gave us permission to use them. He did get to hear the result before he passed."
Greg Brunkalla filmed the video, which is dedicated to the memory of David Berman. The clip features Erik Cavanaugh, a dancer who competed in the 2016 season of America's Got Talent, and an appearance by LA icon Angelyne. Brunkella previously directed the clip for The Avalanches' "Because I'm Me."

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