"Run" is a song written by Anthony Smith and Tony Lane, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...

. It was released in September 2001 as the lead single from Strait's album '' The Road Less Traveled''. A live version featuring

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...

was included on '' The Cowboy Rides Away: Live from AT&T Stadium'', which was released in 2014. Lambert and Strait later performed the song at the

54th Academy of Country Music Awards The 54th Academy of Country Music Awards was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 7, 2019. Nominations were announced on February 20, 2019 by Reba McEntire during CBS This Morning, with Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay ...

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor in his review of the single for ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

'' called the song's production "intriguing" and that Strait's "warm vocals weave through a haunting melody." He said that there is a progressive feel to the track but the mandolin and steel guitar keep it traditional.

Commercial performance

"Run" debuted at number 36 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the chart week of October 13, 2001. The song reached number 2 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

charts in December 2001, where it was blocked by

Toby Keith Toby Keith Covel (July 8, 1961 – February 5, 2024) was an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman. Keith released his chart-topping debut single, "Should've Been a Cowboy", in 1993. During the 1990s ...

's " I Wanna Talk About Me". It then reached number 2 again in early January 2002, where it was blocked by

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

's " Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)", and again in early February of the same year, being blocked by

Steve Holy Stephen Kyle Holy (born February 23, 1972) is an American country music singer. Signed to Curb Records since 1999, he has released three studio albums: 2000's ''Blue Moon'', 2006's '' Brand New Girlfriend'', and 2011's '' Love Don't Run''. Fifteen ...

's " Good Morning Beautiful". It also peaked at number 34 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it a minor crossover hit. The song has sold 390,000 copies in the United States as of April 2019. The song's

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, "The Real Thing", was later the b-side to the album's next single, " Living and Living Well". Although not released as a single itself, "The Real Thing" charted at number 60 for the country chart dated March 22, 2003.

Charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

2001 singles 2001 songs George Strait songs Songs written by Tony Lane (songwriter) Songs written by Anthony Smith (singer) Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer) MCA Nashville Records singles {{2000s-country-song-stub