Kanye West feat. Pusha T | Runaway (2010)
"Runaway" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released as the second single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).
2010-10-04 19:00:00 - Kanye West
It features Pusha T, who is signed to West's label GOOD Music. The production was handled by West, alongside co-producers Emile, Jeff Bhasker, and Mike Dean. The composition features repetitive piano riffs, intricate samples and a production style with several similarities to West's album 808s & Heartbreak (2008).
Described as a deeply personal song in nature, it expresses West's thoughts on his failed relationships, and his acceptance of the media's perception of him. Lyrically, the song explores criticism aimed at West in the past and serves as a "toast to the douchebags."
Before the song's premiere at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, it generated substantial public interest due to what had happened the year prior at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. West's performance at its premiere received positive reviews, with the full song being released online on October 4, 2010.
The song itself received universal acclaim from music critics and was listed amongst the best songs of the year by several publications, including MTV, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Complex, New York Post, amongst others. Critics praised the song for its sincere subject matter, the openness of the song and the soulful, clean production.
The song quickly became one of the best reviewed singles released by West, with several critics noting that the track solidified West's commercial comeback with the public. The song has since appeared on multiple decade-end and all-time lists as one of the greatest songs of all time, including at number 25 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2021.
The song debuted and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 12 and is the centerpiece of Runaway, a 35-minute short film featuring the majority of songs from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
The song's nearly ten-minute music video features ballet dancers performing elaborate choreography. The music video received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised the scope of the video, the degree of creativity and the production design.