11 Songs That RUN Hella Fast | Playlist

11 Songs That RUN Hella Fast features music courtesy of Lil Yachty, Maisie Peters, Sufjan Stevens, The Temptations, and Whitney Houston. 

Where are my RUNNERS at??? Personally, running is NOT my thing , but I admire those who are passionate and excellent at it . The good news about the musical compendium, 11 Songs That RUN Hella Fast is that you DON’T have to be able to run to experience this race! All you need is your listening ears… and a pair of headphones or some sick speakers .  It’s not the first time that the RUN has been the focal point of a playlist – see 15 Songs That’ll Make You Wanna Run (2018) and Songs That’ll Make You Wanna Run II (2020) – but, it’s been a while (3 years)! 11 Songs That RUN Hella Fast features music courtesy of Lil Yachty, Maisie Peters, Sufjan Stevens, The Temptations, and Whitney Houston among others. So, without further ado, let’s get up and running on 11 Songs That RUN Hella Fast!!! 

1. Sufjan Stevens, “A Running Start” 

Javelin • Asthmatic Kitty • 2023

“I know the time has come to ask you for a kiss / Don’t go, my lovely pantomime, receive of me my only wish.” “A Running Start” continues the masterful start of Javelin, the 10th studio album by Academy and Grammy award-nominated singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens with its thoughtful, poetic lyricism.  Sufjan describes love beautifully.  “I align myself with Pisces in a funny way,” he sings in the second verse, continuing, “Can you, my lover, kiss my bracelet, and my should blades? / We’ve always had a running start.” The acoustic vibes supporting the songwriting are marvelous.  The folk and chamber pop sensibilities, something that Stevens has been renowned for, are alive and well.  The vocals are hushed – in an undertone.  Even so, beyond his lead, the additional vocals, performed by Nedelle Torrisi, provide a welcome lift ️.

2. Coi Leray, “Run It Up”  

COI • Uptown / Republic • 2023

“Run it up, run it up, run it up, run it up, run it up, run it up, ooh.” Yeah, it should come as no shocker what the name of this Coi Leray single is.  If you guessed “Run It Up”, well, you’d be batting a thousand! Leray has mustered up some bops in her career, and “Run It Up” marks another enjoyable, noteworthy moment.  It appears on her 2023 album, COI. The track commences with an enigmatic, nebulous instrumental intro.  This sound (production by Johnny Goldstein) establishes quite an aesthetic. The backdrop is set in a minor key, which contributes an edgier vibe. “Run It Up” gets more clarity once Leray enters the mix, performing the running chorus.  Besides repeating the titular lyric, a million times, she also asserts, “I’m an angel in the day and a demon in the night,” later adding that she “Drop the top in the winter cause my heart cold as ice.” WOO! She shifts between melodic rap and singing throughout, delivering some ear-catching lyrics along the way. For one, in the first verse, per Coi, “We fuck but we don’t make love.” Hmm , K… Notably, in the pre-chorus, there’s a sick one-liner: “He wanna eat the groceries, I wanna fuck his homies.” Welp, there ya go.  Besides biting, explicit lyrics, the beat that anchors “Run It Up” is tight, particularly following the initial chorus.  Also, credit Goldstein for those colorful, detuned synths that enter the mix. “Run It Up” is cuuute. 

3. Rod Wave, “Street Runner”  

SoulFly • Alamo • 2021

Floridian rapper/singer Rod Wave dropped a hot single in “Street Runner”, in advance of his 2021 album, SoulFly. The four-minute-plush number is fueled by a Ruth B sample, “Mixed Signals”, which dominates an extended intro. It takes nearly a minute for “Street Runner” to settle in, beginning with the hard beat and piano driven backdrop ( TnTXD, London Blue, and Karltin Bankz) following the sample.  As for Wave, he doesn’t join the mix until after the one-minute mark.  As always, Wave sings well, landing somewhere between R&B and melodic rap.  Interestingly, there’s only one verse, amazing considering the length of the track.  Even so, Wave makes it worth it, referencing love – missing that special somebody.  Her feelings are all over the place, but according to Rod, totally understandable: “She tell me fuck you, I hate you, then I love you, can’t blame you.” Of course, the centerpiece, the chorus focuses on fulfilling his ambitions.    

“Street runner, gotta stop running sometimes  

I’m in your city tonight  

And these lights, make me feel so inspired  

Going higher and higher and higher  

Taking me higher  

Higher and higher and higher.” 

Following the chorus, we get an outro that once more, relies heavily on Ruth B. All in all, he delivers on “Street Runner.”    

Appears in :  

• ‘S’ Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 (2021) 

4. Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”  

Hounds of Love • Noble & Brite Ltd • 1985  

“Do you wanna know, know that it doesn’t hurt me? / Do you wanna hear about the deal I’m making?” “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” marks the biggest hit from Kate Bush. It experienced moderate success in the mid-1980s but  received greater success in 2022 thanks to being featured in the fourth season the Netflix series, Stranger Things.  In the U.S., “Running Up That Hill” eventually reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100. The opener from her 1985 LP, Hounds of Love, is idiomatic of the 80s to the core. Nostalgic synths and pads stand out, as does the drum groove.  Those drums pummel consistently, creating an intense soundtrack that matches the lyrics and overall aesthetic. Bush serves up a compelling vocal, exhibiting poise at times, but also digging in when things grow more intense. As the record progresses, we get additional rhythm (via rhythmic guitar ), additional boxy drums, and additional bite from Bush.  And what about this deal she references in the first verse? The chorus shed some light:     

“And if I only could  

I’d make a deal with God  

And I’d get him to swap our places  

Be runnin’ up that road  

Be runnin’ up that hill  

Be runnin’ up that buildin’  

Say, If I only could, oh.”

Woo! I don’t think such deals go down but give Bush credit for trying.  The lyrics are incredibly captivating, including the likes of “Unaware, I’m tearin’ you asunder / Oh, there is thunder in our hearts.” Like, BOOM ! “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” is a prime example of a record being “old, but still lit !” 

Appears in :   

• Kate Bush, Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God): Throwback Vibez No. 82 (2022)  
• 13 Songs Filled with GOD (2022)  
• 15 Songs Where There are Hills to Climb (2022) 
• 11 Songs U Need 2 Listen UP 2 (2022)  

5. OneRepublic, “RUNAWAY” 

“RUNAWAY” • Mosely Music / Interscope • 2023

“Can we just let go and run away? / Right now, let’s just run away.” OneRepublic dropped a short but sweet bop in 2023 that you can’t run away from. “RUNAWAY” features exuberant production courtesy of Brent Kutzle, John Nathaniel, and Benjamin Samama. The production is characterized by an electrifying groove and fabulous synths. Matching the backdrop are the energetic, exuberant vocals of OneRepublic front man, Ryan Tedder .  Tedder delivers quick, rhythmic but tuneful melodic lines in the verses (“There’s something I gotta say to ya / I’m on that new energy (Oh, yeah) /Not on that easy as it goes, wait for miracles /No what will be will be”). Helping his vocals to pop is superb vocal production, something that is on display with Tedder’s opening vocals. The chorus is a surefire vibe – catchy and pleasant as albeit.

“Can we just let go and run away? 

Right now, let’s just run away 

All that talk is killin’ me 

One last shot, hold onto me, oh 

Babe, I think we should run away (Run away) 

I’m my own worst enemy (Enemy) 

Blue sky’s only miles away (Miles away) 

One last shot, hold onto me, oh.” 

Although “RUNAWAY” is brief, but it’s incredibly entertaining and potent, nonetheless.   

6. Paramore, “Running Out Of Time”  

This Is Why • Atlantic • 2023

“Thought I’d send a card with my condolences, but, damn, I / Just ran out of time.” Time is a serious issue for Hayley Williams and Paramore on “Running Out Of Time” – an understatement. On the third track from the band’s 2023 album, This Is Why, Williams is honest regarding her ineptitude regarding time management in the verses, listing her many time-driven shortcomings. In the pre-chorus, she delivers some of the most memorable lyrics, asserting, “Intentions only get you so far / What if I’m a selfish prick? / No regard, ah!” The catchiest and most energetic section is undoubtedly the chorus, which emphasizes the titular lyric.  The music is at its funkiest during the centerpiece .  

7. Lil Yachty, “running out of time”  

Let’s Start Here. • Quality Control Music / Motown • 2023 

“Watch it, girl, don’t ever tell me lies / I said, ‘Watch it,’ baby, you and I been runnin’ out of time.” Ooh wee, Lil Yachty! Following some sus musical choices in his career (namely the horrid Teenage Emotions ), the rapper earned much more respect on his alternative project, Let’s Start Here. Yachty shines on the four-and-a-half minute gem, “running out of time,” which arrives as the third track. “Running out of time” features superb production work by Yachty, Justin Raisen, Magdalena Bay, Patrick Wimberly, and SADPONY. That production encompasses soulful music cues, with tape effects and detuned ideas. The record is groovy to the nth degree. With this distinct sound behind him,  Lil Yachty delivers a strong performance singing.  You knew this was possible given his melodic raps over the years. The chorus is the centerpiece – the crème de la crème:  

“Run out, runnin’ out of time 

Run out, runnin’ out of time with me.” 

Another selling point is the blend between Yachty and Justine Skye; it’s very musical. What drives this running song? Why, matters of the heart ️, of course!

8. Whitney Houston, “Run To You” 

The Bodyguard • Arista • 1992 

“I know that when you look at me / There’s so much that you just don’t see.” True, you truly cannot judge a book by its cover.  There are so many things that are invisible to the eyes.  The late, great Grammy-winning icon Whitney Houston adds in the in the first verse of  The Bodyguard standout, “Run To You”, “Can’t you see the hurt in me? / I feel so all alone.” Ah, those layers that aren’t seen. So, what’s the answer? How is this quandary solved? Well, in the chorus, the crème de la crème of this gorgeous, underrated ballad penned by Jud Friedman and Allan Rich, Houston asserts, expressively:  

“I wanna run to you 

I wanna run to you 

Won’t you hold me in your arms  

And keep me safe from harm? 

I wanna run to you 

But if I come to you 

Tell me, will you stay 

Or will you run away?” 

Love, love, love! “Run To You,” the fourth single from The Bodyguard soundtrack is a love song.

Sadly, “Run To You” was not one of Houston’s biggest hits .  It did reach the top-40, though merely peaked at no. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Even so, in 2019, the RIAA certified the single gold – not too shabby!  As always, Whitney’s voice is utterly sublime – expressive, nuanced, refined, sophisticated, and most of all, celestial. Backed by production courtesy of David Foster, she is on autopilot. “I need you here / I need you here to wipe away my tears / To kiss away my fears.” Sigh. An artist the caliber of Whitney Houston is only once in a lifetime. Even on a lesser gem like “Run To You”, she shows why she’s considered a musical icon.  

Appears in :  

• Whitney Houston, Run To You: Throwback Vibez No. 161 (2023) 

9. Tokio Hotel, “Run, Run, Run”  

Kings of Suburbia • De-Code • 2014

“I wonder how your body tastes / Inside of someone else’s place.” Oh, my! “Run Run Run” is a gorgeous, stripped piano ballad courtesy of German rock collective, Tokio Hotel. The gem appears as the third track on their 2014 album, Kings of Surburbia. Bill Kaulitz, the front man, provides incredibly authentic, emotional vocals.  No, he doesn’t give us gospel histrionics, but, from start to finish, it’s easy to completely buy into his performance.  The lyrics are compelling, while the music is haunting.  

“Telling all your friends that this love is just made for bleeding 

And upon new road I have started keep on, try to breath in.”

Bill provides the only vocals, using some vocal layering to fill out the record and amplify the emotion.  The best part, of course, is the chorus, with the best chorus being where he truly ‘rises to the occasion.’    

“And you waited on the rain 

Their tears my heart is caged 

And we fall from faith 

But we rise and rise again 

And I run, run, run, run, run…” 

While it’s hard to imagine the original version could possibly be topped, a duet version by Grammy-winning musicians Kelly Clarkson and John Legend is utterly sublime .  

Appears in :  

• Tokio Hotel vs. Kelly Clarkson: Head 2 Head No. 3 (2021) 

10. Maisie Peters, “Run”  

The Good Witch • Gingerbread Man / Asylum UK • 2023 

“If he says he’s real, he’s not / If he makes you smile, he’s blocked.” Oh my, Maisie Peters! So, what’s the English singer/songwriter’s advice? “Run”! “Run,” which appears on Peters’ sophomore album, The Good Witch, runs just under three minutes in duration. It packs a sizable punch .  One thing that defines this record are the distinct vocals by Peters. She delivers a well-rounded, nuanced performance. There is an enigmatic element to the production ( Two Inch Punch) initially.  The backdrop features beautiful, colorful synths, and a driving groove.  

“Run” benefits from tuneful verses (including the second, excerpted), and, expectedly, a tuneful chorus:   

“Run 

If he calls you up, says he’s so in love 

And it’s been one week, you better 

Run 

If your heart says broke, and your friends say, “Don’t” 

It’s an R-I-P, you better.” 

Ooh wee! Clearly, Peters is leery of purported love – she keeps her guard up. For some additional context, it’s likely because, per the pre-chorus, “I’ve been lied to, I’ve been cut, and deleted / I’ve heard some things that I will leave unrepeated. That’ll do it! She adds, “I’ve seen some flags but the reddest one / Is if a man says that he wants you in his life forever.” Peters’ love skepticism and trust issues are sweet music to the listener’s ears on the bop, “Run”, PERIOD!

Appears in :  

• Maisie Peters, Run: Bangerz N Bopz No. 4 (2023)  

11. The Temptations, “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)”  

Sky’s The Limit • Motown • 1971   

“But it was just my imagination / Runnin’ away with me / It was just my imagination / Runnin’ away with me.” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)”  marks the elite of the elite when it comes to songs by the iconic, Grammy-winning Motown group, The Temptations.  One of 15 top-10 hits by the collective, more impressive, “Just My Imagination”  is one of four no. 1 hits, specifically,   their third no. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was penned by the dynamic songwriting duo of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, with Whitfield producing as well.  The second track from Sky’s the Limit is definitely the one to beat on the LP.  

“Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” is a love song through and through. “Each day through my window I watch her as she passes by / I say to myself, ‘You’re such a lucky guy’,” ripe tenor Eddie Kendricks, sings in the first verse. It continues, with ample imagination: “To have a girl like her is truly a dream come true / Out of all the fellows in the world, she belongs to you.” Prior to “Just My Imagination,” The Temptations had recorded love songs in the past, but they opted for a psychedelic route in the late 1960s. “Just My Imagination” marked a return to form. It’s glorious given the vocals, songwriting, the arrangement, and production.  The musicianship is through the roof from the accompanying band and of course, the orchestra . Besides Kendricks’ iconic lead, gifted baritone Paul Williams, who also plays a key role on this hit (“Every night on my knees I pray”). Kendricks and Williams, who both exited The Temptations, left their mark on one of the greatest soul records of all time.   

Appears in :  

• The Temptations, Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me): Throwback Vibez No. 160 (2023) 

11 Songs That RUN Hella Fast (2023) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Alamo, Arista, Asthmatic Kitty, Atlantic, De-Code, Gingerbread Man / Asylum UK, Mosely Music / Interscope, Motown, Noble & Brite Ltd, Quality Control Music, Uptown / Republic; Andrea Piacquadio, nappy, Olha Ruskykh, Savvas Stavrinos, Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels]