I fell for your magic, I tasted your skin
And though this is tragic, at least I found the end
I witnessed your madness, you shed light on my sins
And if we share in this sadness, then where have you been?
[Chorus]
I know you're not in love like you used to be
Guess I’m not the one, like you used to think
So you'll just run
I know that I'm stuck in this misery
Guess I’m not enough, like you used to think
So I'll just run (Ooh)
[Verse 2]
You bathe in your victory
You blew out on my fuse
And if I took on the planet
Will I pay my dues?
Your love was a mystery
Yeah, my love is a fool
And I traveled the country just to get to you
[Chorus]
I know you're not in love like you used to be
Guess I'm not the one, like you used to think
So you'll just run
I know that I'm stuck in this misery
Guess I'm not enough, like you used to think
So I'll just run
And I traveled the country
And I traveled the country just to get to you
I know you’re not in love
I know you’re not in love
I know you're not in love
About
“Run” is the second single released by Joji after his debut album BALLADS 1, and is the second single off of his sophomore studio album, Nectar.
Like the rest of Joji’s discography, the lyrical content of “Run” has a distinct melancholy tone. The track features Joji in disarray over his feelings for someone who is now in a new relationship. He feels as if he has no choice but to just “run” from his feelings, which is represented in the track’s accompanying music video, which was unveiled 10 hours after the song’s release on February 6, 2020.
Joji consistently uses sad themes in his music, best exemplified by his debut album, BALLADS 1. This song serves perhaps as a change of pace for Joji, as the prestigious producer Justin Parker, known for working with the likes of Rihanna and Lana Del Rey, is enlisted to collaborate with him for the first time.
This track was first teased on January 27, 2020, with a tweet from Joji featuring a short video of lava flowing — Joji later revealed the release date and cover artwork and confirmed track’s title with another tweet.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Similar to his previous music videos, visuals for the song is sombre and gloomy.
This time around, Joji wakes up in an endless recreational vehicle (RV) where people are throwing a party. He tries to escape from it but only finds himself getting into a more austere state of loneliness, and at last, hitting a screen and made him realise he’s trapped in his own-self of miserable and desperation.
Shots of bleak-faced Joji laying on barrel ground are being shifted to during the entire video, representing how drained he is just to run away the feelings from his previous relationship, foregoing on “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK”.
The final few shots can see Joji wakes up on a classic-looking spaceship, with bedsheet made of tin foil and a repetitive “Wake Up” alert. It seamlessly connects to the “Sanctuary” music video where he’s in a similar spaceship, while covered with the same blanket, a common material for astronauts to keep warm when space race has started in the ‘50s.
It’s also worth noting that the visuals and idea of the music video might draw inspiration from the 2013 film Snowpiercer by Bong Joon-Ho, which takes place on a (seemingly) endless train.
During the week ending February 22, 2020, “Run” debuted and peaked at #68 on the Hot 100. The song is Joji’s highest-charting entry.
- 1.Ew
- 2.MODUS
- 3.Tick Tock
- 4.Daylight
- 5.Upgrade
- 6.Gimme Love
- 7.Run
- 8.Sanctuary
- 9.High Hopes
- 10.NITROUS
- 11.Pretty Boy
- 12.Normal People
- 13.Afterthought
- 14.Mr. Hollywood
- 15.777
- 16.Reanimator
- 17.Like You Do
- 18.Your Man
