| "Run 2" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by New Order | ||||
| from the album Technique | ||||
| B-side | "MTO" | |||
| Released | 28 August 1989 | |||
| Format | 12", 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1988 at Mediterranean Studios, Ibiza, and Real World Studios, Box | |||
| Genre | Alternative dance | |||
| Length | 3:45 | |||
| Label | Factory - FAC 273 | |||
| Writer(s) | Bernard Sumner Peter Hook Stephen Morris Gillian Gilbert John Denver[1] |
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| Producer | New Order | |||
| New Order singles chronology | ||||
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"Run 2" was New Order's third and final single from their 1989 album Technique.
Contents |
"Run 2" was remixed by Scott Litt from the version on Technique, hence the appendage of "2" to the title. The main difference is that the song has been made more radio-friendly by editing down most of the long instrumental run-out and appending it with a final repeat of the chorus. Litt's mix strips back much of the echo and layers of synthesizers, and in place centres the mix on Sumner's vocal and the bass guitar of Peter Hook. Despite the effort taken to produce a radio single, only 20,000 of the Factory 12" release were ever pressed. 500 7-inch records were also pressed, for promotional use. The single was only released in the UK.
"Run 2" is backed with the B-side titled "MTO". This song recycles the line "You've got love technique" from the group's previous hit single "Fine Time" (this is the only lyric in the track). It is speculated that "MTO" is an acronym for "Mid Tempo One" or "Much Too Old", though it is also quite possible that the initial-ism's usual meaning, "Made to Order", is implied as a self-deprecating joke by the group. An extended mix of "Run 2" with additional beats by Afrika Islam and an alternate 'minus' mix of "MTO" by Mike 'Hitman' Wilson appear as B-sides on the 12" version of the single.
Peter Saville, the single's cover designer, claimed to have been inspired by the design of laundry powder packaging. The tiny print on the back of the sleeve says, "Cover by Peter Saville Associates after Bold."
After the release, the folk singer John Denver sued the group, claiming that "Run", in particular the instrumental part, sounded too similar to his hit "Leaving on a Jet Plane". The case was settled out of court, and as a result the single in its remixed form was out of print for a number of years.[2]
"Run 2" became highly sought after by fans and was tantalisingly listed on the track lists the (the best of) New Order (1994) and Singles (2005).[3] While both claim to include the "2" version in fact the mix included is the original album mix; the "Best of" album credits Denver in the liner notes. The shorter "2" version was easily available on video as it was used in the single's music video. The video features a young girl juxtaposed with an old man. Finally in 2008, the extended mix of "Run 2" along with the minus mix of "MTO" were formally released as additional tracks on the deluxe edition of Technique. As of 2011 the short mixes of the songs remain unavailable.
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[4] | 49 |
| UK Independent Singles Chart[5] | 1 |