Silent Running ( on Dangerous Ground ) - wikipedia Silent Running ( on Dangerous Ground ) `` Silent Running ( On Dangerous Ground ) '' Single by Mike + The Mechanics from the album Mike + The Mechanics Released 4 November 1985 Format 7 '' Recorded 1985 Genre Soft rock, new wave Length 6 : 14 4 : 09 ( 7 `` ) Label Atlantic Songwriter ( s ) Mike Rutherford, B.A. Robertson Producer ( s ) Christopher Neil Mike + The Mechanics singles chronology `` Silent Running ( On Dangerous Ground ) '' ( 1985 ) `` All I Need Is a Miracle '' ( 1986 ) `` Silent Running ( On Dangerous Ground ) '' ( 1985 ) `` All I Need Is a Miracle '' ( 1986 ) `` Silent Running ( On Dangerous Ground ) '' is a song performed by Mike + The Mechanics. Written by Mike Rutherford and B.A. Robertson, it was the first track from their 1985 self - titled debut album. It was also released as the band 's first single, peaking at number 6 on 8 March 1986 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 1 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it stayed for five weeks. It reached No. 21 in the band 's native United Kingdom. Paul Carrack provided lead vocals on the song. The song 's original title was simply `` Silent Running '' ; the name extension was given when the song was chosen to appear in the 1986 movie On Dangerous Ground, which was titled Choke Canyon in the United States. The song was banned by the BBC during the Gulf War due to its address of war, nationalism and religion, as well as a direct reference to weaponry in the line, `` There 's a gun and ammunition just inside the doorway. '' The Protomen released a cover of the song as a mash - up with their own song, `` Breaking Out '' in 2012 as a B - Side to their single `` I Drove All Night '', with an extended cover of the song later appearing as the final song on their 2015 album, The Cover Up. In August 2015, a cover of the song was used in an Assassin 's Creed Syndicate trailer showcasing the two lead protagonists Evie and Jacob. The cover was performed by Hidden Citizens. Contents 1 Composition and meaning 2 Music video 3 Chart performance 4 References Composition and meaning `` Silent Running '' was one of the first songs to come from the Rutherford / Robertson songwriting partnership. It was, in fact, one of a series of songs that the two wrote simply to test how effective collaboration between them would be. When producer Christopher Neil heard it on a demo tape that Rutherford played for him, however, he recommended that it be used for the album. According to Rutherford, the song is about a guy who 's traveled light - years away, out in space somewhere, and he 's ahead in time. Therefore he knows what 's going to happen to his wife and kids back home, on Earth. And he 's trying to get the message to them to say what 's going to happen, the kind of anarchy, the breakdown of society, to tell them to be prepared. When Rutherford was looking for a title for this particular song, he says, `` I called it ' Silent Running ', because I remembered that film so well, and our song, had a spacey feel to it. '' Music video The song 's video features a few clips from the film Choke Canyon, but is primarily based on the completely unrelated story on which the song 's lyrics are based. Billy Drago makes a cameo appearance in the video. Chart performance Chart ( 1985 -- 1986 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) 23 Canada ( RPM ) 8 Germany ( Media Control Charts ) 8 Ireland ( IRMA ) 21 Netherlands ( Mega Top 100 ) 39 United Kingdom ( The Official Charts Company ) 21 US Billboard Hot 100 6 US Billboard Top Rock Tracks References Jump up ^ `` Silent Running '' chart history song-database.com ^ Jump up to : Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits ( 8th Edition ). Billboard Books. p. 425. ISBN 0 - 8230 - 7499 - 4. Jump up ^ Mike + The Mechanics UK chart history, The Official Charts. Retrieved 5 December 2011. Jump up ^ Mike + The Mechanics ( Media notes ). Mike + The Mechanics. 1985. Jump up ^ `` Mike + The Mechanics Filmography ''. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 21 September 2010. Jump up ^ Kirby, Mark ; Kidd, Warren ; Koubel, Francine ; Barter, John ; Hope, Tanya ; Kirton, Alison ; Madry, Nick ; Manning, Paul ; Triggs, Karen ( 2000 ). Sociology in Perspective. Heinemann. p. 173. ISBN 978 - 0 - 435 - 33156 - 6. ^ Jump up to : Neer, Dan ( 1985 ). Mike on Mike ( interview LP ), Atlantic Recording Corporation. Jump up ^ Casey Kasem 's American Top 40 -- The 80 's from 15 February 1986 Jump up ^ Mike + the Mechanics : Silent Running ( On Dangerous Ground ) ( promotional video ). 1986. Jump up ^ `` Chartverfolgung / Mike + The Mechanics / Single ''. Music Line ( in German ). Germany : Media Control Charts. Retrieved 16 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` Silent Running '' chart history, Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 16 November 2011. hide Mike and the Mechanics Mike Rutherford Anthony Drennan Tim Howar Luke Juby Andrew Roachford Gary Wallis Paul Carrack Paul Young Peter Van Hooke Adrian Lee Studio albums Mike + The Mechanics Living Years Word of Mouth Beggar on a Beach of Gold Mike & The Mechanics Rewired The Road Let Me Fly Mike Rutherford solo Smallcreep 's Day Acting Very Strange Compilation albums Hits Favourites / The Very Best Of Singles `` Silent Running ( On Dangerous Ground ) '' `` All I Need Is a Miracle '' `` Taken In '' `` The Living Years '' `` Word of Mouth '' `` Over My Shoulder '' Related Mike + The Mechanics discography Genesis Christopher Neil B.A. Robertson Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silent_Running_(On_Dangerous_Ground)&oldid=848633808 '' Categories : 1985 singles Mike + The Mechanics songs Song recordings produced by Christopher Neil Songs written by Mike Rutherford Atlantic Records singles Billboard Mainstream Rock number - one singles Debut singles Songs written by B.A. Robertson 1985 songs Hidden categories : CS1 German - language sources ( de ) EngvarB from June 2014 Use dmy dates from June 2014 Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia ქართული Edit links This page was last edited on 3 July 2018, at 07 : 04 ( UTC ). 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Question: what movie was the song silent running in
Answer: the 1986 movie On Dangerous Ground, which was titled Choke Canyon in the United States