# The Great Escape (Boys Like Girls song)

"The Great Escape" is a song by American rock band Boys Like Girls. The song was released on March 3, 2007, as the second single from their debut studio album, Boys Like Girls. It became their first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 23. The single has been certified platinum and gold by the RIAA.

## Background

According to the song's writer Martin Johnson in a lyric feature on Euphonia Online, the lyrical content of the song is about his graduating from high school.
   This song is about leaving the town I grew up in with my best friends at my side. A graduation-type song with a 'we're up to no good, fuck this town, let's do it up for one more night' twist. I wrote it as a last hurrah to high school, growing up, and in a sense… the last night of being a kid. It's the end of one chapter… with an outlook on the future… sort of like a prequel to the rest of the record.

## Composition

"The Great Escape" was written by Martin Johnson, Sam Hollander and Dave Katz, while production was handled by Matt Squire. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, by Alfred Music Publishing, the track runs at 144 BPM and is in the key of E major. Johnson's range in the song spans from the notes B3 to B5. The song was written in 2004, and was written as a tribute to Johnson's senior year and "a goodbye letter" to his hometown. He described the track as "an outsider anthem."

## Chart performance

For the week ending June 2, 2007, "The Great Escape" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 96. The song peaked at number 23 on the chart in September 2007. The single sold 1.5 million copies and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song also found commercial success in South Korea, peaking at number 86 on the International Singles Chart, as well as appearing on four year-end charts in the country from 2010 to 2013.

## Music video

The music video was directed by Alan Ferguson. It premiered on February 21, 2007, through Yahoo!, and was added to MTV playlists and received considerable airplay on those channels along with Fuse TV. The video was #1 on MTV's Total Request Live for 9 days in the summer and fall of 2007. It features the band on the road, as well as in concert, while detailing the journey of a group of their high school aged fans on the way to and during their best concert. It goes back and forth between the band and the high schoolers showing their journey as they both make their way to the concert the band will be playing at.

## Accolades

Accolades for "The Great Escape" :
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
| Alternative Press | United States | Best 100 Singles From the 2000s | 2009 | 97 | |
| Cleveland.com | United States | Top 100 Pop-punk Songs | 2022 | 69 | |

## In popular culture

The song has also appeared as a downloadable track for the Xbox 360 karaoke game, Lips, and featured on the soundtrack of 2K Sports' Top Spin 3. The song is featured in the Nintendo DS version of the game by Activision, Band Hero and was made available as a downloadable track for the Rock Band game in June 2010. The song is featured on the soundtrack to the film The House Bunny. It was also used in promotion for the NBC show Life. The song was used in episode 64 and 154 of Running Man, and was used in episode 189 of Dream Team II. The song is also a playable level in the Nintendo Wii-exclusive video game We Cheer, We Cheer 2.

## Track listing
### Notes

* The CD single features bonus content including a ringtone for "The Great Escape" and a wallpaper image.

## Personnel

Credits for "The Great Escape" adapted from album's liner notes.

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 200,000$^‡$ |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000$^*$ |
| United States (RIAA) Mastertone | Gold | 500,000$^*$ |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

Release history for "The Great Escape" :
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
| United States | March 3, 2007 | Contemporary hit radio | Columbia Records | |