Take It on the Run
"Take It on the Run" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon off the band's ninth studio album "Hi Infidelity" (1980). The song was written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath. "Take It on the Run" was the follow-up single behind the group's number-one hit, "Keep on Loving You". The single went gold on April 17, 1989. "Take It on the Run" has appeared on dozens of "various artists" compilation albums, as well as several REO Speedwagon greatest-hits albums. The 2017 song Messin' Around by Pitbull featuring Enrique Iglesias  interpolates "Take It on the Run". Background. According to REO Speedwagon lead singer Kevin Cronin, the original title to the song was "Don't Let Me Down." Cronin says that he insisted that the title should be "Take It on the Run" and that he added the line to the refrain "You’re under the gun / So you take it on the run," which he says "either makes sense or it doesn’t, but it sure sung well and it sure rhymed, and it was a spur-of-the-moment thing that when I heard the rest of the song , that’s what I felt." The song's music video was the ninth video played on MTV's first day, August 1, 1981. However, due to technical difficulties the video went to black just 12 seconds into the song, and never did finish. Personnel. REO Speedwagon Charts. It was released as a single in 1981 and reached number five on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. It also reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.