On the Run (3:46)
1,852,378 plays (348,613 listeners)
“On the Run” is the third track from British progressive rock band Pink Floyd’s 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. It is an instrumental that deals with the pressures of travel (which Rick Wright said would often bring fear of death), and is a VCS3 synthesizer-led piece. When the band performed this song in concert, at the end of it, a model aeroplane would fly from one end of the arena to the other, appearing to crash in a brilliant explosion. The same effect was used in the A Momentary Lapse of Reason tours with a flying bed, and was an inspiration for the fictional band Disaster Area from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, whose stage act involves a spaceship crashing into the sun. During recording sessions, as well as in live appearances, this song was sometimes referred to as “the travel sequence.”
This piece was created by feeding an 8 note sequence of semiquavers into the EMS VCS3 and speeding it up, with an added white noise generator creating the hi-hat sound. The band then added backwards guitar parts, created by dragging a microphone stand down the fretboard, reverse the tape, and panned left to right. There are also some other synthesizer parts, made to sound like some type of vehicle passing, giving a Doppler effect. The 8 note sequence (E, G, A, G on octave below Middle C, and D, middle C, D, E on Middle C octave) is played at a tempo of 166, and modulates upwards occasionally. Near the end, the explosion of the presumed aircraft is heard which gradually fades, segueing into the chiming clocks introduction of the following track “Time”.
This piece was created by feeding an 8 note sequence of semiquavers into the EMS VCS3 and speeding it up, with an added white noise generator creating the hi-hat sound. The band then added backwards guitar parts, created by dragging a microphone stand down the fretboard, reverse the tape, and panned left to right. There are also some other synthesizer parts, made to sound like some type of vehicle passing, giving a Doppler effect. The 8 note sequence (E, G, A, G on octave below Middle C, and D, middle C, D, E on Middle C octave) is played at a tempo of 166, and modulates upwards occasionally. Near the end, the explosion of the presumed aircraft is heard which gradually fades, segueing into the chiming clocks introduction of the following track “Time”.
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Albums featuring this track
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The Dark Side of the Moon
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Pulse (disc 2)
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Pulse
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A Clear View (disc 2)
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Shouts
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EpsilonX wrote:
why is this song so high on the charts? it's just keyboard noises..not even a song really...
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Samhain138 wrote:
I like the Jam version better, than the album version.
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niewiemok wrote:
it's fuckin avesome
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InsomniacAttack wrote:
I find this song quite annoying... Don't get me wrong, I like Pink Floyd...Just I think this song is annoying and it could have been better.
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greenwarri0r wrote:
I remember always listening to this song before I even knew who Pink Floyd was and loving it.
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iameclectic wrote:
freakin classic - on the run -
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djggou wrote:
sometimes i wonder why i bother listening to anything else
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sturminator wrote:
love this song but as a diehard fan it will always be the chicago bulls opponents intro music to me!
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Kinski_ wrote:
Great piece of music. =)
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Xx_Matti_xX wrote:
this song causes paranoia.
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Patiomkin wrote:
Makes me feel like im inside a pinball machine!! [2]
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Rub- wrote:
one of the best on the album imo
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musicislove672 wrote:
this song makes me feel like im on space mountain o: i love it.
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flowerinurhand wrote:
those laugh makes me thrill,but i like it
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iswydt wrote:
Kicks ass.
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Robert161989 wrote:
fuck
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Timitzi wrote:
Oh, Time and Great Gig are on wrong orders then, gotta fix it :D
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Kopite4life wrote:
it is an intro for time - not great gig in the sky - I totally get the half life comments - definately inspired by the Floyd!!
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Sasse_ wrote:
hm, it remember me a game or something.
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davidbowiegirl wrote:
Great song! <3
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Recent Activity
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Till999 and nelo666angelo loved Pink Floyd – On the Run. 3 minutes ago
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