On the Run (3:46)
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“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
Pink FloydBuy- Download Album
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Dark Side of the Moon
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Pulse (disc 2)
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Pulse
Pink FloydBuy- Download Album
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- 7digital $16.99
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Shouts
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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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Timitzi wrote:
I swear, this is Half-Life 2, summed up in a piece of music. It even shares similar sounds! I wonder if the game developers were inspire by this? [2] This song fits really well into the album, nice intro for The Great Gig in the Sky
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betavertion wrote:
Kragebein is an idiot. This little fantastic track, is the best thing that ever happened to music.
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LieveK wrote:
makes me think of Fight Club
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Rowan_of_Rin wrote:
I swear, this is Half-Life 2, summed up in a piece of music. It even shares similar sounds! I wonder if the game developers were inspire by this?
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yaniv297 wrote:
the guy below me is an idiot. It's one of the finest tracks in there, amazing in every single way, makes you feel like someone is chasing you... one of the most hanuting pieces of music ever
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Kragebein wrote:
Dark Side's weakest link. Should've been omitted.
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jmitch816 wrote:
gives me a rush no doubt. gloomy.. hmm its ok
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MeliaKindler wrote:
Add me =D
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FelipeLeonardo wrote:
Absolutely disturbing
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alexjgrant wrote:
Makes me feel like im inside a pinball machine!!
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FootToFace wrote:
not really. repeating keyboards were being done 7 years before this and sounded way better.
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Recent Activity
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wildsk8r94 added On the Run to wildsk8r94’s library. 2 hours ago
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DrLucasFunk, elobob, jos_antonio_e and 1 other person loved Pink Floyd – On the Run. yesterday evening
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kulirast added On the Run to kulirast’s library. yesterday afternoon
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kulirast added On the Run to the playlist Uli3. yesterday afternoon
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berchman, southpacific, NitroVT and 4 other people loved Pink Floyd – On the Run. yesterday morning
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maryjluvr added On the Run to maryjluvr’s library. Saturday evening
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maryjluvr added On the Run to the playlist Pink Floyd. Saturday evening
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panul, l-u-k, Wizz21 and 3 other people loved Pink Floyd – On the Run. Saturday afternoon
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MStrake added On the Run to MStrake’s library. Friday evening
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MStrake added On the Run to the playlist 28. Friday evening
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