Battle of the Bands: RUN LIKE HELL

Well its June 1. June is a month for Dads, Grads and Grooms. Yep, seems a bad month for men of all ages. They are graduating, leaving behind the comfortable caretaking of Mom and learning to fend for themselves; taking the plunge into marriage, making the commitment to think of another before satisfying their own needs; or celebrating the joys (trials) of fatherhood, leaving behind the last vestige of their own childish nature. Or so all women hope.

My advice: RUN LIKE HELL

The concept behind Pink Floyd's RUN LIKE HELL song is that of the anti-hero.

The lyrics are explicitly threatening, directed at the listener, one with an "empty smile" and "hungry heart", "dirty feelings" and a "guilty past", "nerves in tatters" as "hammers batter down your door." Even the act of lovemaking is doomed, for "if they catch you in the back seat trying to pick her locks", the results will be fatal.. . .Sound effects are used to create a sense of paranoia, with the sound of cruel laughter, running footsteps, car tyres skidding, and a loud scream. (source)

Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, extended compositions and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and musically influential groups in the history of popular music. (source)

Fun fact: When they first recorded this, it was a lot longer. They had to cut it down so it would fit on the album. There was a limited amount of space on vinyl records. (read more song facts here)

Naturally, anyone who has ever listened to a Pink Floyd song is groaning right now, complaining they do not have 8-10 minutes to spend listening to one of their songs, let alone two versions. Lucky for you Pink's version is not on the voting docket for this Battle of the Bands installment. You can listen to the 1979 The Wall album version here if you are interested. I prefer the Pulse Live version, of course, but by that concert three of the original five members, including co-writer Roger Waters, were no longer performing members of the band..

Lyrics:
Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run,
Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run.
You better make your face up in
Your favorite disguise.
With your button down lips and your
Roller blind eyes.
With your empty smile
And your hungry heart.
Feel the bile rising from your guilty past.
With your nerves in tatters
When the cockleshell shatters
And the hammers batter
Down the door.
You'd better run.

Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run,
Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run.
You better run all day
And run all night.
Keep your dirty feelings
Deep inside.
And if you're taking your girlfriend
Out tonight
You'd better park the car
Well out of sight.
Cause if they catch you in the back seat
Trying to pick her locks,
They're gonna send you back to mother
In a cardboard box.
You better run.

"Hey, open up! HaHaHaHaHaaaaaaaaaa!
[sound of car skidding, followed by loud scream]
"Hammer, Hammer"

RUN LIKE HELL has been covered by Canadian heavy metal band Kittie (album Oracle); jam band The Disco Biscuits; violinist Andrej Kurti and cellist Victor Uzur (album The Entertainers); and Italian heavy metal band Mastercastle (album Last Desire).

For today's contenders, I'm pitting Kittie against Mastercastle

Kittie became one of the last DIY bands that emerged from the underground and become international Pop Stars almost overnight. Their debut album was released during a time when the old model of the music industry began to decline and die out. The band always embraced new ways of promoting and distributing music. Although the band is somewhat historically lumped into the late 1990s/early 2000s "Nu Metal" scene, they proved they were worth their salt by continually touring and becoming better musicians with the release of every album. The band managed to evolve and stay vital with every new line up. They are considered to be one of the most important Female Metal bands in history and especially for Generation Y. (source)

Mastercastle were founded in January 2008 by the guitar player Pier Gonella and the singer Giorgia Gueglio. The pair had several music projects in the past and wanted to try something different. No fixed genre was chosen with the emphasis being on producing music in a natural way.

The result was a natural mix of the virtuoso guitar style of Pier with the individual female voice of Giorgia Gueglio which worked well together. The pair wrote a great number of songs and recorded a 4 songs promo to gain label interest. In the meantime the line-up was completed by the drummer Alessandro Bissa aka Bix and the bassist Steve Vawamas; their joining changed the initial project into a real band and the name Mastercastle was settled on for the new real band. (source)




This post is part of the bi-monthly BATTLE OF THE BANDS blog hop hosted by Admiral Ninja Stephen T McCarthy and that rascally blond chick Far Away Series. Please leave a comment and vote for either Kittie or Mastercastle with a reason why you chose the contender, then bust out the Icky (Reno beer) and visit the list of participants here to view more battles or to post your own battle. No commitment, all newcomers are welcome. Pants and chipotle sauce optional.