Hey everyone and welcome to our very first post with a suggested song! This is the only song that has been suggested so far, so please fill out the form and I’ll make sure to stay updated and talk about what you want to hear. Today’s song is “Run Away” by Ben Platt!
This song comes off of Platt’s album “Sing to me Instead” and is the closer for the not deluxe album. This song is written and sung by Ben Platt and produced by Jennifer Decilveo, which makes this the second article in a row featuring songs with female producers! As I said, this is the closer of his debut album following his Broadway run in Dear Evan Hansen.
Platt is currently doing an 18-show residency at The Palace Theater in New York City, which is an impressive venue. He joins legends like Judy Garland, Harry Houdini, and Harry Belafonte. He then goes on a cross-coutry tour for his newest album Honeymind, which I have not listened to yet, but will soon. He is one of my favorite vocalists ever. He is extremely dedicated to his craft and you can hear how much he loves it in everything he sings.
Run Away, as I said, is the closer of the original length of Sing to Me Instead. In it he tells the story of his parents’ romance and how that affects him and his new lover. It is extremely sweet and the production and instrumentation are made to match it.
Production
To be honest, there isn’t anything fancy about the production on this track and that’s what makes it so special. It starts out sweet and soft with the moving piano line that goes throughout the whole song. Right out the gate we know that it’s a piano-led song.
Ben’s vocals are pulled center like everything else. What is really special about this song is the layering of the instruments. It starts with just piano and then adds some cello. Then there’s a guitar in the back during the chorus. Then when we get to the next verse the rest of the string quartet comes in. It starts filling out the sound way more than just the piano, guitar, and cello could.
I talk a lot about building tension in music and using that to get the most emotional reaction out of it and that’s exactly what happens here. You get to the last verse, which acts as a bridge, and he’s almost pleading with the person he’s talking to saying that he won’t leave, that he will stay. What happens is that it completely pulls back to just the piano and stops the moving 8th note line. He just uses chords. That’s it.
This gives the sound a very intimate feel that you wouldn’t really get otherwise. Then he starts layering in instruments again and adding more movmenet back into the piano part. Once you get to the last chorus, the full instrumentation is back. I just LOVE the violin line in here soaring over everything else. It’s just the sweetest most romantic-feeling bit. I just love it.
Lyrics
All of this instrumentation is highlighting the lyrics. Every song you hear tells a story and what the producers’ and composers’ jobs entail are creating a platform that best suits that story. You’re not going to put the backing track for New under Run Away. It doesn’t fit the feeling. These lyrics are sweet, reassuring, and romantic. You don’t want sassy, angry, or sad.
I think my favorite lyrics in this song have to be the last verse.
“You say it’s safer on your own, You’d rather sleep alone, Than grow to need me there, But I hope now you can see, What my mom and dad showed me, I’m not going anywhere”
He just wants to reassure his love that he’s not going anywhere. He’s in it for the long run.
The transition from his parents meeting to them getting married and having him to him growing up and getting to tell this story is such a perfect way to explain it all. It flows really well and it makes you go “awwww.”
Overall, these lyrics are just the epitome of romance. Most of Sing to Me Instead was cowritten and this is one of the few that Ben Platt wrote all by himself. It makes it feel more special than it already is. It’s such a perfect closer for this album.
Conclusion
While I love all of Sing to Me Instead, Run Away will stay in my top 3 for that album. It’s romantic and reassuring. It’s perfection in terms of love songs. You don’t get many love songs quite like this and I’m glad we have this one.
As always, leave suggestions for songs and albums! Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow my Instagram account!
See you guys next time!