Runaway Train: Background

In this piece about rising above negative, destructive emotions to live your life on the basis of positive thinking, the train serves as a metaphor in which it pushes through negativity. When Geddy sings “You’ve got to want it,” you feel the power of the train getting up to speed.—Rob Freedman, Rush Vault

“I was thinking about some of my friends who have difficult domestic situations. Sometimes you need a little nudge. They hold the key to their lives.”—Geddy on Rockline, reproduced in Merely Players, Robert Telleria

In “the amazing ‘Runaway Train,’ synths and a classic guitar riff press this track along until it slows down for Geddy’s excellent delivery. Not a runaway train at all in terms of music, this track is tightly knit and characterized by the perfect blend of amazing music and lyrical content. (Anyone who listens to Vancouver’s radio station—Rock101—will recognize this riff as the background to their ”legends of classic rock” segment).”—King By-Tor on Prog Archives

“The main riff is simple enough, and the song is largely straightforward rock. Just over two-minutes in, there is a pleasantly encouraging middle section. The song is perhaps a bit longer than it should be since it overuses the main riff and the chorus chords, but it’s a solid song.”—Epignosis on Prog Archives

“Another good one is ‘Runaway Train.’ It’s a little heavier then the rest with some good guitar”—Mellotron Storm on Prog Archives

“‘Working at Perfekt,’ ‘Runaway Train,’ ‘Still’ and ‘Present Tense’ are VERY good songs, no doubts here. They rock, they catch and stick their little choruses in your brain like termites on hardwood.”—Menswear on Prog Archives

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