Runner (song)

"The Runner", also called simply "Runner", is a song written by Canadian rock musician Ian Thomas and released in 1981 on his album of the same name. Inspired by the story of Terry Fox, "The Runner" was covered by French singer Sheila later that year, but its most famous rendition was recorded by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, a British band known for making hits of reworked cover songs, and released as a single in 1984, shortly before that year's Summer Olympics. The timing of the Manfred Mann's Earth Band version made it a success, and it reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

Ian Thomas's version
Ian Thomas is a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician, whose songs have been successfully covered by several other artists.

Thomas was inspired to write "The Runner" by the story of Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete who lost a leg to cancer and attempted to run with his prosthetic leg from the East Coast of Canada in Newfoundland and Labrador to the West Coast in British Columbia, but was forced to stop in Ontario due to medical concerns when cancer had been discovered in both of his lungs. Fox died in 1981. Thomas said that in making the song he "wanted to capture that gallantry, the importance of passing on the flame".

His version was included in The Terry Fox Story, a 1983 docudrama about Fox.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band version
The timing on the Manfred Mann's Earth Band version was especially good, as it came out right before the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, prompting especially heavy play. Trevor Rabin, at that time the guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes, played the guitar solo on this track.

The video for this version, directed by Lindsey Clennell, received heavy airplay on MTV. In it, the band performs near a campfire at night (shot on a soundstage), interspersed with video of runners racing or carrying the Olympic flame, much of which was footage shot for the previous Summer Olympics in 1972 and 1976. A 12-second sequence focused on American sprinter Robert Taylor, along with other parts from the 100 metres in Munich.

This version of the song was used in the movie The Philadelphia Experiment (1984).

The song was included on the American release of their album Somewhere in Afrika (1984). With the 1998 series of remastered reissues, the song was instead appended to the reissue of Criminal Tango. It was also included on the compilations The Best of Manfred Mann's Earth Band Re-Mastered, Odds & Sods – Mis-takes & Out-takes, the Leftovers disc of the 40th Anniversary box set and the deluxe edition of Mannthology.

The single edit (which fades early) is rarer on CD, having only been reissued on The Complete Greatest Hits of Manfred Mann and the 50th anniversary release Mannthology.

Track listing

 * 7" single
 * A. "Runner" (7" version) – 3:50
 * B. "No Transkei" 2:35


 * 12" single
 * A. "Runner" (12" version) – 4:40
 * B. "No Transkei" 2:35
 * C. "Lies (Through the 80s)" 4:34

Both B-sides are taken from the Budapest Live concerts, although "No Transkei" (re-titled second part of the "Africa Suite") was originally only available on the cassette of the album. US releases retained the title "Where Do They Send Them", which had already been used on the Budapest Live cassette. (The studio recording was called "To Bantustan?")

Musicians

 * Manfred Mann – keyboards, synthesizers
 * John Lingwood – drums, percussion
 * Chris Thompson – vocals
 * Matt Irving – bass, programming (MC4)
 * Mick Rogers – backup vocals
 * Trevor Rabin – guitar solo

Technical

 * Manfred Mann – producer
 * Lars Finnstrom – engineer
 * Terry Medhurst – engineer