逃离 (2010)

"Runaway" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring fellow American rapper Pusha T. It was released on October 4, 2010, as the second single from the former's fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song was written by the artists alongside Emile Haynie, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, and Malik Yusef, with the first three providing additional production. A progressive rap song with pop, R&B, and art rock elements, "Runaway" begins with an isolated piano melody that repeats one note. Lyrically, the song expresses West's thoughts on his failed relationships and his acceptance of the media's perception of him. Pusha T provides a second verse, which provides a harsher tone compared to West's heartfelt and melodic verse.

Before the song's premiere at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, "Runaway" generated substantial public interest due to its lyrical relation to West's interrupting of Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. West's performance at its premiere received positive reviews. The song itself received universal acclaim from music critics and was listed amongst the best songs of the year by several publications, including MTV, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Complex, New York Post, amongst others. Critics praised the song for its emotional subject matter and ambitious production. The song quickly became one of the best-reviewed singles, with critics noting that the track solidified West's commercial comeback with the public. The song has since appeared on multiple decade-end and all-time lists as one of the greatest songs of all time, including at number 25 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2021 and again in 2024.

"Runaway" debuted and peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 and serves as the centerpiece of Runaway, a 35-minute short film featuring the majority of songs from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song's nearly ten-minute music video features ballet dancers performing elaborate choreography. The music video received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised the scope of the video, the degree of creativity, and the production design. As of May 2026, the cut and extended versions of the music video have overall received over 244 million views on YouTube.

Background

On September 13, 2009, West attended the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. When singer Taylor Swift was awarded Best Female Video at the ceremony, West went on stage, stole the mic from Swift, and said, "Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but, Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!" West then shrugged and gave the mic back to Swift. The incident led to significant backlash against West, from tweets by celebrities to then U.S. President Barack Obama calling him a "jackass", along with the cancellation of West's upcoming tour Fame Kills, co-led with singer Lady Gaga. West apologized on his blog and during an appearance on The Jay Leno Show.

Disgusted with the media response, he took a brief hiatus from recording, and later went on a self-imposed exile in Oahu, Hawaii that year to conceive My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) at Avex Recording Studio Like the majority of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, "Runaway" was produced there. Amongst the various artists invited down to Hawaii to record songs for the album was Pusha T, a rapper known for the hip-hop duo Clipse.

Development and production

Writing

About West's portion of the song, he stated that he was interested in making a song that the average person could relate to, as he perceived himself as someone who identified with the average person. West mused that when writing the song, he intended some parts of the song as a double entendre. According to West, certain portions of the song can be interpreted in multiple ways. He explained that what may sound like commentary on a romantic relationship can also be understood as a reflection on his relationship with the media and society. He said he preferred to keep songs with some ambiguity so that they can be interpreted in different ways, whether as being about other people or about oneself.

West also described the track as an anthem intended to resonate with both men and women, emphasizing his goal of making it broadly relatable. He further characterized the song as a "toast for the douchebags." On his Twitter account, West commented that he had written a "beautiful" song for Swift, noting, "if she won't take it then I'll perform it for her." Lawrence Dong was another artist who West had called down to Hawaii.