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55 on the countdown, while on the VH1 special 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s, the song was listed at No.

In the VH1 special 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s, "I Ran" was listed at No. Subsequently, the album reached number 10 on the Billboard 200. As well as reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, "I Ran" peaked at number 3 on the Top Tracks chart and number 8 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The band toured the United States extensively to promote the single, supporting Squeeze on their 1982 tour. They were cruelly teased by other American children with the song's misheard chorus: "I-ran, I-ran so far away." According to Maz Jobrani, the release of the song was a "disaster" for Iranian-American children like himself. The song and the band were an "irresistible" package for American audiences, and by the summer of 1982, "America was clutching Flock of Seagulls to its heart".

The video received heavy rotation on MTV in the summer of 1982, and helped the single to become a hit.Īs Dave Thompson has pointed out, the song was "punningly political at a time when Iran itself was making headlines around the clock". The video is an homage to Brian Eno and Robert Fripp's (No Pussyfooting) album cover, which was also portrayed by the Strokes in the video for their single, " The End Has No End," two decades later. The cameras used to film the video are clearly visible in many of the background reflections, their stands also covered in foil. The single was promoted by a distinctive music video directed by Tony van den Ende in which the band members performed in a room covered in aluminium foil and mirrors. Track listing 7" Jive VS 102 (US) – 1982 Before this happens, the man sees an aurora in the sky, and he and the woman are abducted by aliens. Lyrically, "I Ran (So Far Away)" is about a man who sees an attractive woman and attempts to run away from his feelings. Guitarist Paul Reynolds had joined the band after the music was already written, so the short guitar riffs were added for Reynolds to play. During the song's introduction and musical interludes, short guitar riffs are played, which make use of echo. With a chord progression of A-G-A-G in the verses and F-G-A in the choruses, the song is written in the key of A minor. According to the sheet music, the song moves at a quick tempo of 145 beats per minute. It is a new wave and synth-pop song, with a run time of five minutes and seven seconds. "I Ran (So Far Away)" was recorded at Battery Studios in London with producer Mike Howlett. This depiction also helped spark the song's unusual space-like lyrics. The band had gone there with the intent of securing a recording contract, and they wanted to use the poster, which featured a man and a woman running away from a flying saucer, as the cover for their first album, A Flock of Seagulls (1982). Another idea came from a poster at a Zoo Records office. Score noted that because A Flock of Seagulls would rehearse right after returning from Eric's, the song title and chorus may have gotten stuck in his head.

The members of A Flock of Seagulls would regularly visit Eric's Club in Liverpool, where one of the bands had a song called "I Ran". Lead vocalist Mike Score says that there were two main sources of inspiration for "I Ran (So Far Away)".