Air – Run

Revolvair, Paris, 2003: their voices, Godrich’s mix, no guest vocal

In 2003, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel recorded Run at their own place, Revolvair studio in Paris, with engineer Yann Arnaud on the first passes. It became track three of Talkie Walkie, four minutes and twelve seconds, placed after Cherry Blossom Girl and before Universal Traveler. Source and Virgin released the album on 26 January 2004. After the crowded guest list of 10 000 Hz Legend, they played and sang this one themselves. The two voices stay close, almost spoken, asking someone to stay.

Nigel Godrich joined for additional recording, production, and the mix at Ocean Way in Hollywood. Darrell Thorp assisted. Bob Ludwig mastered at Gateway. Michel Colombier arranged strings for the album, though Run stays closer to piano, soft drums, and those two voices than to a full orchestra. The lyric is plain and repeated: a « holy girl » is asked not to get up, not to run, to stay in bed. There is no guest singer to hide behind. The vocal stays with the duo, dry and close to the mic.

Godin and Dunckel told Magnet, just before release, that they had been unsure about singing in English with French accents. Godrich told them that was what English listeners already liked. He also pushed them to drop the habit of calling in outside vocalists. Cherry Blossom Girl still uses extra voices, and Surfing on a Rocket brings in Jason Falkner and Lisa Papineau, but Run does not. The lead vocal is the duo, close to the mic. The album’s three singles were Cherry Blossom Girl, Surfing on a Rocket, and Alpha Beta Gaga. Run was not one of them. It still left the record. It was not issued as a single, and the lead vocal is still the duo.

Godrich’s mix leaves space around the duo’s own vocals instead of covering them with a guest singer. The track sits mid-album, quieter than the electronic pieces around it. Live, Air often stretched the pulse without turning it into a showcase solo.