All it takes is that one breakout song. A band can build up a cult following and/or earn a ton of critical acclaim. But a single hit that makes its way through to a mainstream audience can earn them the kind of fan attention that sustains them throughout a long career. Blues Traveler can likely relate to that scenario. They were already three albums into their career as a leading light on the jam-band scene when that breakout hit arrived. “Run-Around”, released in 1994, made Blues Traveler a national concern, which they’ve been ever since.
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Growing the Blues
Blues Traveler will once again be traveling the country this summer. That’s pretty much a yearly occurrence for a band that’s been in existence since 1987. Who knows what trajectory their career might have taken had they not busted down the doors with a fast-talking, harmonica-laced track about a crush that didn’t lead to love?
To be fair, the band was already making serious progress before the release of “Run-Around”. Formed by New Jersey high schoolers, Blues Traveler secured a major-label deal before they released their first album. The record contract gave the members the impetus to drop out of college.
Their first three albums helped establish them on the jam-band scene, even if they didn’t sell a ton. They received a boost from exposure gained by playing on late-night television, as David Letterman became a huge fan. 4, the album that included “Run-Around”, included contributions from Paul Shaffer, Warren Haynes, and Chuck Leavell. Leavell played keyboards on their breakthrough hit.
On the “Run”
In the early days of Blues Traveler, Felicia Lewis had served as the group’s bassist. It wasn’t even her best instrument (which was the violin). She also didn’t intend to make music her career. She’d be replaced by Bobby Sheehan less than a year into the band’s existence.
But Hill ended up making an impact on Blues Traveler far beyond her brief time in the group. Lead singer John Popper fell for her at the time, but their relationship never advanced beyond friendship. “Run-Around” basically allowed Popper to pour out all his unrequited feelings about his former bandmate.
The year 1994 was ground central for the grunge movement in music. But that didn’t stop “Run-Around”, a joyous, open-hearted piece of music, from captivating the listening public. The song found its way to no. 8 on the charts, setting the spark for 4 to go six times platinum in America.
Behind the Lyrics of “Run-Around”
Popper throws a little bit of everything into the lyrics of “Run-Around”. There are references to classic poetry, like the Poe-quoting opening line: “Oh, once upon a midnight dreary.” Fun similes abound.
“Like a game show contestant with a parting gift / I could not believe my eyes,” Popper complains. Wordplay runs rampant: “Tra la la la bombardier.”
But at its heart, “Run-Around” tells the story of a guy willing to lay it all on the line for a girl whose interest seems fickle at best.
“I still got this dream that I just can’t shake,” Popper opines. “I love you to the point you can no longer take.”
That’s not enough to convince her to buy in. “Why you wanna give me a run-around,” he moans. “Is it a surefire way to speed things up / When all it does is slow me down?”
While no other single in Blues Traveler’s long career has matched it in terms of popularity, “Run-Around” opened the national floodgates for them. If the band was going to have that one song that introduced them to the world, “Run-Around” proved an ideal candidate to fill that role.
Photo by Graham Felder
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