| "Easier To Run" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by Linkin Park | |
| from the album Meteora | |
| Working title: | Interrogation |
| Recorded: | 2002 |
| Length: | 03:24 |
| Time signature: | 4/4 |
| Tempo: | 105 |
| Key: | Eb Minor |
| Live debut: | February 23, 2003 |
| Last performed: | April 26, 2003 |
| Writer: | Linkin Park |
| Producer: | Don Gilmore, Linkin Park |
| Label: | Warner Bros. |
| Meteora tracklist | |
"Easier To Run" is the sixth song on Linkin Park's sophomore album Meteora. It's a mellow song, its intro featuring guitar harmonics similar to the intro of the Hybrid Theory song "Pushing Me Away".
Background
In March 2003, Mike Shinoda did a track-by-track of Meteora for ShoutWeb. About "Easier To Run", he said:
"In the next song, "Easier To Run", Rob is just killing the drums. It's my favorite song that he's done. You listen to the song and you enjoy the song or whatever but if you listen back and just listen to the drums, he's playing some very complex stuff. A drummer who's only got a couple of years under their belt is not going to be able to play that song. I'm really happy for Rob on that song. I think he really pulled it off.
Lyrically, it's kind of about escapism in a way. I think that's a really familiar topic for myself and for a lot of people in the world. If that weren't the case, then movie ticket sales wouldn't be so high. People go out and do things to get away from their life. That's what the song is about, it's easier to run away from your problems then to face them. We elaborate on that theme in the song. I think that one came together pretty quickly as far as lyrics go, which is nice. For us, it feels like magic when the lyrics to a song just come together in a couple of days. It's really a special kind of feeling.
It's just tough because for a lot of these songs, Chester and I in general, because we don't have the same life, we are talking about different things a little bit but when they come together in the song, it becomes one story. Sometimes I worry if I'm telling too much of my side of it because it is open to interpretation, even from the two of us a little bit, not much, but a little bit."
On the Meteora booklet, the band wrote, "Rob's playing on this song is extraordinary. He found a way to make this complex drum pattern sound easy and tasteful. Plus, he recorded it in only a few takes. On another note, the verse lyrics emerged from a free-writing exercise performed by Chester: He wrote them to no music, no beat. Mike and Don liked them a lot, and the three guys decided that this was the song to work them into."
The song has also been discribed as being much slower than any songs the band had ever written at the time and also as a power ballad, although they had no intention of making one and "that's just what the song decided to be".
Despite the band's praise for Rob's playing on "Easier To Run", the band went on to dislike the song over the years. During a LPU chat with Chester Bennington in 2011, he was questioned if the song would ever be played live again, to which he answered, "I don’t think so. I don’t think Dave likes that song. So, it’s his fault. That’s why we don’t play it, ‘cause Dave doesn’t like it." During LPAssociation's podcast with Mike Shinoda in 2015, Mike said his least favorite song as a collective is "Easier To Run" and he thinks the song is melodramatic.[1]
Demo
In April 2023, Linkin Park released a demo of "Easier To Run" on Meteora 20 with the name "Interrogation."
Brad Delson did a track-by-track commentary of the Lost Demos disc for the "Super Deluxe Box Set" book. About "Interrogation", he wrote:
"So much emotion in the track. The chorus chords evolved later to accommodate the major intervals in the vocal line. The subtle moment in the bridge here does not appear on E.T.R.
The drums play a crucial role here - in this early version and, later, on the album. Amazing to hear Mike's masterful programming throughout these earlier demos, before the baton was handed over to Rob.
Rob took his preparation for the album's recording with the utmost focus, energy, and attention to detail. He honed his drumming in a rehearsal space for days, dialing in subtle nuances from transitions to fills, building up the dynamic energy that cascades throughout Meteora's musical landscape.
Funny how often we started with the musical bed back in the day. Feels counter-intuitive now and yet was a really comfortable way for us to write early on. It's telling to listen to an instrumental and ask, "Does this tell a story and hold my attention, even without the vocals present?" In this case, yes."[2]
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
Studio
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easier To Run | Meteora | 3:24 | 2002 | March 25, 2003 | |
| Interrogation (Easier To Run Demo) | Meteora (20th Anniversary Edition) | 3:40 | 2002 | April 7, 2023 |
|
| Easier To Run | Meteora - Instrumentals | 3:28 | 2002 |
|
Live
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easier To Run (Live) | Numb (CD 2)
Meteora (Tour Edition Cassette) Meteora (iTunes) |
3:22 | March 07, 2003 | September 8, 2003 |
|
| Easier To Run (Live In Nottingham 2003) | Meteora (20th Anniversary Edition) | 4:04 | March 03, 2003 | April 7, 2023 |
|
Live
"Easier To Run" didn't last long in Linkin Park's sets. It was among the first tracks from Meteora to debut live, appearing alongside eight other songs from the album at the first show in 2003. Though it's time live was short, "Easier To Run" was an interesting song on the stage. It always opened the encore, acting as a "calm before the storm" that was the "A Place For My Head" and "One Step Closer" closing duo. Mike's guitar was actually turned up in the mix louder than Brad's, making it one of the few songs the band has played where that's the case. In addition, lots of reverb and delay were thrown on top of Mike's vocals, as he had several prominent singing parts in the live version. Chester's vocals were also given plenty of reverb and delay, particularly in the chorus. After Projekt Revolution 2003 ended, both "Hit The Floor" and "Easier To Run" were dropped from the sets, and haven't been played since.
Personnel
Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington: vocals
- Rob Bourdon: drums
- Brad Delson: guitar
- Joseph Hahn: records, sampling
- Phoenix: bass
- Mike Shinoda: emcee, vocals, sampling
Production
- Don Gilmore: producer
- Andy Wallace: mixer
Lyrics
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face all this pain here all alone
Something has been taken
From deep inside of me
A secret I've kept locked away
No one can ever see
Wounds so deep they never show
They never go away
Like moving pictures in my head
For years and years they've played
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could
Stand up and take the blame I would
If I could take all the shame to the grave I would
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could
Stand up and take the blame I would
I would take all my shame to the grave
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face all this pain here all alone
Sometimes I remember
The darkness of my past
Bringing back these memories
I wish I didn't have
Sometimes I think of letting go
And never looking back
And never moving forward so
There would never be a past
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could
Stand up and take the blame I would
If I could take all the shame to the grave I would
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could
Stand up and take the blame I would
I would take all my shame to the grave
Just washing it aside
All of the helplessness inside
Pretending I don't feel misplaced
Is so much simpler than change
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face all this pain here all alone
It's easier to run
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I've made
It's easier to go
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could
Stand up and take the blame I would
I would take all my shame to the grave
External Links
References
- http://web.archive.org/web/20080513181635/http://www.forfeitthegame.com/notes.html
- http://web.archive.org/web/20080513181453/http://www.forfeitthegame.com/mike-on-met.html
- http://web.archive.org/web/20030412184824/http://www.shoutweb.com/features/linkinpark0303.phtml
- http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/2003/linkin_int.asp
- http://z8.invisionfree.com/Big_Bad_Board/ar/t1461.htm
- http://www.lpassociation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34537
- http://lplive.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=12088
- ↑ Mike Shinoda on Twitter, March 22, 2023
- ↑ Brads notes on the Lost demos : r/LinkinPark, April 15, 2023