ROCK MOMENT – Pink Floyd ‘Run Like Hell’

Pink Floyd’s ‘Run Like Hell’ is one of the most electrifying tracks from the band’s 1979 rock opera The Wall, an album that pushed creative and emotional boundaries for both the band and rock music as a whole. Written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters, the song embodies paranoia, aggression, and alienation—themes central to the story of the isolated rock star, Pink.

Recording for The Wall began in early 1979 and was spread across multiple studios, including Super Bear Studios in France, Producers Workshop in Los Angeles, and Britannia Row Studios in London. Tensions within the band were high, particularly between Waters and keyboardist Richard Wright, who was eventually dismissed during the sessions. Despite the friction, the production under Bob Ezrin’s guidance was meticulous. Ezrin encouraged the band to embrace a cinematic sound that blended raw emotion with elaborate studio craft.

‘Run Like Hell’ was largely built around Gilmour’s hypnotic, delay-heavy guitar riff, achieved using a custom rig of echo units and delay pedals that created the song’s signature galloping rhythm. Nick Mason’s powerful drumming was recorded with multiple microphones to capture its depth and urgency, while Waters’ shouted vocal commands were double-tracked to heighten their authoritarian feel. Ezrin layered the sound with crowd noises and echo effects, adding to the sense of chaos and panic that defines the song.

When The Wall was released in November 1979, ‘Run Like Hell’ stood out as one of its most intense and accessible moments, eventually becoming a live staple for both Gilmour and Waters in their solo tours. The song’s mix of studio precision and raw energy perfectly encapsulates The Wall’s creative ambition—a dark, masterfully produced reflection on isolation, fear, and the corrupting power of fame.