“Run-Around” by Blues Traveler

"Run-Around" is the song that finally broke Blues Traveler wide open, a sunny, harmonica-drunk single from four, the band's fourth studio album, released in 1994. John Popper wrote it alone and sings every part, lead and backing both, and he blows his harp like a man trying to outrun his own lungs.

The band keeps it light on its feet: Chan Kinchla switching between acoustic and electric guitars and mandolin, Bobby Sheehan's bass bouncing underneath, Brendan Hill on drums, and Chuck Leavell sitting in on piano and keys. Michael Barbiero and Steve Thompson produced and mixed it, and the arrangement is credited to the two of them and the band together. The result is loose and friendly but tightly built, a jam band proving it could fit a whole good time into a radio single.

It climbed to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and 13 on Canada's RPM chart, and in 1996 it won the band their first Grammy, for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.