Runaway Horses (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Runaway Horses
Type = studio
Artist = Belinda Carlisle


Released = Start date|1989|10|17 (U.S.)
Recorded = One on One Recording, Summer Studios, Lion Share Studios, Miraval Studios (France)
Genre = Pop
Length = 47:53
Label = MCA, Virgin
Producer = Rick Nowels
Reviews = *Alex Henderson, Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifwxqw5ldke~T1 link]
Last album = "Heaven on Earth" (1987)
This album = "Runaway Horses" (1989)
Next album = "Live Your Life Be Free" (1991)
Misc = Singles
Name = Runaway Horses
Type = Studio album
single 1 = Leave a Light On
single 1 date = September 1989
single 2 = La Luna
single 2 date = December 1989
single 3 = Runaway Horses
single 3 date = February 1990
single 4 = Summer Rain
single 4 date = April 1990
single 5 = Vision of You
single 5 date = May 1990
single 6 = (We Want) the Same Thing
single 6 date = October 1990

"Runaway Horses" is the third studio album by American singer Belinda Carlisle, released in the United States on October 17 1989 (see 1989 in music) by MCA Records. The album featured songs written by Rick Nowels, Ellen Shipley, Charlotte Caffey and a song co-written by Carlisle herself, making "Runaway Horses" the second solo album that had her songwriting included since "Gotta Get to You" from her debut solo album "Belinda" [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:aifwxqw5ldke] The album debuted outside the top twenty on the U.S. "Billboard" 200, and sales fell considerably short of those of Carlisle's previous album, "Heaven on Earth" (1987).

Reception and chart performance

Allmusic reviewed the album as not being as strong as "Heaven on Earth" but is still generally likeable and appealing, being stated that the album is her most polished and slicker album to date. [cite web|title="Allmusic - Runaway Horses review"|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifwxqw5ldke~T1|accessdate=March 30|accessyear=2007] The album made its debut on the "Billboard" 200 on October 21, 1989 at the lower ends chart but on the second week it jumped past the top one hundred to number fifty-five. After seven weeks of slowly moving up the charts it charted at its peak position in the U.S. at number thirty-seven, a lower position than her two first albums. The album then slowly fell down the charts from then on making no rises and spent a total of twenty-five weeks in the "Billboard" 200 and was certified gold by RIAA. "Runaway Horses" was Carlisle's last album to chart in the U.S. then became the first indication that the success of her solo career would be found in the UK, not the U.S. [cite web|title="BelindaCarlisle.com - Runaway Horses page"|url=http://www.belinda-carlisle.com/bc/content/disc-view.php?albumID=3|accessdate=March 30|accessyear=2007] .

The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart on October 30, 1989 at number four, the highest debut for Carlisle on the albums chart. It spent two more weeks in the top ten then fell down the chart slowly and after twenty-one weeks it fell out of the top seventy-five. It made three re-entries but it wasn't until the third entry that it jumped back into the charts at number sixty-six, a year and two months after its release. After five weeks in being in the charts again it broke the top ten and stayed in there for three weeks only managing to get to number six. The album spent a total of thirty-nine weeks in the charts and being certified platinum by BPI. The album was also a success in Australia peaking at number six, accrediting double platinum and becoming the twenty-fourth highest selling album for 1990. [cite web|title="ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Albums 1990"|url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50albums-1990.htm|accessdate=March 31|accessyear=2007]

The singles released from "Runaway Horses" were successful in most music markets, the album giving Carlisle four more top ten singles. "Leave a Light On" was the first song released from the album and became a top ten hit around the world including the UK where it hit number four accrediting silver, Australia where it hit number five and Italy where it hit number four becoming there her most successful song (Heaven is a Place on Earth reached number 6), but the song missed the top ten in December 1989 peaking at number eleven in the United States. "La Luna" was the second song released from the album and became a top forty hit in Australia and the UK, also becoming her third top ten in Switzerland. "Runaway Horses" (the title track) was the third song released, but was not as successful as the other singles, only managing to reach number forty in the UK. "Summer Rain" was the fourth song released and became a top ten hit in Australia, but the song only charted in the top thirty in the UK and U.S. "Vision of You" was the fifth song released and became the lowest charting single on the album only peaking at number forty-one in the UK. In 1993 US Singer Jennifer Rush made a cover of Vision of you both in English and Spanish. The sixth and final song released from the album was "(We Want) the Same Thing", becoming Carlisle's fifth top ten single in the UK. For its single release, We Want the Same Thing was totally remixed from a Country flavoured track to a massive Pop hit.

Track listing

# "Leave a Light On" (Rick Nowels, Ellen Shipley) - 4:33
# "Runaway Horses" (Nowels, Shipley) - 4:42
# "Vision of You" (Nowels, Shipley) - 4:40
# "Summer Rain" (Robbie Seidman, Maria Vidal) - 5:25
# "La Luna" (Nowels, Shipley) - 4:43
# "(We Want) the Same Thing" (Nowels, Shipley) - 4:03
# "Deep Deep Ocean" (Tom Kelly, Amy Sky, Billy Steinberg) - 4:05
# "Valentine" (David Munday, Sandy Stewart) - 5:03
# "Whatever It Takes" (Nowels, Shipley) - 4:47
# "Shades of Michaelangelo" (Charlotte Caffey, Carlisle) - 5:52

*Limited collector's edition:11. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (live):12. "Circle in the Sand" (beach party mix)

Charts

Personnel

*Kenny Aronoff — drums
*Bekka Bramlett — background vocals
*Paul Buckmaster — conductor, string arrangements
*Luis Conte — percussion, bongos, shaker, native American drums
*N'Dea Davenport — background vocals
*Donna De Lory — background vocals
*Marc DeSisto — mixing
*Lawrence Ethan — assistant engineer
*Robert Feist — engineer
*Lori Fumar — assistant engineer
*Laura Harding — background vocals, production coordination
*George Harrison — twelve string guitar, slide guitar, 6-string bass
*Jimmie Haskell — accordion
*X.Y. Jones — electric guitar
*Charles Judge — piano, keyboard
*David Leonard — engineer
*Steve MacMillan — engineer, mixing
*Steve Marcantonio — engineer
*Stephen Marcussen — mastering

*Dave Meegan — engineer
*Norman Moore — art direction, design
*David Munday — bass, guitar, keyboard, drum programming
*Rick Nowels — acoustic guitar, guitar, arranger, electric guitar, keyboard, producer, spanish guitar
*Sid Page — violin
*John Pierce — bass
*Rudy Richman — drums
*Herb Ritts — photography
*Ellen Shipley — background vocals
*Ben Shultz — acoustic guitar, guitar, twelve string guitar
*Sandy Stewart — piano
*Scott Symington — assistant engineer
*Carmen Twillie — background vocals
*Maria Vidal — background vocals
*Randy Wine — assistant engineer
*Shelly Yakus — mixing
*Monalisa Young — background vocals
*Bryan Adams — background vocal on "Whatever It Takes"
*Steve Lukather — guitar on "(We Want) The Same Thing"

References