Released 4 November 1985 Recorded 1985 Length 6:14
4:09 (7") | Format 7" Genre Soft rock Label Atlantic | |
"Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" is a song performed by Mike + The Mechanics. Written by Mike Rutherford and B. A. Robertson, it was the first track from their 1985 self-titled debut album. It was also released as the band's first single, reaching number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it stayed for five weeks. It reached No. 21 in the band's native United Kingdom.
Contents
Paul Carrack provided lead vocals on the song. The song's original title was simply "Silent Running"; the name extension was given when the song was chosen to appear in the 1986 movie On Dangerous Ground, which was titled Choke Canyon in the United States.
The song was banned by the BBC during the Gulf War due to its address of war, nationalism and religion, as well as a direct reference to weaponry in the line, "There's a gun and ammunition just inside the doorway."
The Protomen released a cover of the song as a mash-up with their own song, "Breaking Out" in 2012 as a B-Side to their single "I Drove All Night", with an extended cover of the song later appearing as the final song on their 2015 album, The Cover Up.
In August 2015, a cover of the song was used in an Assassin's Creed Syndicate trailer showcasing the two lead protagonists Evie and Jacob. The cover was performed by Hidden Citizens.
Composition and meaning
"Silent Running" was one of the first songs to come from the Rutherford/Robertson songwriting partnership. It was, in fact, one of a series of songs that the two wrote simply to test how effective collaboration between them would be. When producer Christopher Neil heard it on a demo tape that Rutherford played for him, however, he recommended that it be used for the album.
According to Rutherford, the song
is about a guy who's traveled light-years away, out in space somewhere, and he's ahead in time. Therefore he knows what's going to happen to his wife and kids back home, on Earth. And he's trying to get the message to them to say what's going to happen, the kind of anarchy, the breakdown of society, to tell them to be prepared.
When Rutherford was looking for a title for this particular song, he says, "I called it 'Silent Running', because I remembered that film so well, and our song, had a spacey feel to it."
Music video
The song's video features a few clips from the film Choke Canyon, but is primarily based on the completely unrelated story on which the song's lyrics are based. Billy Drago makes a cameo appearance in the video.