Great White started their career as Dante Fox, playing their first gig in 1981 at The Troubadour in Hollywood, California. After recording several demos, the band chose as manager Alan Niven, who had worked for the independent distributor Greenworld in Torrance, California and had dealt with Mötley Crüe's debut self-release. Niven suggested the name change from Dante Fox after seeing singer Jack Russell introduce Mark Kendall (guitarist) during his solo as "Mark Kendall, the Great White", due to his naturally white-blonde hair, white Fender Telecaster guitar, white jumpsuit, and white Capezio shoes. In 1982, founding members Mark Kendall, Jack Russell, drummer Gary Holland, and bassist Lorne Black recorded and released a 5-song EP, Out of the Night, on the independent label Aegean formed by Niven. Niven then convinced the Los Angeles radio station KMET to begin adding songs from the EP to its playlist in heavy rotation. KLOS-FM soon did the same. The band suddenly went from drawing 100 people to a local club to drawing thousands in L.A. concert halls such as Perkins Palace in Pasadena, The Palace in Hollywood and the Country Club in Reseda. As an unsigned act, Great White headlined at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia playing to 6,250 people. Near the end of 1983, EMI America signed the band and subsequently released Great White's eponymous debut album ('Great White') in early 1984. The band immediately toured the UK supporting Whitesnake's Slide It In tour and the entire US and Canada opening for Judas Priest's Defenders of the Faith tour. 'Shot in the Dark', their follow-up independent release, marked the arrival of drummer Audie Desbrow. By the time Capitol Records signed the band and reissued Shot in the Dark, keyboardist-guitarist Michael Lardie had come aboard. After the release of Shot in the Dark, Great White hit the road with Dokken and was on the verge of even bigger success.
The band hit the mainstream in 1987 when they released 'Once Bitten', which featured the hits "Rock Me" and "Save Your Love". Once Bitten... was certified platinum in April 1988.
The band followed up with '...Twice Shy' in 1989. The album included their biggest hit, "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", a cover of a UK hit single by Ian Hunter. They received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The album was certified platinum in July 1989 and then double platinum in September of that same year. The model Bobbie Brown (also known for being in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" video) appeared in the video for "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". They finished off the 80s touring in support of ...Twice Shy as headliners and with some best known bands, such as Bon Jovi.
In 1990, the band featured in the heavy metal video series Hard 'N' Heavy containing music, concert footage and interviews. The video included Slash and Duff from Guns N' Roses appearing with the band at a Children of the Night Benefit concert in L.A., the performance helping to raise money for housing abused homeless children. Both bands shared the same manager, Alan Niven at the time.
The band continued into the next decade performing the song "House of Broken Love" at the American Music Awards in January 1990. In March, Great White embarked on their first tour of Japan. They returned to the United States for the Memorial Day weekend festival dubbed The World Series of Rock, which featured Whitesnake, Skid Row, Bad English, and Hericane Alice. Great White recorded two more albums for Capitol Records, 'Hooked', which was certified gold, and 'Psycho City'. In support of Hooked, Great White did a tour as headliner tour, had a guest slot with German metal band Scorpions and travelled to Europe and Japan. Psycho City was followed by a US tour with Kiss.
Capitol issued the compilation 'The Best of Great White 1986-1992' in 1993, when Great White had already departed the label to begin work on their next studio release, 'Sail Away'. Before the release of the album, Great White spent seven months on the road headlining clubs. According to Lardie, it was "the longest stint we ever did without a break." Great White kept up the pace once Sail Away was released on Zoo Records in 1994, touring the US several times over the following year and a half. Their next release, Let It Rock, was released in 1996 through yet another label, Imago Records.
In 1999, the band released 'Can't Get There from Here' and embarked on a tour with Ratt, Poison, and L.A. Guns. The album featured the single "Rollin' Stoned", which managed to chart at No. 8 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
In a memo dated 20 January 2000 Mark Kendall announced he was leaving Great White, shortly thereafter both Audie Desbrow and Sean McNabb left Great White. Kendall was replaced by guitarist Matthew Johnson. Desbrow, clearly very unhappy with the financial state of the band posted a tirade on his website lambasting Jack Russell and Michael Lardie, while claiming to have been "fired" from Great White. Meanwhile, it was rumored that Sean McNabb was fired for going to management and asking to see the accounting books. Despite only having one original member left, the band announced plans to begin work on a new album in late 2000. Early in the process, some of the new songs were played for John Kalodner at Columbia Records. It was mutually agreed that the "magic was gone" and the band decided their heart was not in the recording process. They subsequently left Columbia Records and discontinued work on the new album. On 5 November 2001 Jack Russell announced the end of Great White, stating that he was moving on, and that Great White would play one final farewell show on 31 December 2001 at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, CA. Both Kendall and McNabb rejoined the band for the farewell show, recorded for a live CD entitled 'Thank You...Goodnight!' released by Knight Records. The live album includes two new tracks, "Back to the Rhythm" and "Play On" from their discontinued studio sessions, both of which would ultimately wind up on their reunion album 'Back to the Rhythm' in 2007.
In late 2002, in part due to his failure to attract good audiences while on the road with his solo band, Jack Russell contacted Kendall, who himself was struggling to gain an audience on his own. Kendall agreed to play some dates with Russell's band, allowing Russell to use the name Great White once again. Billed as "Jack Russell's Great White," the tour was to consist primarily of classic songs from the Great White catalog with some of Russell's solo work mixed in. Eventually, more dates were added and the tour extended through the early months of 2003.
The band returned to the national spotlight on 20 February 2003. At the beginning of a Great White performance at The Station night club in Rhode Island, pyrotechnics used by the band's crew created a spray of sparks that ignited the foam soundproofing material in the ceiling around the stage. One hundred people including the band's guitarist Ty Longley, died in the fire that followed. In 2008 the band agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and victims' relatives of the fire while admitting to no wrongdoing. This amount also covers former tour manager Daniel Biechele along with the band members, record label, and management as it existed at the time of the fire. The settlement was the maximum allowed under the band's insurance plan. Victims had previously received $3.8 million raised by United Way of America.
Though the media referred to the band as "Great White" following the tragedy in Rhode Island, the band was officially performing under the moniker of "Jack Russell's Great White" at the time of the incident. In fact, prior to the fire, the band's official website posted a message stating that Great White had not re-formed. It's unclear when the band began officially going by "Great White" again.
Great White played their first full show following the Rhode Island tragedy on 22 July, starting a benefit tour for the survivors and victims of the fire. The band toured until 2005 to raise funds for the Station Family Fund, which had been set up to help the victims of the tragedy. In late 2005, citing "medical reasons", the band canceled the second half of their summer tour. The "medical reasons" turned out to be Jack Russell's addictions to alcohol and cocaine. This was the end of this version of Great White, as Jack Russell entered rehabilitation and did not perform again until 2007. Russell used the year of 2006 to get sober and get a facelift that was detailed on ExtraTV. Russell later referred to this incarnation of Great White as "Fake White", saying "It still sounded like Great White, but not – almost like we were doing a cover of ourselves."
Talk of a reunion of Great White began in a 2004 interview. Later in 2006, guitarist Mark Kendall officially announced that Great White had re-formed its classic lineup. The re-formed lineup of Russell, Kendall, Lardie, McNabb and Desbrow played their first date together in more than 5 years on 27 January 2007 at the Keyclub in Hollywood performing in the Harpseals.org Benefit Concert for the Seals 2007. In 2008, bassist Sean McNabb left Great White to concentrate on a career in theater and acting. McNabb was promptly replaced with Scott Snyder (Ramos, Accomplice). McNabb went on to join Dokken.
Great White released their album, 'Rising', on 13 March 2009 in Europe via Frontiers Records and on 21 April in the US.
In 2010, Jani Lane of Warrant filled in for Jack Russell, while Russell recuperated from surgery after suffering a perforated bowel. Terry Ilous (XYZ) replaced Jack Russell at the Coach House during the summer of 2010, and Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot, King Kobra) filled in for Russell when Great White performed at Stockholm Rock Out Festival in September. In December 2011, Russell formed a new incarnation of Great White with a brand-new lineup under the name of "Jack Russell's Great White".
On 18 March 2012 Great White announced their first new album with Ilous, 'Elation' , to be released in May that year, along with a live album ('30 Years: Live From The Sunset Strip') and a concert DVD of the band's 30th-anniversary show at the Key Club in Hollywood on 22 March.
Lorne Black, Great White's original bassist, who performed and recorded with the group up through the Once Bitten album, died on September 27, 2013. He was 50 years old.
On June 2, 2017, Great White released their most recent studio effort, 'Full Circle', on Bluez Tone Records, with Wagener as the producer. The song "Big Time" was released as the first single and video. On July 9, 2018, Great White announced that they had parted ways with Terry Illous as their singer and he was replaced by Mitch Malloy.
On May 31, 2022, Great White announced vocalist Andrew Freeman of Last In Line replaced Malloy as the band's lead singer and frontman.
Run Away
Great White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The strangers in the night
A city full of broken hearts
Burning like white light
The streets are made of promises
You never get to keep
The streets are full of dreamers
You come to me for easy livin'
Starlight in your eyes
Don't you know it's all or nothin'
Leave before you cry
Run away
You never liked what daddy said
He never understands
The heartaches of a little girl
Who needs a magic man
Young hearts chasing images
Along the boulevards
Young hearts lose their innocence
Reaching after stars
You come to me for easy lovin'
Diamonds in your eyes
Don't you see the fall that's comin'
Leave before you cry
Run Away
Great White's "Run Away" describes the temptation of the city, the false promises held within it, and the vulnerability of the dreamers that it attracts. The opening lines, "Surrounded by a thousand eyes//The strangers in the night//A city full of broken hearts//Burning like white light," paint a picture of a bustling city where people are looking for something or someone to hold on to. The city is thrilling and exciting at first but ultimately leaves its dwellers disappointed and brokenhearted.
The second stanza, "The streets are made of promises//You never get to keep//The streets are full of dreamers//Walking in their sleep," describes the cycle of hope and disillusionment that takes hold of those who come to the city. The streets are layered with unfulfilled promises and those who chase them are unaware of the harsh reality that awaits them.
The chorus, "Run away//You never liked what daddy said//He never understands//The heartaches of a little girl//Who needs a magic man," shows how the singer is driven to the city to find something that was missing in her previous life. The magic man could be a metaphor for a prince charming-like figure that she hopes to find in the city. The coming-of-age aspect of the song shows how the singer is ultimately disappointed with the city and must leave before it takes everything away from her.
Overall, "Run Away" is a cautionary tale of the city's false promises and the vulnerability of those who are trying to find themselves in it. The song shows how the city can leave people heartbroken and lost if they are not careful.
Line by Line Meaning
Surrounded by a thousand eyes
Feeling overwhelmed by the attention and scrutiny of those around you
The strangers in the night
Being surrounded by unfamiliar faces in an unfamiliar place at night
A city full of broken hearts
Being in a place where many people have experienced heartbreak and disappointment
Burning like white light
The intensity of emotions, whether it be passion, pain or both, that permeate the atmosphere
The streets are made of promises
The illusion of hope and opportunity that the city seems to offer
You never get to keep
The realization that those promises are often difficult, if not impossible, to fulfill
The streets are full of dreamers
The many people who come to the city with aspirations of making it big
Walking in their sleep
Being so consumed by their goals and dreams that they are unaware of the harsh realities surrounding them
You come to me for easy livin'
The artist is being sought out as an easy solution to their problems, providing comfort and escape from the hardships of life
Starlight in your eyes
The naivety and hopefulness of the individual seeking refuge
Don't you know it's all or nothin'
The singer is warning the individual that this decision to run away is of great importance and must be committed to fully
Leave before you cry
The potential costs of leaving everything behind must be considered before making this critical decision
Run away
The lamentable conclusion the individual must come to in order to find the relief they seek
You never liked what daddy said
The individual recalls past disapproval and the perceived failure of family relationships
He never understands
This feeling of isolation from loved ones who are unable to support them
The heartaches of a little girl
The memories of past pain and suffering that fuel the desire to escape
Who needs a magic man
The desire for a savior or someone to magically fix everything
Young hearts chasing images
The youthfulness and inexperience that leads to chasing unattainable goals or illusions
Along the boulevards
The aspirations and desires typically associated with Hollywood and the American Dream
Young hearts lose their innocence
The inevitable disappointment and defeats faced by those who come to the city seeking something that cannot be achieved
Reaching after stars
The refusal to acknowledge the reality of the situation and the attempts to achieve impossible goals
You come to me for easy lovin'
The artist is being sought after for comfort and sexual pleasure
Diamonds in your eyes
The allure of wealth and glamour that can be achieved through certain means
Don't you see the fall that's comin'
The artist warns the individual that their decisions will have negative consequences in the future
Leave before you cry
The singer urges the individual to leave before they experience the pain and heartbreak they are trying to escape
Run Away
The final decision that must be made in order to seek refuge and escape from the disappointment and disillusionment of life
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alan Niven, Stephan Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Savatage1964
Not only an underrated album from Great White, this is practically an unknown one, period. But it always had been my favorite vinyl from these guys through the years. There is not a bad song on here and this song, when played at high volume on Infinity Studio Monitor speakers, absolutely gives me goose bumps. The harmonies, the bass drum, the reverb guitar, bass line... Everything about this song ROCKS! Enjoy everyone.
Jake LaGuna
I agree Sav... This was one of the first albums of the 80's released on 32 track recording vs the old analog 16 track recording... I love these guys... Seen them so many times back in the 80s-90s and they never disappointed...Jack's voice was better live...
Michael S
I heard this band on an episode of LA Law, in the 80's. Went to the record store and played the cassette till it stopped. Great album. Maybe 86?
Matt Burks
I heard Great White's Twice Shy in 7th grade and began buying there old albums. This was my favorite by them.
Savatage1964
@Matt Burks Their black album (at least the one I have) is also a great one. "Out of the Night" just rips it from the start.
And their cover of The Who 's "Substitute"... WOW!! Blistering...
Another album with not a bad song on it by far. And the first I ever got...
Matt Burks
@Savatage1964 I have their first "black" album and it is good, but I personally love this album more. Just my preferred taste I guess.
Steven Shattuck
Had this song on single cassette and loved it
Christian Lardy
Badass album. I bought it when it came out.
Darren Tolentino
This is GREAT WHITES' BEST: ALBUM/CD! IT'S WHEN LOS ANGELES, CA. REALLY "ROCKED" THE WORLD WITH 'GREAT BANDS'!
Bill Vrabel
great song!