Runrig began in 1973 as a three-piece named the "Run Rig Dance Band", its members comprising Calum Macdonald and Rory Macdonald, and their friend, accordionist Blair Douglas. The line-up played its first gig at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. Donnie Munro joined the following year and the band started to expand outside its native Skye. Douglas left the band in late 1974 and was replaced by Robert Macdonald, with Campbell Gunn joining for a brief spell in 1976. This line-up continued until 1978, when Blair Douglas re-joined and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Jones became guitarist, both displacing Macdonald. This lasted until the following year when Douglas left again to pursue a solo career. 1980 saw the arrival of drummer Iain Bayne (ex-New Celeste) and 1981 that of keyboard player Richard Cherns. Cherns left in February 1986 and was replaced by ex-Big Country member Peter Wishart. This formed what became known as the classic line-up for the next 11 years.
In 1997, lead singer Donnie Munro left the band for a career in politics, but later resumed his musical career to become a solo artist. The remaining members contemplated splitting up, but after a long search they replaced Donnie with Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Guthro. This issue has divided Runrig's fan base; some argue that the loss of Donnie's highly distinctive vocals and his ability to sing in both Gaelic and English has not been truly compensated for by Bruce, whose vocal style is much lighter and who is not a Gaelic speaker. Others claim that the fact that Bruce has such a different voice has allowed Runrig to evolve musically in ways that it might not have done were Donnie still with them.
In 2001, Peter Wishart, the band's keyboard player, left after being elected Member of Parliament for the constituency of Tayside North for the Scottish National Party. Brian Hurren stepped in to take Wishart's place in the band.
The band "pulled down the curtain" on their 45 year career with a final concert in Stirling on 18th August 2018, titled "The Last Dance".
Membership
- Bruce Guthro (Lead vocals, guitar)
- Rory Macdonald (Songwriter, bass, vocals)
- Calum Macdonald (Songwriter, percussion)
- Malcolm Jones[ (Guitars, pipes, accordion)
- Iain Bayne (Drums)
- Brian Hurren (Keyboards, vocals)
Past members
- Donnie Munro (Lead vocals, guitar)
- Peter Wishart (Keyboards)
- Richard Cherns (Keyboards)
- Blair Douglas (Accordion, keyboards)
- Robert Macdonald (Accordion)
- Campbell Gunn (Vocals)
Glory Road
Runrig Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your beauty in the blue
Let′s go dancing for survival
To the lyric of your youth
The way you sing will shine out
Illuminate the way you grow
Capture your heart it's breaking
To celebrate your giving
The beauty in the pure
So resurrect the bards
Liberate the word inspired
You know that joy like great art
Should take you to the skies
The dark side of the soul
You′ve never known you never will
Eisd ri eubh do mhian
Eisd ri eubh do mhian
Eisd ri eubh do mhian
The lyrics to Runrig's song "Glory Road" evoke a sense of excitement and urgency, mingled with a deep reverence for the world and its beauty. The opening lines, "Footprints around the world / Your beauty in the blue," suggest a vast and wondrous landscape that is waiting to be explored. The idea of "going dancing for survival" suggests a sense of celebration and freedom, even in difficult times.
The lyrics also suggest a deep love and respect for the power of music and poetry. The line "The way you sing will shine out / Illuminate the way you grow" suggests that music can be a guiding light, helping us to find our way in the world and to grow and evolve as individuals. The idea of "resurrecting the bards" and "liberating the word inspired" speaks to the transformative power of art and literature.
The song's chorus, "Eisd ri eubh do mhian," which translates from Scottish Gaelic to "Listen to the marrow of your desire," reinforces the idea that we should follow our deepest passions and desires, allowing them to guide us on our journey through life. The closing lines, "You know that joy like great art / Should take you to the skies," suggest that by following our creative passions, we can experience a sense of transcendence and freedom that can lift us up and carry us forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Footprints around the world
The impact of your presence has been felt across the globe
Your beauty in the blue
Your magnificence is reflected in the vastness of the sky
Let's go dancing for survival
We must dance to live, to find the inner strength to survive
To the lyric of your youth
Let us dance to the rhythm of the song that once defined our youth
The way you sing will shine out
Your voice holds the power to illuminate
Illuminate the way you grow
Use your voice to light up your path to growth
Capture your heart, it's breaking
Hold onto your heart as it breaks, cherish the pain as a sign of your humanity
To celebrate your giving
Celebrate the generosity of your spirit
The beauty in the pure
Find beauty in the genuine, the authentic
So resurrect the bards
Revive the poets, the storytellers, the artists who inspire us
Liberate the word inspired
Set free the words that move us, that awaken our souls
You know that joy like great art
You understand that true joy is like a masterpiece of art
Should take you to the skies
It should lift you up, transport you to a higher plane
The dark side of the soul
The unseen parts of ourselves, where our fears and flaws reside
You've never known, you never will
No one can ever fully know or understand the depths of another's soul
Eisd ri eubh do mhian
Listen to the voice of your desire
Eisd ri eubh do mhian
Listen to the voice of your desire
Writer(s): Calum Macdonald, Rory Macdonald
Contributed by Layla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jataricky
One of the best Runrig -Songs!
@carolmcguffie4641
Donnie is outstanding.
@bryansutherland8849
Im wondering if bruce ever sung this song for runrig as i know bruce sung harvest moon with runrig 👍 just love the choices on YouTube i can pick and choose from 2great singers in 45 yrs =1 of the worlds bestest groups RUNRIG
@RunrigFan
He did
@sn4rff
💙🤍💙
@deathrotor
it might just be me but this soundss slightly off compared to the disc version i have of this like everythig has been balanced wrong but i guess on the cd version i may have a remastered version of the song (aka rebalanced in studio) the good instrumentals and the singing sounds slightly muffled to me
@matteomeda5237
Guess many basses and mediums cutted of because of ripping. They probably ripped video + audio altogether directly from analogic without making any overmix.