The song has a lot of energy, with a bass-heavy beat and driving rhythm suitable for dancing, or at least head-bobbing. But a listen to the lyrics reveals the terrifying intent, as we find out why we're being warned to run like hell: Feel the bile rising from your guilty past With your nerves in tatters as the cockleshell shatters And the hammers batter down your door You better run It's a key track in the concept album The Wall, which tells the story of a rock star named Pink whose childhood traumas lead to madness and demagoguery. In "Run Like Hell" he goes off the rails, turning into a dictator who incites his fans - now his followers - to violence.
Like the last few songs on the album The Wall, "Run Like Hell" draws parallels to Hitler's rise to power and downfall. The theme is based on the dreaded Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass" translated from German) on November 9, 1938, which came during his order of terror. Nazis raided Jewish businesses and synagogues, places of recreation, even homes; throwing people out, destroying what they could. Many were killed and hundreds injured, and 7,500 business and 177 synagogues were destroyed. This story is visualized in the 1982 movie adaptation of The Wall, where during this song we see Pink lead a wave of terror, targeting minorities and opponents.
Extracted from The Wall, the sinister meaning behind the song is mostly lost - the lyrics come off more like rock and roll posturing. Still, it was released as a single in many countries, including America, so it got lots of radio play taking it out of context. Pink Floyd generally tried to keep the songs on their concept albums tied together so this wouldn't happen, but they made some exceptions for The Wall, largely for financial reasons - despite being one of the biggest bands in the world, they were shockingly close to bankruptcy due to accounting malpractice and high taxes in England. The first single from the album was "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)," a #1 hit in most places it was released, including the US and UK. They gave "Run Like Hell" a more limited release (it wasn't issued in their native UK), but it was the second single, chosen because it had such a catchy rhythm and compressed nicely into a 3:41 pop song, lyrics be damned! In America it went to #53 in May 1980, three months after "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)" topped the chart.
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