Running Out of Time (song)

In September 2022, Paramore announced the release of their sixth studio album, This Is Why. On September 16, 2022, the band released the album's lead single, "This Is Why", and two weeks later they announced that they would go on tour in October 2022 to promote the album.[1][2] The band released the album's second single, "The News" on December 8, 2022,[3] and the third single, "C'est Comme Ça" on January 12, 2023.[4] This Is Why was released on February 10, 2023.[5] In the lead-up to the album's release, the band distributed flexi disc singles of "Running Out of Time".[6]

"Running Out of Time" was released as a single on May 23, 2023, by Atlantic Records.[7] The song was written by Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and Zac Farro, and recorded and produced by Carlos de la Garza in Los Angeles.[8][9] According to lead singer Hayley Williams, the song was written in the early stages of the album; she conceived the chorus first, and then wrote the lyrics.[10] Williams said that, in writing the song, she "wanted to challenge [herself] to write about ordinary things".[11] She also stated that writing about "mundane thing[s]" had "kept [her] from getting all deep and dark" but that "expanding on those feelings isn't all that different from the anxieties a lot of us feel about living on planet earth in 2023".[11]

The band premiered "Running Out of Time" at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 7.[12] To introduce the song, Williams said: "This is a song about how I'm late to everything. ... It's really not that deep unless you want to think about the planet dying. Then it can be that deep."[12] The band played the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 14.[13] The music video for the song was released on February 16.[14]

On October 6, 2023, Paramore released a remix album of This Is Why containing a remix of "Running Out of Time" by Panda Bear.[15][16]

Paramore performing on April 20, 2023, during the This Is Why Tour

"Running Out of Time" has been described as a pop rock and dance-rock song.[17][16] The song opens on the off beat with a bluesy guitar riff, which resolves into F-sharp major for the verse. The verse, with a syncopated beat, has Williams singing over chromatic mediant and stable tonic chords, and features sixth chords. The pre-chorus features the same chords as the verse, but shifts its rhythm to be less syncopated. In the bridge, the guitar takes on a groovy tone, and Williams sings several blue notes.[17]

The lyrics of "Running Out of Time" discuss time management and anxiety,[14] with Williams repeating the lyric "I ran out of time" as an excuse for failing to do several personal tasks, such as walking her dog, bringing flowers to her neighbor, or sending condolences.[11][18] Writing for Rolling Stone, Larisha Paul said that the song's "arsenal of excuses" create "metaphorical fires and hyperbolic deadlines" regarding Williams' habitually late arrivals.[13] In The Line of Best Fit, Steven Loftin wrote that the song is about "ditching out on plans under the guise of existential dread".[19] On the other hand, Sputnik Music noted that the lyrics "Intentions only get you so far, a harsh reality to discover" address the feeling of being overwhelmed by the desire to improve oneself.[20] In a review for Stereogum, Vivek Maddala analyzed the song's structure and composition and concluded that they reflect the song's themes: for example, starting the guitar riff on the off beat creates a sense of rushing, reflecting the theme of running out of time.[17]

Other critics have noted that "Running Out of Time" addresses broader social anxieties over aging, death, and losing friends. Alexis Petridis wrote in The Guardian that the song captures the fear of growing up and confronting the anxiety of death.[21] In The New Yorker, Carrie Battan wrote that the song addresses millennials' contemporary anxieties, such as becoming antisocial and growing older, and is illustrative of a broader cultural turn to nostalgia.[22] Mary Sikory in Consequence also linked the song's theme of running out of time to music's nostalgic return to genres that were popular in the early 2000s, like pop-punk and emo.[9]

Williams has said that "Running Out of Time" is about how she is "horrific at time management",[11] and also a reflection on her intentions and character.[9][10] In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, Williams said that the song was also influenced by her friendship with Taylor Swift. Williams recalled Swift showing her a closet full of items to give people as gifts, and she thought, "Oh my God, my life is so not together" and "I can barely remember to send someone a card or flowers."[23]

"Running Out of Time" was positively reviewed by critics for its tone. Bobby Olivier in Spin praised the song's theme and lyrics, calling the track "playful" and "an anthem for enemies of punctuality". He described it as "a sequel to Afroman's 'Because I Got High'".[24] For NPR Music, Clarissa Brooks wrote that the song was one of the album's "standout tracks" and that it explored the post-COVID-19 pandemic cultural milieu in a "refreshing kind of snark[y]" tone.[25] Phoebe Flys in Classic Rock called the song a "siren call to the tardy" that was "underpin[ned]" by "exasperation".[26] The Alternative called the song "a well-performed, well-produced piece of nothing".[16]

Other critics praised "Running Out of Time" for its musical composition, particularly its balance of disparate elements. Helen Brown in The Independent said: "Williams’ shrieks of 'Be there in five!' are prettily balanced by sweetly crooned backing vocals".[18] No Ripcord called the song "sprightly", favorably comparing its "jump[y]", "choppy verses and svelte hooks" to the "shoehorned" sound of the "disaffected sing-speak" and "childish chorus" on "C'est Comme Ça".[27] Clash likewise compared the track with "C'est Comme Ça", contrasting Williams' "wonderfully conspicuous staccato vocals" on the latter with "guitarist Taylor York’s glitchy anacrusis" on the former.[28] In Paste, Grant Sharples said that the track "balance[d] ... atmospheric textures and syncopated buoyancy", calling it "simply put, really fucking fun".[29]

Billboard ranked "Running Out of Time" the third best track on the album, and stated that it was "accessible" and a "standout".[30] Mary Sikory of Consequence rated it an "essential track".[9] As of September 2023, the song has peaked at number 18 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart,[31] 74 on the UK Singles Chart,[32] and 18 and 32 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Rock Airplay charts, respectively.[33][34]

Hayley Williams wears vintage Vivienne Westwood (pictured in 2011) in the song's music video.

Paramore released a music video for "Running Out of Time", directed by Ivanna Borin.[11][14] The music video depicts lead singer Hayley Williams being pulled into an Alice in Wonderland-themed world from a recording studio, where the instruments have come to life and begun to approach her.[35][36][37] After entering the world through a guitar case, Williams, along with guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro, navigate through a colorful world reflecting the anxieties of the song's lyrics.[35] The band members, whose limbs have grown several feet in length, work through unusual situations and then run on a running track in outer space back to the studio, where it is revealed that Williams has been daydreaming.[38] Adrian Garro, writing for Rock Cellar Magazine, compared the music video to 1990s videos by Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins.[39]

The "Running Out of Time" music video features Williams wearing several outfits. Williams wears vintage Vivienne Westwood, including a corset from her 1990 Portrait collection and a golden dress from her Spring/Summer 2016 collection. Lindsey Hartman, the band's stylist, said that Westwood was her and Williams' "ultimate hero" and that they decided to commemorate her when they filmed the music video in 2022 shortly after her death. Williams also wears a red Rodarte dress while running on the track at the end of the music video;[40] Williams has since worn Rodarte on the This Is Why Tour.[41]

Credits are from the liner notes for This is Why.[8]