Best Songs of 2015 – #10
‘Run Away With Me’ – Carly Rae Jepsen
One of my big surprises in reading a ton of year-end wrap ups was how often I saw Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest album, E•MO•TION, listed among the best records of 2015.
It’s not that I don’t consider Jepsen capable of greatness — ‘Call Me Maybe’ alone proves she has considerable hit-making chops — but I figured if she had released a monster pop album, it would have done monster business.
Instead, E•MO•TION was a commercial disaster, barely charting in the U.S. or internationally. Sure, lead single ‘I Really Like You’ got a minor bump after the debut of its Tom Hanks-starring video, which had a viral moment. But otherwise… silence.
That’s too bad, because Jepsen has crafted a sparkling 80s throwback album packed with potential hits. If Taylor Swift had released this album instead of 1989, it too would be exploding on the charts. Perhaps these songs will find some life down the road (the way Walk the Moon’s ‘Shut Up and Dance’ charted a full year after its release).
Just about every song on E•MO•TION is a blast, so I’ll give the nod to album opener ‘Run Away With Me,’ which kicks the whole thing off in sparkling fashion.
You’re stuck in my head
Stuck on my heart
Stuck on my body, body
I wanna go
Get out of here
I’m sick of the party, party
I’d run away
I’d run away with you
[Verse 2]
This is the part
You’ve got to say
All that you’re feeling, feeling
Packing a bag
Leaving tonight
When everyone’s sleeping, sleeping
Let’s run away
I’ll run away with you
[Pre-Chorus]
Cause you make me feel like
I could be driving you all night
And I’ll find your lips in the streetlights
I wanna be there with you, ooh
[Chorus]
Baby, take me to the feeling
I’ll be your sinner in secret
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
Baby, every single minute
I’ll be your hero and win it
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
[Verse 3]
Up in the clouds
High as a kite
Over the city, city
We never sleep
We never try
When you are with me, with me
I wanna stay
I wanna stay here with you, ooh
[Pre-Chorus]
Cause you make me feel like
I could be driving you all night
And I’ll find your lips in the streetlights
I wanna be there with you, ooh
[Chorus]
Baby, take me to the feeling
I’ll be your sinner in secret
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
Baby, every single minute
I’ll be your hero and win it
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
[Bridge]
Hold on to me I never want to let you go, ooh
(Run away with me, run away with me)
Over the weekend we could turn the world to gold, ooh
(Run away with me, run away with me)
(We could turn the world to gold)
Over the weekend we could turn the world to gold
[Chorus]
My baby, take me to the feeling (take me to, take me to it)
I’ll be your sinner, in secret (oh when the lights go)
When the lights go out
Run away with me (just run away)
Run away with me (with me)
(Oh yeah yeah)
Every single minute
I’ll be your hero and win it
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
[Outro]
Run away with me
Run away with me
Run away with me
Run away with me
Meet Me In Montauk 
Though “Call Me Maybe” was an addictive pop confection, I don’t think Jepsen has the songwriting chops or originality of Swift. I suspect she may end up being closer to a one hit wonder.