"Runaway Train" is a power ballad by American alternative rock band Soul Asylum. Its music video is notable for featuring images of missing people, most of them young children and teenagers. Lead singer Dave Pirner has stated that the lyrics originally described his experience of depression.
"Runaway Train" was released in June 1993 as the fourth single from the band's 1992 album, Grave Dancers Union, and became a success around the world. It reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and climbed to the top position on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, earning a gold sales certification from the Recording Industry Association of America and selling 600,000 copies in the US. Outside North America, it reached number two in New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland and peaked within the top five on the charts on several other European countries. The song helped bring Grave Dancers Union to a multi-platinum level and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994.