"Running" is a song written by Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani for No Doubt's fifth studio album Rock Steady (2001) and was released worldwide as the album's fourth and final single on July 1, 2003. The song was also used on the last episode of the TV series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch in 2003.

The song received mixed reviews from music critics and was compared to Depeche Mode-style songs. The song only charted on the official charts of the United States, where it became the band's lowest charting single, and in Germany, where it had longest charting period. The song was accompanied by a music video which was directed by Chris Hafner, which featured many old and new pictures as well as clippings of the band members.

The song was written by Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal in Kanal's living room. They used an old Yamaha keyboard that Kanal's father had purchased for him when he was in eighth grade and developed the song's harmony first and then wrote the lyrics. The band worked on the track to give it a "spacier sound" but were displeased with the result so they took the song to producer Nellee Hooper, who stripped Running down to the basics.The song was then produced by him, with whom Stefani collaborated again for her solo project two years later. Whatever the intent, the result was a track that resonated with catchy "Mario Bros." background instrumentation throughout the entire song.

Running received mixed reviews from music critics. Blender characterized the song as "twenty-first-century Blondie" and compared its synthesizers and restrained vocal to the work of Depeche Mode.Rolling Stone also made the comparison to Depeche Mode and compared the song's "two-finger synth riff" to the work of Yazoo and Erasure.PopMatters, however, stated that the song fell short and was more appropriate for "some Britney clone".Stylus Magazine agreed, calling Running sophomoric, and commented that "this is the kind of song that makes Gwen so popular with the pre-teen girlies."Slant Magazine described the song as a "super-polished Saturn leftover", and Entertainment Weekly portrayed the song as a paean in which No Doubt performed inside a music box, remarking that "it could be a contender for the coolest wedding song ever."

...
Wikipedia