Run And Tell That! Lyrics – Hairspray

Song Overview

Run and Tell That is the movie-musical’s pulse check - Seaweed’s R&B manifesto that flips a hallway meet-up into a street-corner sermon on pride, appetite, and joy. In Hairspray (2007), Elijah Kelley’s Seaweed and Tayla Parx’s Little Inez plant the show’s most direct language about race inside a dance number that refuses to shrink. The track is preserved on Hairspray (Soundtrack to the Motion Picture), released July 10, 2007 on New Line Records and later issued digitally via WaterTower Music.

Review and Highlights

Marc Shaiman writes a backbeat built for motion - bass popping on the one, snare smiling on two and four - then lets Scott Wittman’s lyric talk plain. Kelley rides the pocket like he owns the block, snapping from croon to testify. When Little Inez steps forward, the arrangement widens: claps lift, harmonies crowd in, and the camera (on screen) follows with kinetic cuts. It plays like a rally and feels like oxygen.

Creation History

The number originates in the 2002 Broadway score, sung by Corey Reynolds with Little Inez; the 2007 film re-records it with Elijah Kelley and Tayla Parx, keeping the lyrical spine and tightening the R&B gloss for the screen mix. New Line released the soundtrack on July 10, 2007; WaterTower later stewarded digital catalog issues.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Seaweed clocks the world’s gaze and refuses to be shrunk by it. He invites Tracy and Penny into his neighborhood, then hands the mic to Little Inez, who answers with defiant joy. The scene links private crush energy to public purpose - it is both love song and civics lesson, staging the multiracial friendships that will push the Corny Collins Show toward integration.

Song Meaning

On paper it’s a groove. In practice it’s a manifesto about being seen - not “color blind,” but color proud. The food metaphors (“blacker the berry… darker the chocolate…”) flip appetite into affirmation, then the chorus title dares listeners to spread that news.

Annotations

“I can’t see why people look at me and only see the color of my face”

Seaweed names the first wall: being flattened to a surface. The verse doesn’t plead - it observes, then pivots to joy.

“Those that try to help… always have to put me in my place”

He clocks the performative ally - the helpful hand that still controls the frame. The song’s answer is self-definition.

“I won’t ask you to be color blind”

Refusal of erasure. The song argues for difference honored, not difference hidden.

“If you come and see the world I’m from… your heart is gonna feel it too”

Invitation, not lecture. He offers a tour of experience and lets rhythm do the persuasion.

“They’re tryin’ to make a dollar out o’ fifteen cent”

A proverb for survival. The lyric nods to folk vernacular, stretching back decades.

“The time is now… let’s all dance”

Strategy masked as party: integrate the dance floor first, then the airwaves.

Style and rhythm

R&B chassis with gospel torque. Call-and-response, handclaps, and a talk-back bridge that lets Little Inez light the fuse. It’s written to travel - from hallway to street to protest line - without losing breath.

Historical context

Set in 1962 Baltimore, the number carries the reality of segregation while aiming its joy forward. The show’s politics live here: dignity that dances.

Key Facts

• Artists: Elijah Kelley, Tayla Parx, with the Motion Picture Cast of Hairspray
• Composers/Lyricists: Marc Shaiman - music; Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman - lyrics
• Album: Hairspray (Soundtrack to the Motion Picture)
• Release Date: July 10, 2007 (original soundtrack)
• Label: New Line Records; later digital catalog via WaterTower Music
• YouTube audio ID (official): gcADPPvLKUs
• Stage origin: Introduced in the 2002 Broadway production; film version features Elijah Kelley and Tayla Parx

Questions and Answers

Who wrote “Run and Tell That”?

Music by Marc Shaiman; lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Who performs it in the 2007 film?

Elijah Kelley (Seaweed) with Tayla Parx (Little Inez) and the motion picture ensemble.

Is there an official upload?

Yes. WaterTower’s channel hosts an official soundtrack post for the track.

Where does it fall in the story?

Mid Act I - Seaweed and Little Inez voice pride and urgency, inviting Tracy and Penny into their world and momentum.

How did the soundtrack perform?

The album debuted high on Billboard charts, spent nine weeks in the top 10, went RIAA Gold in September 2007 and Platinum by December, and received a 2008 Grammy nomination.

Awards and Chart Positions

Soundtrack milestones: Released July 10, 2007, the album spent nine weeks in the Billboard 200 top 10, earned RIAA Gold in September and Platinum by December 2007, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack.

How to Sing Run and Tell That

Lead color & range: Seaweed’s line sits in a bright tenor mix that snaps to chest for emphasis; Little Inez needs agile pop soprano with fearless attack.

Groove: Lock the backbeat and let the lyric ride. Consonants land slightly ahead of the beat; vowels sustain the swagger.

Call-and-response: Treat the ensemble like a congregation. Answers should sound like one voice - then crack open to harmonies on the last hook.

Acting beats: Name the harm, then pivot to hope. Joy is the weapon here; play mission, not martyrdom.

Additional Info

The phrase “run and tell that” long predates the musical, appearing in African American religious and secular usage; the show redeploys it as a victory promise.