"Long Distance Runaround" is a song by the progressive rock group Yes first recorded for their 1971 album, Fragile. Written by lead singer Jon Anderson, the song was released as a B-side to "Roundabout", but became a surprise hit in its own right as a staple of album-oriented rock radio. On Fragile it segues into "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)".
Yes co-founder Jon Anderson wrote the lyrics to this song while allegedly remembering his encounters with religious hypocrisy and competition he experienced in attending church regularly as a youth in northern England. "Long time / waiting to feel the sound" was a sentiment toward wanting to see a real, compassionate, non-threatening example of godliness.[1][2]
Composition and recording
The song shifts keys between A minor and B minor and is polymetric in the verses - the drums are playing in 5/8 time against the rest of the group playing in 4/4 time.
