According to REO Speedwagon lead singer Kevin Cronin, the original title to the song was "Don't Let Me Down.

So, [lead guitarist Gary Richrath and I] then developed it together, and one of the things we did was change the title to "Take It On The Run."

[5]Cronin says that he insisted that the title should be "Take It on the Run" and that he added the line to the refrain "You’re under the gun / So you take it on the run," which he says "either makes sense or it doesn’t, but it sure sung well and it sure rhymed, and it was a spur-of-the-moment thing that when I heard the rest of the song, that’s what I felt.

[7][8] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw rated it REO Speedwagon's all-time 2nd greatest song.

[9] REO Speedwagon "Take It on the Run" was released as a single in 1981 and reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.