Friday Song: “Renegade”
Written with apparent ease and capturing Styx’s trademark flourishes, it rocks
In its heyday, Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw were the two main songwriters for Styx. DeYoung tended to write ballads or songs with spectacle, while Shaw wrote more straightforward stories. Together, their songs propelled the band onto the charts numerous times.
“Renegade” is off the 1978 album Pieces of Eight. Written by Shaw, it tells the story of a wanted criminal contemplating his options and the price he’s about to pay for his misdeeds.
The first verse is a cappella, starting with just Shaw and then adding guitarist James Young and DeYoung, expending 40 seconds before the song explodes with energy.
Like so many great songs, it “kind of wrote itself,” Shaw recalled later. “I was in my house in Michigan, 1978, at the piano. I came up with this slow, dirge-y thing, very dark. I just started singing, and those are the first words that came out (‘Oh, mama I’m in fear for my life’). I've never been in trouble with the law — I don’t know where it came from.”
“Renegade” is pure Styx, with a blistering guitar solo by Young, three-part harmonies, and keyboard wizardry from DeYoung.
Reaching only #16 on the Billboard charts the year it was released, the song has remained a favorite, has been ranked as a Top Song on numerous rock retrospective lists, and has been performed at every show by Styx since its release.
The version below was recorded live after DeYoung had left the band. He was replaced by Lawrence Gowan.
Enjoy!