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Renegade“ is a 1978 hit song recorded by the American rock band Styx. It was on their album Pieces of Eight. It reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is a first-person narrative of an outlaw, captured for a bounty, who recognizes that he is about to be executed for his criminal activities. The execution will be by hanging, as the outlaw laments, “Hangman is coming down from the gallows and I don't have very long.“ Some pressings of the single were made with translucent, red vinyl. When performed live from 1978 to 1983, drummer John Panozzo increased the tempo of the drum pattern during the guitar solo sections. Also, the track would serve as the drum solo spot for Panozzo during that time frame save the Paradise Theater tour of 1981/82. Although songwriter Tommy Shaw and fellow Styx guitarist James Young usually played lead guitar on their own compositions, Shaw asked Young if he could take the solo on “Renegade“. Young agreed, and later returned the favor by allowing Shaw to play lead on his “Half-Penny, Two-Penny“ on the Paradise Theatre album. [info courtesy: ]
