"Follow Me Around"
Single by Radiohead
from the album Kid A Mnesia
Released1 November 2021
RecordedJanuary 1999 – April 2000
GenreAcoustic rock
Length5:19
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)Radiohead
Producer(s)
Radiohead singles chronology
"If You Say the Word"
(2021)		 "Follow Me Around"
(2021)
Music video
"Follow Me Around" on YouTube

"Follow Me Around" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 1 November 2021 as the second single from their compilation album Kid A Mnesia. It was recorded during the joint sessions for Radiohead's fourth and fifth studio albums, Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), but went unreleased until 2021.

History

"Follow Me Around" first appeared in the 1998 documentary Meeting People is Easy.[1] Rolling Stone described it as one of singer Thom Yorke's darkest songs, with lyrics about "shadowy figures lurking in corners".[2]

Yorke performed "Follow Me Around" occasionally in solo shows, with Radiohead, and with his side project Atoms for Peace.[3][4] He and the Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood performed a rearranged version in 2017.[5] After a performance at a Radiohead show in Toronto in 2000, fans created a website demanding the song's release.[6]

"Follow Me Around" was included on the 2021 compilation album Kid A Mnesia and released on 1 November, 2021, as the second single.[7] The day before the release, Radiohead uploaded a full-quality clip of the soundcheck performance from Meeting People is Easy to their YouTube channel.[8]

Music video

On 1 November 2021, coinciding with the initial release of the song, Radiohead released a music video featuring the actor Guy Pearce being chased by a drone camera.[9][10] The video was directed by Us, a directing duo consisting of Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor.[11] Pearce said the video was recorded a few weeks before the release.[12]

Reception

In The A.V. Club, Alex McLevy wrote that "Follow Me Around" was "maybe the simplest, purest pop song [Radiohead have] ever put out".[4] Several publications celebrated the release as a long-awaited fan favourite, including Rolling Stone,[9] The Fader,[13] Spin,[1] Uproxx[6] and NME.[8]

Personnel

Radiohead

Additional personnel

  • Nigel Godrich – production, engineering, mixing
  • Gerard Navarro – production assistance, additional engineering
  • Graeme Stewart – additional engineering

References

  1. 1 2 Whitaker, Marisa (1 November 2021). "Radiohead Releases Rare Fan Favorite 'Follow Me Around'". Spin. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  2. ↑ ""Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)" (1997) - 20 Insanely Great Radiohead Songs Only Hardcore Fans Know". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (1 November 2021). "Radiohead Share New Video for "Follow Me Around": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 McLevy, Alex (1 November 2021). "Radiohead's long-awaited new single is one of the purest folk-pop songs they've ever written". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Watch Radiohead's Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood Play Rarities At Italian Earthquake Benefit". Stereogum. 20 August 2017. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  6. 1 2 Spinelli, Adrian (1 November 2021). "Radiohead Finally Releases The Sought-After Rarity 'Follow Me Around'". Uproxx. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  7. ↑ DeVille, Chris (1 November 2021). "Radiohead – "Follow Me Around"". Stereogum. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  8. 1 2 Shutler, Ali (1 November 2021). "Radiohead finally release fan favourite 'Follow Me Around'". NME. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  9. 1 2 Martoccio, Angie (1 November 2021). "Radiohead's 'Follow Me Around' Is a Holy Grail for Fans. 20 Years Later, It's Here". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "Radiohead - Follow Me Around Video". Contact Music. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "Some Music Videos & Commercials by Us". We Are Us. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  12. ↑ Martoccio, Angie (2021-11-01). "Radiohead's 'Follow Me Around' is a holy grail for fans. 20 years later, it's here". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  13. ↑ Darville, Jordan (1 November 2021). "Radiohead officially releases fan favorite track "Follow Me Around"". The Fader. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.