Follow Me Around

"Follow Me Around" is a song recorded 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.

"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

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]

The song has been performed on rare occasions by both Radiohead and Thom Yorke at solo shows, as well as a performance by Yorke and Nigel Godrich's side project Atoms for Peace.[3][4] Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood performed a rearranged version in 2017.[5] After a performance at a Radiohead show in Toronto in 2000, fans created the website followmearound.com demanding the song's release.[6]

"Follow Me Around" was included on the 2021 compilation album Kid A Mnesia, released on 1 November 2021 as the second single.[7] The day before the single's release, Radiohead uploaded a full-quality partial 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 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

Writing for The A.V. Club, Alex McLevy called "Follow Me Around" "maybe the simplest, purest pop song [Radiohead have] ever put out".[4] The track was described by Rolling Stone as "a holy grail for fans".[9] Several other publications similarly celebrated the release of the track as a long-awaited fan favourite, including The Fader,[13] Spin,[1] Uproxx[6] and NME.[8]

References
  1. 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. 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. 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. Shutler, Ali (1 November 2021). "Radiohead finally release fan favourite 'Follow Me Around'". NME. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  9. 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. Darville, Jordan (1 November 2021). "Radiohead officially releases fan favorite track "Follow Me Around"". The Fader. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
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