"Come Home" is a song by
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellis ...
frontman
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...
for the band's debut album, ''
Dreaming Out Loud
''Dreaming Out Loud'' is the debut studio album by American rock band OneRepublic. The album was released on November 20, 2007, by Interscope Records. The album was recorded between 2004 and 2007 and it was produced by Greg Wells, with two song ...
'' (2007). The piano-based
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
features orchestral flourishes, and lyrically revolves around the eponymous pleading
hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
"Come home, come home". Some reviewers felt the song had political undertones as an appeal to recall American troops
as Tedder had written the song about a friend serving overseas. "Come Home" was highlighted as a refreshing change of pace from the many similar-sounding songs composing ''Dreaming Out Loud''.
In 2009, the song was remastered featuring singer-songwriter
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...
, and this version was issued
digitally as the album's fifth and final single. The song debuted at #80 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
the week of July 14 before dropping off the chart the following week due to a lack of promotion.
The song was never serviced to radio, and failed to chart outside the U.S. "Come Home" was featured on episodes of ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...
'', ''
The Vampire Diaries
''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...
'', and ''
Cold Case
A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...
'' and the film ''
Easy A
''Easy A'' (stylized as ''easy A'') is a 2010 American teen romantic
comedy film directed by Will Gluck, written by Bert V. Royal, starring Emma Stone, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church, Dan Byrd, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgle ...
''.
Critical and commercial reception
''
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
''′s Nick Levine praised the song for standing out from the non-memorable "Fray-style piano-rock" of the majority of ''Dreaming Out Loud'' thanks to the effective pairing of its somber lyrics and ballad-style approach.
Reviewing the song for its Song of the Week segment, a blogger of ''The Reflective Inklings'' lauded the combination of Tedder and Bareilles's voices in the single remix, noting that it put a refreshing spin the "already-good" track. ''Sputnik Music'' and the ''
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...
''
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
page both labelled "Come Home" as an album highlight, with the former crediting the track for giving the end of the front-loaded album some life.
Receiving no promotion beyond its digital release, "Come Home" was not nearly as successful as the album's first two singles, peaking at No. 80 during its sole week on the Hot 100.
Faith Hill version
American
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
singer
Faith Hill
Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
Hill' ...
covered the song in 2011, drawing on
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
and
country pop
Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...
influences. Hill premiered her version at the 45th
CMA Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...
, which was subsequently released on November 9, 2011, as the lead single for a planned seventh studio album titled ''Illusion'' (which, in turn, was scrapped), as well as her first non-holiday single release since 2007's "
Red Umbrella
"Red Umbrella" is a song recorded by American country music singer Faith Hill. It was released in September 2007 as the second single from her compilation album ''The Hits''. Hill debuted the song on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' in early September. ...
".
Critical reception
Reviews for Hill's version of "Come Home" were mixed to positive, with most criticism targeting the production. ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' gave the song a lukewarm reception, describing Hill's performance as "dead-on" and demonstrative of the "dramatic tones" of her voice, but felt the production was overpowering and that the song "never gets totally off the ground." In a similar vein, Ben Foster of ''The 1-to-10 Country Music Review'' lamented the "bloated power pop arrangement", and felt that "Come Home" failed to evoke the "vibrancy and sonic stickiness of Hill's best pop-country efforts". Though describing the song as a letdown, Foster did highlight Hill's redeeming vocals and "strong interpretive abilities".
Matt Bjorke of ''Roughstock'' was more complimentary, calling the song "one of the best vocals of Faith Hill's career" and applauding Hill for crafting a unique melody that draws from the realms of
pop and
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
music. Comparing the "soaring ballad" to the works of
Lady Antebellum
Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar) ...
(a comparison Bjorke also drew), ''Taste of Country'' editor Billy Dukes wrote that "Come Home" proves that even after three decades in the business, Hill is still in touch with "what's hot in Nashville" and is more than capable of producing a country hit.
Chart performance
Hill's rendition of "Come Home" debuted on the US
Hot Country
Hot Country is a 24-hour music format produced by Westwood One. Its playlist is composed of country music released from the late 1990s to the present. Core artists include Luke Bryan, Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum), Blake Shelton, Za ...
chart at No. 35, her best opening week since "
Mississippi Girl
"Mississippi Girl" is a song recorded by American country music singer Faith Hill. It was released in May 2005 as the lead single from her sixth studio album ''Fireflies''. A number one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts in late ...
",
as well as on the
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
at No. 82. Over its twelve-week run on the former, the song reached a peak position of 26.
References
{{authority control
2000s ballads
OneRepublic songs
Songs written by Ryan Tedder
Faith Hill songs
Warner Records singles
Song recordings produced by Byron Gallimore
2007 songs
2009 singles
Song recordings produced by Ryan Tedder
2011 singles
Mosley Music Group singles