"Follow Me" is a song by French singer Amanda Lear released in 1978 by

Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...

as the lead single from her second album, '' Sweet Revenge''. The song went on to become a multi-million-selling chart success in

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

and remains one of Amanda Lear's trademark hits.

Song information

The lyrics of the song were written by Lear herself, who contributed words to every track on ''Sweet Revenge'', and the music was composed by

Anthony Monn Anthony Monn (also known as Tony Monn, born March 17, 1944) is a German singer, composer, and record producer. Biography Monn started his career as a singer in the German schlager genre in the early 1970s. Among his best-known songs from tha ...

, her long-time producer and collaborator. Musically, "Follow Me" showcased mainstream

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

sound, which in the second half of the 1970s was at the peak of its popularity, however, with

symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

elements, and inspired by the innovatory work of German band

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

. Lyrically, the song tells about

seduction Seduction has multiple meanings. Platonically, it can mean "to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty", or "to lead astray, usually by persuasion or false promises". Strategies of seduction include conversation and sexual scripts, paralingual ...

as the first track in conceptual

suite Suite may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Suite (music), a set of musical pieces considered as one composition ** Suite (Bach), a list of suites composed by J. S. Bach ** Suite (Cassadó), a mid-1920s composition by Gaspar Cassadó ** ''Suite' ...

on side A, which tells a story about a girl tempted by Devil. The suite is concluded with an alternative version of the song, billed as "Follow Me (Reprise)", which contains different lyrics and sees the girl reject the Devil's offers. The 10-minute Wally MacDonald

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

of the song was released in Canada, which in fact was a medley of the original version and the reprise. "Follow Me" was released as the first single from Amanda's second album, ''Sweet Revenge'', in the spring of 1978. In most countries, the B-side of the single was "Mother, Look What They've Done to Me". The only exception to this in Europe was Spain, with " Run Baby Run" on side B, although the song would also be released as a separate A-side in selected territories. In Canada, the B-side was " Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)", later released as a single in its own right in Europe. The song was a major commercial success, reaching the top 10 in no less than six European countries. In Germany, it was the sixth biggest-selling single of 1978, and in Belgium – the second, only behind

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

's "

You're the One That I Want "You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical '' Grease''. It was written and produc ...

". It remains Amanda's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

and arguably her biggest hit to date, having sold in several million copies worldwide. The singer performed the track in numerous television shows across Europe as well as in the erotic Italian documentary film '' Follie di notte'' (1978) in which she appeared as the hostess. The song was also featured in the film '' Dallas Buyers Club'' (2013). A new version of the song was released as the single in 1987,

ed by Christian De Walden who produced Lear's most recent album at the time, '' Secret Passion''. In 1989, DJ Ian Levine produced Hi-NRG remixes of "

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

" and "Follow Me" which were released as a commercial double A-side single, on both vinyl and CD. Lear re-recorded the song with slightly changed lyrics in 1992 and the new version appeared on her 1993 album ''

Cadavrexquis ''Cadavrexquis'' is a studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, first released by Chène Music in 1993. Background ''Cadavrexquis'' was a collaboration with French musicians and producers, and German production team Bass Bumpers, recorded in I ...

'' as well as side B of the single "Fantasy". It was performed at concerts and on television. Another re-recording appeared on the 1998 album '' Back in Your Arms'' and later released in Italy as the double A-side 12" vinyl single with " Tomorrow". This version would subsequently end up on numerous budget compilations released in Europe up until the early 2010s. In 2000, a new version of the song was included on a various artists compilation released to celebrate

Paris Pride The Paris Pride or ''Marche des Fiertés LGBT'', is a parade and festival held at the end of June each year in Paris, France to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their allies. The parade starts each year at ...

. Also in 2000, the 1978 version was released as the CD single in Belgium as part of the "45 Hit Collection" series, back with the original version of "

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". The song was also included in the 2014 French film ''

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'' soundtrack. Most recently, "Follow Me" was re-recorded again on Lear's 2016 album '' Let Me Entertain You''.

Music videos

In 1978, Amanda Lear filmed the "Follow Me"

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

as part of her

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

for German TV show '' Musikladen''. Based on the bluescreen technique, it pictures her performing the song against a starry night sky and images of her from the ''Sweet Revenge'' album cover. She is clad in a bright pink catsuit, which she initially hides underneath a long black cape. It was directed by Michael Leckebusch. In 2012, the video was released on a 3-DVD box set ''Das beste aus dem Musikladen Vol. 1'', together with other videos Lear had made for ''Musikladen''. Also in 1978, another video for the song was filmed, this time as part of Italian TV show ''

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''. Amanda again wore the black cape, however, a different outfit underneath it. The video was directed by Enzo Trapani. Lear filmed another bluescreen "Follow Me" video for her Italian TV show ''Premiatissima'' which was later used in her

''Ma chi è Amanda?'' (1983). Another music video was produced for the 1992 re-recording, with Amanda Lear performing the song against a green background.

Track listing

*7" Single (1978) :A. "Follow Me" – 3:52 :B. "Mother, Look What They've Done to Me" – 4:25 *Spanish 7" Single (1978) :A. "Follow Me (Sigueme)" – 3:55 :B. " Run Baby Run" – 4:25 *Canadian 12" Single (1978) :A. "Follow Me" – 10:48 :B. " Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)" – 5:08 *Czechoslovakian 7" Single (1982) :A. "Follow Me" – 3:55 :B. "Hollywood Is Just a Dream When You're Seventeen" – 4:51 *7" Single (1987) :A. "Follow Me" (New Mix) – 3:49 :B. "I'm a Mistery" – 4:35 *12" Single (1987) :A. "Follow Me" (The Special 1987 Mix) – 7:18 :B1. "Follow Me" (Radio Mix) – 3:49 :B2. "I'm a Mistery" (Remix) – 5:18 *12" Single (1998) :A. "Follow Me" – 3:59 :B. " Tomorrow" – 3:42 *CD Single (2000) # "Follow Me" – 3:50 # "

" – 4:20

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1978 singles 1978 songs Amanda Lear songs Ariola Records singles Songs written by Amanda Lear Songs written by Anthony Monn