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 ...
band
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
, written by
Matthew Bellamy
Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. He is primarily known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his eccen ...
for their sixth studio album, ''
The 2nd Law
''The 2nd Law'' is the sixth studio album by English rock band Muse, first released on 28 September 2012 through Warner Bros. Records and the band's own Helium-3 imprint. Recording of the album took place in studios between London and Los Ange ...
''. It appears as the sixth track on the album. The song was released as the third single from ''The 2nd Law'' on 7 December 2012, just over two months after the album was released.
Composition
"Follow Me", which is co-produced by
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
, contains influences from
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
, like the early promotional, " The 2nd Law: Unsustainable". The song also shares instrumental elements from Muse's previous two studio albums, ''
Black Holes and Revelations
''Black Holes and Revelations'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band Muse, first released on 3 July 2006 through Warner Bros. Records and Muse's Helium-3 imprint. It was recorded over four months with producer Rich Costey in New Yor ...
'' and concept album '' The Resistance'', both of which were electronically inspired, like ''The 2nd Law''. The beginning of the track features Bellamy's newborn son Bingham's heartbeat, recorded on Bellamy's iPhone. According to Bellamy, the song is about "having a baby and all that." This was later confirmed in an ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' article where the song was described as Bellamy's "ode to fatherhood." The instrumental version was featured in the end credits of the film ''
World War Z
''World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War'' is a 2006 zombie apocalyptic horror novel written by American author Max Brooks. The novel is broken into eight chapters: “Warnings”, “Blame”, “The Great Panic”, “Turning the Ti ...
''.
Release
"Follow Me" was originally released to radio stations as a
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
from ''The 2nd Law'', alongside "Panic Station" on 24 September 2012. In October, it was confirmed that the song would serve as the third single from the album, after much speculation and debate. In the lead up to the single release, Muse issued another single, a live version of the song, recorded during the band's performance at the
O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to:
*The O2 Arena (London)
*O2 Arena (Prague)
*The 3Arena
The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decem ...
during the 2nd Law Tour. It was offered as a free download on 31 October 2012. Muse released a lyric video for the song on 1 November 2012.
Music video
The music video for "Follow Me" was released on 11 December 2012. Similarly to the video for " Resistance", it consists of live footage from the
O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to:
*The O2 Arena (London)
*O2 Arena (Prague)
*The 3Arena
The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decem ...
and
Atlas Arena
Atlas Arena - lodz.gazeta.pl - 25-08-2009 is a multipurpose
the 2nd Law World Tour
The 2nd Law World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English alternative rock band Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of lit ...
.
Critical response
''
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, ...
'' gave the song a positive note in their review of the album, stating "adding a dollop of reverb to 'Follow Me' enhances the track's doom-sodden message of clinging to strength from a dark place."
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Gregory Heaney wrote in his review of ''The 2nd Law'' about the electronic influences on "Follow Me" and the previous single, " Madness", saying that "their excursions into dubstep and dance music on tracks like 'Madness' and 'Follow Me' feel more like remixes than original songs."