"Homeless" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Darin from his studio album, ''

Break the News ''Break the News'' is the third studio album by Swedish singer Darin. It was released on 22 November 2006 in Sweden. The album reached the top of the Swedish Album Charts. Four singles were released from the album in Sweden with an additional t ...

'' (2006). The song was written by Swedish songwriter

Jörgen Elofsson Kjell Åke Jörgen Elofsson (born 14 January 1962) is a Swedish songwriter. He was one of the writers of the songwriter-team at Cheiron Studios in Stockholm (along with Denniz PoP, Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Andreas Carlsson, Rami Yacoub, Per ...

and produced by

Steve Mac Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern British ...

Leona Lewis version

"Homeless" was covered by British singer Leona Lewis in 2007 and was included on her debut album ''

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

''. The song garnered mixed reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, some of whom praised Lewis's vocal performance but criticized its composition. Upon the release of ''Spirit'', the song debuted at number 173 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on the strength of digital download sales. Lewis performed "Homeless" at the annual

WXKS-FM WXKS-FM (107.9 FM), branded as ''Kiss 108'', is a commercial top 40/CHR radio station licensed to serve Medford, Massachusetts, and covering Greater Boston. Owned by iHeartMedia, the WXKS-FM studios are in Medford and the transmitter sits atop ...

Boston KISS Concert in 2008, along with "

Bleeding Love "Bleeding Love" is a song recorded by English singer Leona Lewis for her debut studio album ''Spirit'' (2007). It was written and originally recorded by Jesse McCartney, and was co-written and produced by Ryan Tedder. The song was released as t ...

" and "

Better in Time "Better in Time" is a song recorded by English singer Leona Lewis for her debut studio album ''Spirit'' (2007). It was written by J. R. Rotem and Andrea Martin and was produced by Rotem. Lyrically, the song tells the story of a woman who cann ...

". It was also included on the

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

of The Labyrinth tour in 2010.

Composition

"Homeless" was written by Swedish songwriter

, and produced by

. It is an R&B

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

, which lasts for a duration of three minutes and 50 seconds. The song was composed on

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: : Changes neede ...

at 68

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

Instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

is provided by a piano and a guitar. Lewis's vocal range spans nearly two

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

s from low note of A₃ to the high note of B₅. The song's lyrics revolve around Lewis singing about waiting for her boyfriend to come home to where she is waiting for him, but feels homeless without his presence. The opening lyrics are "Wait here for you to call me/ For you to tell me that ev'rything's a big mistake." Nick Levine for

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, ...

described Lewis's vocals in the lyric "In this cold I'm walking aimless, feeling helpless" as "a tour de force of despair and misery".

Critical reception

The song garnered mixed reviews from

. Matt O'Leary for

Virgin Media Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...

complimented "Homeless" as well as " I Will Be", and wrote that when the emphasis is laid purely on the singer's vocals without too much "glossy production trappings", her "uniqueness is allowed to shine." Levine was critical of "Homeless" in general, but praised some of its compositional elements. Although he thought that the song was "almost unbearably bleak", Levine praised the long note which Lewis sustains during the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, and wrote that "the 12-second 'eeeeeeyeeaayaaaaay' that jump-starts the crescendo of 'Homeless' is one of the most dazzling pop moments of the year." Kitty Empire for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' wrote, "Lewis' voice is impressively elastic throughout but lacks any grit or style. It is too perfect, jumping up ladders of notes on 'Homeless', never catching, never breaking."

Live performances

Lewis performed "Homeless" for the first time at the annual

Boston KISS Concert in 2008, along with "

" and "

". It was also included on the

of her The Labyrinth tour in 2010, and performed as the fifteenth song. The song was later included on ''

The Labyrinth Tour Live from The O2 ''The Labyrinth Tour: Live from the O2'' is a live and first video album by English singer Leona Lewis and was recorded on 18 June 2010 in London, while Lewis performed at her tour The Labyrinth. It was released on 29 November 2010 with a 10 ...

'' DVD. The set was decorated in the style of a forest; acrobats performed as they were hanging from the ceiling on large pieces of fabric while Lewis wore a light pink sequined dress and barefoot.

Track listing

;Standard version (2007)

"Homeless" –

;Deluxe edition (2008)

"Homeless (2008 version)" –

;''The Labyrinth Tour: Live from the O2''

"Homeless" (Live from the 02) –

Credits

*Songwriting –

*Record producer –

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Spirit'',

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

Syco Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2005 through So ...

Charts

Upon the release of ''Spirit'', "Homeless" debuted at number 173 on the strength of digital download sales in the chart issue released on 24 November 2007.

References

{{authority control 2007 songs 2000s ballads Leona Lewis songs Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by Jörgen Elofsson Song recordings produced by Steve Mac Darin (singer) songs 2006 songs