Follow Me Home (song)

"Follow Me Home" is a song by British girl group the Sugababes, released as the fourth single from their fourth studio album, ''Taller in More Ways'' (2005). The pop and R&B ballad was written by band members Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena and Heidi Range, with Jony Rockstar, Karen Poole and Jeremy Shaw. The producer, Rockstar, developed the idea of a close person as its inspiration. Buena wrote a verse about her daughter, while Buchanan wrote a verse based on her close friend. The song was released as the album's fourth single on 5 June 2006 and contains vocals from Amelle Berrabah in replacement of Buena's, who left the band in December 2005.

"Follow Me Home" received mixed reviews from critics. Although its instrumentation and the group's vocals were praised, the song was criticised as tedious and uninspiring. The single reached the top forty in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and also charted in Romania, Slovakia, and on the European Hot 100 singles chart. The music video for "Follow Me Home" was directed by Tony Tremlett and filmed in Prague, the Czech Republic. It features the Sugababes in a winter environment and contains various scenes of the group in a large house. The Sugababes performed "Follow Me Home" at the O2 ABC Glasgow, the NIA Academy and on ''Top of the Pops''.

Development and composition

"Follow Me Home" was written by the Sugababes—Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Heidi Range—in collaboration with Jonathan Lipsey, Karen Poole, and Jeremy Shaw, for the group's fourth studio album, ''Taller in More Ways'' (2005). Lipsey developed the idea of a close person as the song's inspiration. Buena wrote the first verse based upon her daughter Tahlia, who was born in March 2005. While writing the verse, she pondered questions such as 'What would you say to her if she was ever in trouble?', and 'How would you say, I'll always be there for you?'. Buena wanted people to interpret the verse in different ways, and stated that the lyrics came naturally. Buchanan drew inspiration from her close friend when she wrote the other verse. Lipsey produced the song under his production name Jony Rockstar. "Follow Me Home" was mixed and engineered at Metropolis Studios by Tom Elmhirst and Richard Wilkinson, respectively.

"Follow Me Home" is an electropop and R&B ballad. Stuart Heritage of the website HecklerSpray described it as an "R&B-tinged ballad". Instrumentation consists of keyboards, a guitar, beats and bass, which were provided by Shaw, Rockstar and Cameron McVey. According to Alex Roginski of '' Sydney Morning Herald'', the song is "fleshed out with the string grandeur" of Welsh producers Hybrid, and channels European electropop music. The main concept of "Follow Me Home" is romance, and the song's lyrical content is about protecting your loved one. During the chorus, the Sugababes sing: "I won't walk away / I'll stand by your side / I'm here for you / For the rest of our lives".

Release and reception

In December 2005, Buena left the Sugababes due to "personal reasons", and was replaced by Amelle Berrabah in the same month. Some tracks on ''Taller in More Ways'' were subsequently re-recorded to feature Berrabah's vocals in replacement of Buena's; these included "Gotta Be You", "Follow Me Home" and " Red Dress". Buena expressed her disappointment with the re-recording of "Follow Me Home", saying: "My verse was talking about my daughter, it was personal." The song was announced as the fourth and final single from ''Taller in More Ways'', and was released as a CD single and digital download on 5 June 2006. The CD single contains the radio edit of the song in addition to two remixes. The digital release features a cover of English band Hard-Fi's single " Living for the Weekend".

Critical response

"Follow Me Home" received mixed reviews from critics. K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic described it as an "aptly pitched inspirational mini-epic", while '' Stylus Magazine''s Nick Southall complimented the song's "luscious, romantic strings." Talia Kraines of BBC
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