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Follow Me Around
Follow Me Around
Follow Me Around
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"Follow Me Around"
Single by Radiohead
from the album Kid A Mnesia
Released1 November 2021
RecordedJanuary 1999 – April 2000
GenreAcoustic rock
Length5:19
LabelXL
SongwriterRadiohead
Producers
Radiohead singles chronology
"If You Say the Word"
(2021) 		"Follow Me Around"
(2021)
Music video
"Follow Me Around" on YouTube

"Follow Me Around" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 1 November 2021 as the second single from the compilation album Kid A Mnesia. It features the singer, Thom Yorke, on acoustic guitar, with lyrics expressing paranoia and dread.

Radiohead recorded "Follow Me Around" during the joint sessions for their fourth and fifth studio albums, Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), but it went unreleased until 2021. It was accompanied by a music video starring Guy Pearce.

Music

[edit]

"Follow Me Around" features a solo performance by Thom Yorke on acoustic guitar, with a "soaring" chorus.[1] The lyrics express paranoia and dread, and reference Margaret Thatcher.[1][2] Earlier versions instead referenced Tony Blair.[1] The A.V. Club described "Follow Me Around" as perhaps Radiohead's simplest pop song, likening it to Eddie Vedder.[3] Rolling Stone said it was one of Yorke's darkest songs.[4]

History

[edit]

"Follow Me Around" first appeared in the 1998 documentary Meeting People Is Easy, which includes a performance recorded during a soundcheck.[5] After Radiohead performed it at a Toronto show in 2000, fans created a website demanding its release.[5] Bootleg recordings circulated online and the song became a fan favourite.[6][7]

Radiohead recorded "Follow Me Around" during the sessions for their albums Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), recorded simultaneously.[6] In an online diary written during the sessions, the guitarist Ed O'Brien wrote that they wanted to find a new approach rather than "fall into old habits".[4] It went unreleased, which critics surmised was because it did not fit the albums' experimental style.[1][3][6]

In the following years, Yorke performed "Follow Me Around" occasionally with Radiohead, in solo performances, and with his side project Atoms for Peace.[7] He and the Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood performed a rearranged version in 2017.[8]

Release

[edit]

Radiohead released "Follow Me Around" on the 2021 compilation album Kid A Mnesia. It was released as the second single on 1 November.[6] The day before the release, Radiohead uploaded a full-quality clip of the performance from Meeting People is Easy to their YouTube channel.[7]

The "Follow Me Around" music video features the actor Guy Pearce being chased by a drone camera.[9][10] It was directed by Us, a directing duo consisting of Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor.[11] Pearce said the video was recorded a few weeks before the release.[9]

Reception

[edit]

Several publications celebrated the release of a long-awaited fan favourite.[9][2][12][5][7] The Times wrote that it was the best of the bonus content on Kid A Mnesia and described it as "a brilliant song made at the wrong time, by a band who had moved on and who, eventually, moved a lot of fans with them too. Because Kid A was not just pop music; it was about educating fans in what pop music could be."[1]

Personnel

[edit]

Radiohead

[edit]

Additional personnel

[edit]
  • Nigel Godrich – production, engineering, mixing
  • Gerard Navarro – production assistance, additional engineering
  • Graeme Stewart – additional engineering

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Follow Me Around

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
"Follow Me Around" is a song by the English rock band , originally composed and recorded during the sessions for their third studio album in 1997 but left unreleased at the time. It was issued as the second single from the band's 2021 —a of their fourth and fifth studio albums (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) with additional material—on 1 November 2021. The track emerged as a fan favorite over the years due to its occasional live performances and soundcheck recordings, including a notable acoustic rendition captured during a tour stop in Fukuoka, Japan, which shared on the day before the official release. An early version also appeared in the band's 1998 documentary film . The studio version of "Follow Me Around" is an all-acoustic recording featuring introspective lyrics about pursuit and isolation, with lead singer delivering them in his haunting over minimal guitar accompaniment. Accompanying the single's release was an official music video directed by the filmmaking duo Us (Christopher Barrett and Luke Taylor), starring Australian actor Guy Pearce in a surreal, narrative-driven depiction of introspection and pursuit that complements the song's themes. The video premiered alongside the track on 1 November 2021, enhancing its atmospheric and experimental quality in line with Radiohead's post-OK Computer evolution toward electronic and ambient influences, though this release retains a stripped-back, organic sound. "Follow Me Around" has since been performed live by Yorke and bandmate Jonny Greenwood in solo settings as recently as 2017, underscoring its enduring place in the band's repertoire.

Composition

Musical style and structure

"Follow Me Around" is an acoustic rock song featuring minimal instrumentation centered on fingerpicked guitar and Thom Yorke's vocals, evoking the introspective and folk-influenced side of Radiohead's sound during their era. The track creates a sense of and unease through its sparse and haunting delivery, though it predates the band's heavier experimental electronic phase. Yorke's vocals are delivered in a prominent, layered , enhancing the 's emotional weight and ethereal quality. These elements combine to form a sonic landscape that prioritizes mood and subtlety over conventional rock dynamics, with the 2021 studio version providing a , stripped-back recording of material originally composed in 1997. The adheres to a verse-chorus structure, marked by a gradual build in intensity through dynamic vocal shifts and subtle guitar variations. It runs for 5:19, is composed in , and maintains a of 127 BPM, contributing to its deliberate pace and immersive feel.

Lyrics

The lyrics of "Follow Me Around" center on themes of paranoia, relentless pursuit, and profound isolation, capturing a sense of inescapable shadowing that borders on psychological torment. Written by Thom Yorke during the sessions for OK Computer (1997), the song's text portrays an anonymous "you" that haunts the narrator through urban shadows and mechanical intrusions, evoking a world where personal boundaries dissolve under constant observation. This narrative unfolds in a sparse, repetitive structure that amplifies the feeling of entrapment, with the chorus—"You follow me around"—serving as a haunting refrain that underscores the futility of escape. Key verses build this atmosphere through vivid, nocturnal imagery. For instance, the opening lines—"I see you in the of the street / Comin' after me, yeah / Headlights on full-beam / Comin' down the fast lane"—conjure and vehicular menace, suggesting a or intrusive force closing in amid the of nights. Later verses intensify the emotional toll, with references to "Blowin’ holes in everythin’ / Thatcher’s children" hinting at broader societal decay and political disillusionment, while the closing lines—"Nowadays I get panicked / I cease to exist / I have ceased to exist / absolutely nothin’ / The words are out of ink"—depict a descent into numbness and existential erasure. These elements reflect Yorke's own struggles with fame-induced anxiety and depression during the late , a period when he described feeling overwhelmingly paranoid about public scrutiny and personal loss of control.

Full Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I see you in the dark
Corner of the street
Comin' after me, yeah
Headlights on full-beam
Comin' down the fast lane
Comin' after me [Chorus]
You follow me around
You follow me around
You follow me around
You follow me around [Verse 2]
Blowin' holes in everythin'
Thatcher's children
See you on the way back down
Droolin'
Movin' in a swarm
Movin' in a swarm [Chorus]
You follow me around
You follow me around
You follow me around
You follow me around [Verse 3]
Na-na-na-na-na-na
Yeah...
Nowadays I get panicked
I cease to exist
I have ceased to exist
I feel absolutely nothin'
The words are out of ink
The words you know are out of ink [Chorus]
You follow me around
You follow me around
You follow me around
You follow me around Recurring motifs of —such as headlights piercing the darkness and swarming figures—symbolize an invasive watchfulness that erodes and selfhood, while emotional manifests in the narrator's progression from active evasion to passive dissolution. This aligns with interpretations of the song as an for inner demons like depression "following" Yorke, rather than a literal stalker, mirroring the psychological strain of his post- tour breakdown. The abstract quality of these , blending personal dread with socio-political critique (e.g., "Thatcher's children" as a nod to lingering conservative influences under ), draws from Yorke's experiences of alienation amid rising fame. In comparison to other Radiohead lyrics from the same era, "Follow Me Around" shares an introspective, fragmented style that prioritizes atmospheric unease over linear storytelling. Tracks like "Paranoid Android" from OK Computer similarly explore societal paranoia through disjointed vignettes of alienation, while Kid A's "How to Disappear Completely" echoes the theme of emotional retreat into isolation, both employing surreal imagery to convey Yorke's sense of being haunted by modern life's pressures. This poetic approach, characterized by repetition and ambiguity, distinguishes the band's work as a vessel for existential introspection rather than explicit narrative.

Production and history

Recording and production

The recording of "Follow Me Around" occurred during Radiohead's collaborative sessions for the albums Kid A and Amnesiac, spanning late 1999 to early 2000, under the production of longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich. These sessions took place across multiple locations, including studios in Paris, Copenhagen, Gloucestershire, and the band's custom-built facility in Oxfordshire, where much of the final work was completed. Godrich, who engineered and mixed the track, emphasized its stripped-back acoustic arrangement, featuring Thom Yorke's vocals and guitar with minimal accompaniment. For its inclusion on the 2021 reissue Kid A Mnesia, the band included the original 2000 recording on the bonus disc Kid Amnesiae, preserving the core acoustic elements without alterations.

Development and unreleased status

"Follow Me Around" originated during Radiohead's 1997 tour supporting their album OK Computer, where the band frequently performed it during soundchecks, quickly establishing it as a fan favorite. The song's earliest documented appearance came in the 1998 documentary Meeting People Is Easy, featuring a stripped-down performance from a January 1998 soundcheck in Fukuoka, Japan. By mid-1999, during the sessions for Kid A and Amnesiac, guitarist Ed O'Brien referenced the track in an online diary entry, noting that ongoing work on it might transform it into "something else," indicating efforts to integrate it into the band's evolving sound but ultimately leaving it as an outtake. The song evolved through sporadic live performances over the following decades, with notable renditions including full-band performances in 2001 and solo acoustic versions by during his 2000 tour. It reappeared in Radiohead's sets during the 2003 tour and made a surprise return by and in 2017 at Sferisterio in , , highlighting its enduring appeal despite never receiving a studio release at the time. Early demos and live recordings circulated among fans via bootlegs, with versions from the late and early surfacing , though no official demo leak specifically tied to 2019 has been documented; instead, fan-shared audio from soundchecks and shows fueled anticipation. Radiohead shelved "Follow Me Around" primarily due to its straightforward rock structure, which clashed with the experimental, electronic direction of the Kid A and Amnesiac era, preventing it from fitting thematically into those albums. The band revisited archived material from this transitional period—marked by their shift from guitar-driven rock to electronic and ambient influences—aligning with a broader pattern of unearthing and releasing previously withheld tracks, as seen in the 2019 public sharing of OK Computer session outtakes following a hack. The song resurfaced in 2021 for the Kid A Mnesia compilation, a 21st-anniversary of Kid A and Amnesiac that included the original studio recording on the bonus disc Kid Amnesiae, allowing it to finally emerge from archival limbo.

Release

Commercial release

"Follow Me Around" was commercially released on November 1, 2021, as the second single from Radiohead's compilation album Kid A Mnesia. The track was distributed by XL Recordings and formed part of the 21st anniversary reissue of the band's albums Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001). It was made available in digital download and streaming formats, with the full Kid A Mnesia box set—including the song on vinyl—following on November 5, 2021.

Promotion and music video

The release of "Follow Me Around" as the second single from the compilation was announced by on their official social media channels, including and , on November 1, 2021, just days before the album's launch on November 5. This timing aligned with the broader promotional campaign, which celebrated the 21st anniversary of and Amnesiac by unveiling previously unreleased material from those sessions, building anticipation through staggered single drops following "" in . The official music video, directed by the duo Us (Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor), premiered on YouTube the same day, November 1, 2021. It stars Australian actor as a man experiencing escalating and isolation, pursued relentlessly through the streets of to his apartment by a tiny drone camera mimicking an insect's point-of-view. The visuals employ glitchy, lo-fi aesthetics in 420p resolution to evoke footage and distorted perception, emphasizing themes of pursuit and entrapment without featuring the band in performance. Production utilized advanced drone technology for the immersive chase sequences, creating a tense narrative that complements the song's introspective dread. Further promotion included immediate availability on streaming platforms. Around the release, clips of earlier renditions—including a 1998 soundcheck from the OK Computer tour and solo acoustic versions by —circulated widely online, often shared by fans and amplified through official channels like to highlight the song's history. A behind-the-scenes video detailing the drone filming process was uploaded to on November 3, 2021, providing additional insight into the video's creation.

Reception

Critical reception

Upon its official release as part of the Kid A Mnesia compilation in 2021, "Follow Me Around" received widespread praise from critics for its long-awaited arrival as a "" track from Radiohead's late-1990s sessions, often highlighted for its emotional depth and atmospheric tension. described it as the most sought-after of the compilation's unreleased songs, a "" well worth the wait, noting its acoustic darkness, effects, and lyrics evoking and existential pressure, such as "Nowadays I get panicked, I cease to exist." echoed this sentiment, framing the song as a significant fan milestone from the era, finally unveiled after two decades. Pitchfork noted "Follow Me Around" as a long-known "" track to fans, featured in , but one that lacks the revelatory quality of other bonus material on the compilation. Consequence similarly appreciated its adherence to Radiohead's signature brooding and subtle political undertones, selecting it as their Song of the Week for its eerie folk elements. The Guardian offered a more mixed take, portraying the song—built around Thom Yorke's and vocals—as "dread-filled" and "decidedly uncomfortable listening," emphasizing its unsettling mood over broader innovation. Overall reception themes centered on the track's role in bridging Radiohead's rock roots and electronic experimentation, with critics appreciating its timeliness in capturing personal and societal anxiety, though some viewed it as a polished rather than a standout. The Kid A Mnesia compilation, which included "Follow Me Around," earned high aggregated scores, such as Pitchfork's 9.2/10 and NME's 4/5, reflecting positive contextual acclaim. Fan enthusiasm, often mirroring critical excitement, further amplified its significance as a rare official release.

Commercial performance

Upon its commercial release as a single from the Kid A Mnesia compilation in November 2021, "Follow Me Around" saw robust streaming performance, amassing millions of plays on platforms like by 2022, with cumulative streams exceeding 6.7 million globally as of November 2025. The track received international airplay exposure in and , contributing to its visibility beyond English-speaking markets. Several factors influenced the song's performance, including the promotional hype surrounding the Kid A Mnesia reissue, which reignited interest in Radiohead's early 2000s material, and sustained fan demand following years of leaks and live renditions since 1998. Additionally, inclusions of live versions in 2025 releases, such as the Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003–2009) album, provided a long-tail effect by exposing the song to newer audiences through contextual performances. Compared to other Radiohead singles from reissues, such as "If You Say the Word" from the same Kid A Mnesia set, "Follow Me Around" performed similarly in streaming metrics (around 5–7 million Spotify plays) but edged ahead in alternative digital sales, highlighting its status as a fan-favorite bonus track over more experimental outtakes.

Personnel

Radiohead members

served as the primary songwriter and lead performer on "Follow Me Around," delivering the vocals and guitar. The band members—, , , , and —collaborated during the song's development in the late 1990s sessions, with the version released as part of the 2021 compilation. Detailed track-specific instrumentation beyond Yorke's vocals and guitar is not provided in available credits.

Additional personnel

The production and mixing of "Follow Me Around" were overseen by , who served as the primary producer, engineer, and mixing engineer during the original sessions. Assistant engineering was handled by Gerard Navarro, with additional engineering contributions from Graeme Stewart. No guest musicians appear on the track. For the 2021 release of "Follow Me Around" as part of the Kid A Mnesia compilation, the vinyl edition of the Kid Amnesiae disc was cut at normal speed by mastering engineer Barry Grint at Alchemy Mastering Studios, working from the original digital masters without full remastering.

References

  1. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/radiohead-follow-me-around-video-guy-pearce-1251279/
  2. https://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-finally-release-fan-favourite-follow-me-around-3084599
  3. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/radiohead-follow-me-around/
  4. https://americansongwriter.com/radiohead-drops-previously-unreleased-track-follow-me-around/
  5. https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-share-new-video-for-follow-me-around-watch/
  6. https://consequence.net/2021/11/radiohead-follow-me-around-song-of-the-week/2/
  7. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-insanely-great-radiohead-songs-only-hardcore-fans-know-81425/
  8. https://www.discogs.com/release/20924998-Radiohead-Kid-A-Mnesia
  9. https://songbpm.com/%40radiohead/follow-me-around-aQYVem15-C
  10. https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0257809
  11. https://genius.com/Radiohead-follow-me-around-lyrics
  12. https://www.songfacts.com/facts/radiohead/follow-me-around
  13. https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Radiohead-1/follow-me-around
  14. https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/radioheads-rhapsody-in-gloom-ok-computer-20-years-later-121093/
  15. https://genius.com/Radiohead-how-to-disappear-completely-lyrics
  16. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/radiohead-kid-a-amnesiac-reissue-1220734/
  17. https://www.analogplanet.com/content/kid-mnesiakid-and-amnesiac-together-last
  18. https://www.discogs.com/master/2363104-Radiohead-Kid-A-Mnesia
  19. https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/radiohead-bd6bd12.html?songid=63d6d65b
  20. https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/radiohead/2017/sferisterio-macerata-italy-2be548a2.html
  21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sIa9jwTLmU
  22. https://www.stereogum.com/2165918/radiohead-follow-me-around/music/
  23. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/radiohead-leaked-ok-computer-material-minidisc-hack-846664/
  24. https://www.nastylittleman.com/2021/11/01/radiohead-new-single-and-video-follow-me-around-out-now/
  25. https://www.nastylittleman.com/2021/09/07/radiohead-kid-a-mnesia-21st-anniversary-triple-album-editions/
  26. https://shop.xlrecordings.com/release/346432-radiohead-kid-a-mnesia?lang=en_US
  27. https://www.facebook.com/radiohead/posts/follow-me-around-radioheadreleased-nov-1-2021/440717697413079/
  28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrxWiU_v9Qs
  29. https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/11/03/radiohead-follow-me-around-us/73675
  30. https://www.time-based-arts.com/radiohead-follow-me-around
  31. https://open.spotify.com/track/4E6VIBxJdetyVUfQv2u360
  32. https://music.apple.com/sb/artist/radiohead/657515
  33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEPu77iTGsw
  34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Laewtil7k
  35. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaQRY8DO0vc
  36. https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/radiohead-kid-amnesiae-review-3087188
  37. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/radiohead-kid-a-mnesia/
  38. https://consequence.net/2021/11/radiohead-follow-me-around-song-of-the-week/
  39. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/07/radiohead-kid-a-mnesia-review-two-classic-albums-plus-surprises
  40. https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/432468-radiohead-follow-me-around.php
  41. https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/4Z8W4fKeB5YxbusRsdQVPb_songs.html
  42. https://musicbrainz.org/release/4393b20c-f635-491e-92c0-2a5519151e5d/disc/3
  43. https://www.analogplanet.com/content/kid-mnesia-vinyl-set-worth-your-money
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