I Will Follow
Encyclopedia
"I Will Follow" is a song by rock
band U2
. It is the opening track from their debut album, Boy
, and it was released as the album's second single
, in October 1980. Bono wrote the lyrics to "I Will Follow" in tribute to his mother who died when he was 14 years old.
"I Will Follow" is the only song that U2 performs on every tour since they released their first album. The song was U2's first music video, directed by Meiert Avis
in Dublin, Ireland. The song was issued five times, first in 1981 on a 7" vinyl in Ireland
, the United Kingdom
, Australia
, and New Zealand
, second on the same format in the United States
and Canada
, third in the Netherlands
in 1982 with a track from 1981's October
, in 1983 with a live version of the song, and finally in 2011 with a live version of the song recorded at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival.
plays a glockenspiel
.
"I Will Follow" had a second single release as a live version in the Netherlands
and Germany
in 1981, and a third release in the U.S.
, lifted from the Under a Blood Red Sky
album, in 1983. It appeared on both the compilation album and video collection The Best of 1980-1990
, and in some countries, on the U218 Singles
compilation.
s. It has been played extensively on every tour with the exception of the Zoo TV Tour
, where it was performed infrequently, and was part of the acoustic set, and the U2 360° Tour
, where it wasn't played until the third leg. The Edge
usually plays this song on his favorite guitar, the Gibson Explorer
. The only exceptions were the Lovetown
and PopMart Tours. On Lovetown, it was segued into directly after "Where the Streets Have No Name
," during which Edge used a yellow Fender Stratocaster
with Lace Sensor
pickups. In 1997 on the PopMart Tour, the song was segued into immediately after "Mofo
," for which Edge used a Gibson Les Paul
Custom. The PopMart Tour version, seen in PopMart: Live from Mexico City
also had some altered lyrics: "You took the soul of me/Put a hole in me/You should've said/That's your lie."
The song appears on the live recordings/films Under a Blood Red Sky
, U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, Live from the Point Depot
, PopMart: Live from Mexico City
, Elevation 2001: Live from Boston, Live from Boston 1981, and Live from Paris. It also appears on Vertigo 05: Live from Milan, the bonus DVD that is included with the U218 Singles
compilation and as a bonus track for UK/Australia releases of the CD.
ranked the song at number 214 on its list "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". The magazine wrote, "The first song on U2's first album introduced the guitar sound that would define their work. [...] The arena-ready clarion call also established Bono's trademark lyrical earnestness, one of the reasons the song remains a fan favorite and a staple of the band's recent tours."
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. It is the opening track from their debut album, Boy
Boy (album)
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit...
, and it was released as the album's second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, in October 1980. Bono wrote the lyrics to "I Will Follow" in tribute to his mother who died when he was 14 years old.
"I Will Follow" is the only song that U2 performs on every tour since they released their first album. The song was U2's first music video, directed by Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis is an Irish music video and commercial director. Avis has directed videos for artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, New Found Glory and Josh Groban amongst many others....
in Dublin, Ireland. The song was issued five times, first in 1981 on a 7" vinyl in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, second on the same format in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, third in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1982 with a track from 1981's October
October (album)
October is the second album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1981. The album featured spiritual themes, inspired by Bono, The Edge, and Larry Mullen, Jr.'s memberships in a Christian group called the "Shalom Fellowship", which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and...
, in 1983 with a live version of the song, and finally in 2011 with a live version of the song recorded at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival.
Composition and releases
"I Will Follow" was written three weeks before U2 began recording Boy. U2 singer Bono has said that he wrote the song from his mother's perspective and that it was about the unconditional love a mother has for her child. His mother died following her own father's funeral when Bono was fourteen, which the singer says plunged him into emotional turmoil for the next few years. The song features the lyrics "his mother takes him by his hand" and "If you walk away, I will follow". Throughout the song, Boy producer, Steve LillywhiteSteve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
plays a glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
.
"I Will Follow" had a second single release as a live version in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1981, and a third release in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, lifted from the Under a Blood Red Sky
Under a Blood Red Sky
During the performance of "The Electric Co.", Bono included a 27 second snippet of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns". When Under a Blood Red Sky was released, U2 failed to get permission and pay the appropriate licensing and royalty fees to include that piece of Sondheim's tune on the album...
album, in 1983. It appeared on both the compilation album and video collection The Best of 1980-1990
The Best of 1980-1990
-Disc two :*Note: The version of "Bass Trap" found on this compilation is a shortened edit from the original 5:14 version found on the "The Unforgettable Fire 12" single EP of 1985.-Charts:-Certifications:...
, and in some countries, on the U218 Singles
U218 Singles
U218 Singles is a greatest hits-style compilation album by the Irish rock band U2, released in November 2006. It contains 18 songs: 16 of their most successful and popular singles, "The Saints Are Coming" and "Window in the Skies"...
compilation.
Live performances
It is the band's most frequently performed song with over 757 performances. It has been performed at every concert of The Joshua Tree and PopMart TourPopmart Tour
The PopMart Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 1997 album, Pop, the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums and parks from 1997 through 1998...
s. It has been played extensively on every tour with the exception of the Zoo TV Tour
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993...
, where it was performed infrequently, and was part of the acoustic set, and the U2 360° Tour
U2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
, where it wasn't played until the third leg. The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
usually plays this song on his favorite guitar, the Gibson Explorer
Gibson Explorer
The Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar that made its debut in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its sibling, the Flying V. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype design which years later Gibson marketed under the name Futura.The...
. The only exceptions were the Lovetown
Lovetown Tour
The Lovetown Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place in late 1989 and early 1990.-Itinerary:It was limited in scope, but did try to reach places that their 1987 Joshua Tree Tour had missed, all the while avoiding the United States entirely.The tour's opening night was on...
and PopMart Tours. On Lovetown, it was segued into directly after "Where the Streets Have No Name
Where the Streets Have No Name
"Where the Streets Have No Name" is a song by rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's third single in August 1987. The song's hook is a repeating guitar arpeggio using a delay effect, played during the song's introduction and...
," during which Edge used a yellow Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
with Lace Sensor
Lace Sensor
The Lace Sensor is a guitar pickup designed by Don Lace and manufactured by AGI since 1985.This line of electric guitar pickups was used exclusively by Fender from 1987 to 1996....
pickups. In 1997 on the PopMart Tour, the song was segued into immediately after "Mofo
MOFO (song)
"Mofo" is a song by U2. It is the third track on the band's 1997 album Pop and it was released as the album's final single on 8 December 1997. The song was partially written about Bono's mother, whom he lost at the age of fourteen...
," for which Edge used a Gibson Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
Custom. The PopMart Tour version, seen in PopMart: Live from Mexico City
PopMart: Live from Mexico City
Selections from the Mexico City concert were released on the live album Hasta la Vista Baby! U2 Live from Mexico City. The album was and released exclusively to members of U2's fan club magazine, Propaganda, in 2000. It features 14 songs from the band's 25-song performance.-Track listing:...
also had some altered lyrics: "You took the soul of me/Put a hole in me/You should've said/That's your lie."
The song appears on the live recordings/films Under a Blood Red Sky
Under a Blood Red Sky
During the performance of "The Electric Co.", Bono included a 27 second snippet of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns". When Under a Blood Red Sky was released, U2 failed to get permission and pay the appropriate licensing and royalty fees to include that piece of Sondheim's tune on the album...
, U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, Live from the Point Depot
Live from the Point Depot
Love: Live from the Point Depot is a digital live album by U2 released through the iTunes Music Store on November 23, 2004 as part of the digital box set, "The Complete U2." The show was recorded during U2's Lovetown Tour on New Year's Eve 1989 at the Point Depot in Dublin...
, PopMart: Live from Mexico City
PopMart: Live from Mexico City
Selections from the Mexico City concert were released on the live album Hasta la Vista Baby! U2 Live from Mexico City. The album was and released exclusively to members of U2's fan club magazine, Propaganda, in 2000. It features 14 songs from the band's 25-song performance.-Track listing:...
, Elevation 2001: Live from Boston, Live from Boston 1981, and Live from Paris. It also appears on Vertigo 05: Live from Milan, the bonus DVD that is included with the U218 Singles
U218 Singles
U218 Singles is a greatest hits-style compilation album by the Irish rock band U2, released in November 2006. It contains 18 songs: 16 of their most successful and popular singles, "The Saints Are Coming" and "Window in the Skies"...
compilation and as a bonus track for UK/Australia releases of the CD.
Reception and legacy
In 2005, BlenderBlender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
ranked the song at number 214 on its list "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". The magazine wrote, "The first song on U2's first album introduced the guitar sound that would define their work. [...] The arena-ready clarion call also established Bono's trademark lyrical earnestness, one of the reasons the song remains a fan favorite and a staple of the band's recent tours."
Track listings
The Netherlands release was recorded for the Veronica TV concert series Countdown, and was reissued in Germany in 1983. The cover of the Canadian and US releases feature the same image as the North American release of Boy, to avoid accusations of pedophilia due to the image of the naked boy. The 1983 release was in a generic red sleeve with no cover artwork.1981 release
| Chart (1981) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top Tracks | 20 |
1982 release
| Chart (1982) | Position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands Top 40 | 12 |
1983 release
| Chart (1984) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
81 |
See also
- List of covers of U2 songs - I Will Follow