Follow Me (Amanda Lear song)
Encyclopedia
"Follow Me" - a song by French singer Amanda Lear
released in 1978 by Ariola Records
.
, in the spring of 1978. The B-side of the single was "Mother, Look What They've Done to Me" in most of the countries. The only exception in Europe was Spain, with "Run Baby Run
", that would later become the second A-side release off the album, and where the single wore a subtitle "Sigueme". In Canada, the B-side was "Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)
", later a separate single from the album.
Amanda Lear provided the song lyrics herself, like on every Sweet Revenge track, and music was composed by Anthony Monn
, her long-time producer and collaborator. Musically, "Follow Me" showcased mainstream disco
sound, popular in the second half of the 1970s. However, it contained symphonic
elements and revealed inspiration of innovatory work of German band Kraftwerk
. Lyrically, the song tells about seduction
. It was the first out of five Sweet Revenge tracks, that made a compact whole on the album, a conceptual suite
telling a story about a girl being tempted by a Devil. An alternative version of "Follow Me" tops the suite, billed as "Follow Me (Reprise)" and containing new lyrics. A 10-minute Wally MacDonald remix
of the song was released in Canada, which de facto was a blend of the original version and the reprise
.
The song turned out to be Amanda's biggest hit to date and her trademark tune
. The single reached Top 10 in no less than six European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, and sold in an estimated number of 2 million copies worldwide. The singer performed it in a number of television shows, including Disco
or Musikladen
.
produced a Hi-NRG
versions of "Follow Me" and "Gold" which were released as a commercial double A-side single, on both vinyl and CD.
1993 saw the release of another version of "Follow Me". This time Lear provided the remake with newly-recorded vocal and included it on her comeback studio album Cadavrexquis
. That version didn't make a single release, but a video was shot for it and two years later Lear sang it at the La fièvre du disco concert held in Paris. The song was recorded again in 1998 for the Back in Your Arms
album. Lear also recorded another version in the early 2000s.
In 2006 Spanish singer Pedro Marín
covered the song on his record Diamonds, a tribute album
including interpretations of chosen Amanda Lear's tracks. His version was released as a single.
for German TV show Musikladen
. It presents Amanda Lear singing the title song in front of the camera. The singer wears a dark coat and after she takes it off, her characteristic bright pink outfit is revealed. Amanda's picture from the Sweet Revenge album cover is being shown behind her as well as night sky full of stars. The clip was produced using the bluescreen
technique, like every other video that Lear made for Musikladen.
Also in 1978, another videoclip for the song was produced, this time as a part of Italian TV show Stryx
. Amanda again wore a dark coat in it, only this time revealing another costume underneath. The video was directed by Enzo Trapani. In the early 80s Lear's Italian television special
Ma chi è Amanda? premiered, which included a new "Follow Me" video.
Music video was produced for the 1993 re-recording, with Amanda Lear performing the song in front of a green background.
Amanda Lear
Amanda Lear is a French singer, lyricist, composer, painter, TV presenter, actress and novelist....
released in 1978 by Ariola Records
Ariola Records
Ariola Records is a German record label. As of the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of BMG which in turn has since become a part of the international media conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment...
.
Song information
"Follow Me" was released as the first single from Amanda's second album, Sweet RevengeSweet Revenge (Amanda Lear album)
Sweet Revenge is the second studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, released in February, 1978 by West German label Ariola-Eurodisc. The album contained European hit singles "Follow Me", "Enigma ", "Gold" and "Run Baby Run"...
, in the spring of 1978. The B-side of the single was "Mother, Look What They've Done to Me" in most of the countries. The only exception in Europe was Spain, with "Run Baby Run
Run Baby Run (Amanda Lear song)
"Run Baby Run" is a song by French singer Amanda Lear released in 1978 by Ariola Records.- Song information :"Run Baby Run" was the fourth part of the suite included on the Sweet Revenge album, telling a story about a girl being tempted by a Devil. It was released as the second single from Sweet...
", that would later become the second A-side release off the album, and where the single wore a subtitle "Sigueme". In Canada, the B-side was "Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)
Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)
"Enigma " - a song by French singer Amanda Lear released in 1978.- Song information :"Enigma" was released as the third single from Lear's second album, Sweet Revenge. Depending on territory, "Run Baby Run", "Hollywood Flashback" or "Gold" made the single B-side, all from Sweet Revenge. Different...
", later a separate single from the album.
Amanda Lear provided the song lyrics herself, like on every Sweet Revenge track, and music was composed by Anthony Monn
Anthony Monn
Anthony Monn a.k.a. Tony Monn is a German singer, composer, and record producer.Monn started his career as a singer in the German schlager genre in the early 1970s...
, her long-time producer and collaborator. Musically, "Follow Me" showcased mainstream disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
sound, popular in the second half of the 1970s. However, it contained symphonic
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
elements and revealed inspiration of innovatory work of German band Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
. Lyrically, the song tells about seduction
Seduction
In social science, seduction is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage. The word seduction stems from Latin and means literally "to lead astray". As a result, the term may have a positive or negative connotation...
. It was the first out of five Sweet Revenge tracks, that made a compact whole on the album, a conceptual suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
telling a story about a girl being tempted by a Devil. An alternative version of "Follow Me" tops the suite, billed as "Follow Me (Reprise)" and containing new lyrics. A 10-minute Wally MacDonald remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of the song was released in Canada, which de facto was a blend of the original version and the reprise
Reprise
Reprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...
.
The song turned out to be Amanda's biggest hit to date and her trademark tune
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
. The single reached Top 10 in no less than six European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, and sold in an estimated number of 2 million copies worldwide. The singer performed it in a number of television shows, including Disco
Disco (TV series)
Disco was a pop music program that aired in Germany on the ZDF network from 1971 to 1982. It generally aired on the first Saturday of each month at 7:30PM, each show running 45 minutes. 133 shows were produced. The show was hosted by German actor and comedian Ilja Richter...
or Musikladen
Musikladen
Der Musikladen was a West German music television programme that ran from December 13, 1972 to November 29, 1984. The show continued the 1960s Beat-Club under a new name, and in turn was replaced by Extratour.-History:...
.
Re-recordings
Amanda recorded several remakes of "Follow Me" in later years to revive her career. In 1987 the song was remixed and released both on 7" and 12" singles. Two years later English DJ Ian LevineIan Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
produced a Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
versions of "Follow Me" and "Gold" which were released as a commercial double A-side single, on both vinyl and CD.
1993 saw the release of another version of "Follow Me". This time Lear provided the remake with newly-recorded vocal and included it on her comeback studio album Cadavrexquis
Cadavrexquis
Cadavrexquis is the teenth studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, first released in France 1993 on label Chène Music. This including her European comeback dance hit "Fantasy" plus updated versions of three of her hits from the seventies, her signature tune "Follow Me", "Fashion Pack " and "Lili...
. That version didn't make a single release, but a video was shot for it and two years later Lear sang it at the La fièvre du disco concert held in Paris. The song was recorded again in 1998 for the Back in Your Arms
Back in Your Arms
Back In Your Arms is the third compilation album by French singer Amanda Lear, released in May 1998 by Dig It Int'l. The release follows her two previous greatest hits albums, Ieri, Oggi released in Italy, and Poet Amanda Lear released in the former U.S.S.R....
album. Lear also recorded another version in the early 2000s.
In 2006 Spanish singer Pedro Marín
Pedro Marín
Pedro Marín is a Spanish pop singer, actor and TV performer.-Biography:Marín débuted on the popular music scene in Spain as a teen idol in the early 1980s with hits such as "Que no" and "Aire." He was the first Spanish artist to work with synthesisers and electronic instruments being a reference...
covered the song on his record Diamonds, a tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
including interpretations of chosen Amanda Lear's tracks. His version was released as a single.
Music video
In 1978 Amanda Lear shot the "Follow Me" music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for German TV show Musikladen
Musikladen
Der Musikladen was a West German music television programme that ran from December 13, 1972 to November 29, 1984. The show continued the 1960s Beat-Club under a new name, and in turn was replaced by Extratour.-History:...
. It presents Amanda Lear singing the title song in front of the camera. The singer wears a dark coat and after she takes it off, her characteristic bright pink outfit is revealed. Amanda's picture from the Sweet Revenge album cover is being shown behind her as well as night sky full of stars. The clip was produced using the bluescreen
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
technique, like every other video that Lear made for Musikladen.
Also in 1978, another videoclip for the song was produced, this time as a part of Italian TV show Stryx
Stryx
- Description :Stryx thematically referred to Hell, devils and underworld. The scenography featured elements resembling Middle Ages-like gloomy castles and caves....
. Amanda again wore a dark coat in it, only this time revealing another costume underneath. The video was directed by Enzo Trapani. In the early 80s Lear's Italian television special
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
Ma chi è Amanda? premiered, which included a new "Follow Me" video.
Music video was produced for the 1993 re-recording, with Amanda Lear performing the song in front of a green background.
Track listing
- 7" Single (1978)
- A. "Follow Me" - 3:52
- B. "Mother, Look What They've Done to Me" - 4:25
- Spanish 7" Single (1978)
- A. "Follow Me (Sigueme)" - 3:55
- B. "Run Baby RunRun Baby Run (Amanda Lear song)"Run Baby Run" is a song by French singer Amanda Lear released in 1978 by Ariola Records.- Song information :"Run Baby Run" was the fourth part of the suite included on the Sweet Revenge album, telling a story about a girl being tempted by a Devil. It was released as the second single from Sweet...
" - 4:25
- Canadian 12" Single (1978)
- A. "Follow Me" - 10:48
- B. "Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)"Enigma " - a song by French singer Amanda Lear released in 1978.- Song information :"Enigma" was released as the third single from Lear's second album, Sweet Revenge. Depending on territory, "Run Baby Run", "Hollywood Flashback" or "Gold" made the single B-side, all from Sweet Revenge. Different...
" - 5:08
- 7" Single (1987)
- A. "Follow Me" (New Mix) - 3:49
- B. "I'm a Mistery" - 4:35
- 12" Single (1987)
- A. "Follow Me" (The Special 1987 Mix) - 7:18
- B1. "Follow Me" (Radio Mix) - 3:49
- B2. "I'm a Mistery" (Remix) - 5:18
Chart performance
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
3 |
| Austria Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
6 |
| Switzerland Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
7 |
| Netherlands Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
3 |
| Italy Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
9 |
| France Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
6 |
| South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
3 |