It's a winter evening and it's already dark. There's been heavy snow a few days ago but most of it has already melted away, especially the roads. Some of it still remains in the park you're walking in; guess it doesn't get much sun during the day cause of all the trees. But it's not hard to walk and your boots seep into the snow and make a pretty sound with each step. It's pretty cold, one of your hands is in your warm, thick coat's pocket and you can pretty much see your own breath. You don't really have a specific destination in your mind, and you really don't care to be quite honest. Your other hand is holding the hand of an angel. At least that's what it feels like. Hold on tighter will you? Look at your angel in the eyes. Tell them you love them. Cherish the moment.
This review is about “Follow You Follow Me” by Genesis. The loveliest love song of them all. Written by guitarist Mike Rutherford, it was released on the band’s 9th studio album “...And Then There Were Three...” in 1978. It took a few steps away from their usual progressive rock tones towards more soft rock, maybe even the pop side of things with a nifty 93 bpm and G major key. And it worked out too, the single was their most successful one yet and put them on a more radio-friendly path throughout the coming years.
The song starts with Rutherford's, for the lack of a better word, weird guitar melody with a lot of distortion and delay, that leaves you guessing the song’s mood till the drums and the keyboard join in and help carry the beat a bit more clearly. The keyword being “a bit”. And then you hear Phil Collins' sedative voice and you know exactly what type of a song you're listening to. The vocals almost sound like "love"! Dance along with your angel to the song of your heartbeats in this snow. Get detached from the world. You two are the only particles in this universe that matter right now in this exact moment. Maybe the weird-sounding guitar is supposed to represent the crazy and not-so-easy world we live in. maybe that’s why at t 1:01 when the chorus starts, keyboard harmonies accompany the vocals and the drums get louder and you can barely hear the guitar, even though you’re completely in sync with it. Acknowledge the world as the mess it is and you revel in it cause you have your angel with you. So hold their hand a little tighter, and feel safe with them. the second verse and the chorus come and go and you reach Tony Banks’ amazing little synthesizer solo at 2:23. Feels like gazing at the stars. Afterward, the chorus keeps repeating and slowly fading away. The guitar melody is almost inaudible now, the drums do little flicks of energy here and there, enjoy it. Enjoy being disconnected from the world, maybe for just a few hours, leave your worries behind and just love your angel.
The lyrics are not at all too complex. Just like the melody which is “Almost too banal” even, keyboardist Tony Banks put it. Rutherford apparently wrote it in just 10 minutes. But it gets the job done and then some. Isn’t love, in its core, about sincerity and simplicity in this confusing world after all? It conveys what we all have felt at some part of our lives in such a beautiful and concise way, it leaves nothing much to talk about.
Till the next review, show the angel in your life that you feel safe with them and maybe go on a walk in the park, eh?