Follow You

Album: Mercury – Act 1 (2021)
Charted: 68
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Songfacts®:

  • In April 2018, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds announced the end of his marriage to Nico Vega frontwoman Aja Volkman. Reynolds was on his way to sign divorce papers when he got a text from his wife that said she didn't need to own him to love him and will still love him without expectations. The estranged couple hadn't spoken for seven months, but the text was so full of clarity it shook the singer to his core; they met up for lunch, reconciled, and called off the divorce. Reynolds composed this song of devotion after receiving the life-changing text message and renewing his commitment to their marriage.
  • I'm always on your team, I got your back all right
    Taking those, taking those losses if it treats you right
    I want to put you into the spotlight


    The song finds Reynolds reflecting on the revelation that his marriage was worth saving and choosing to "follow" Aja wherever life takes her. "Loving someone is an incredibly imperfect process," he said. "It isn't always romantic or pretty. Sometimes it can be incredibly painful."
  • Reynolds has battled depression throughout his life; he would sink into self-pity and beat himself up for his mistakes. Aja stuck with him all the way, teaching him self-love and truly accepting him without any expectations. "She was endlessly patient with me," he said. "She didn't need me. She even taught me that I didn't need her. But we loved each other and we chose to remarry and to stay together. I proposed again and she said yes, again. Not every relationship works out this way, but it did for us. It isn't the happy ending - it is a choice that works for some. And Aja and I re-chose it after experiencing life without each other."

    Reynolds concluded that he wanted "Follow You" to "represent a love that is realistic. One where love isn't perfect, but it endures."
  • Imagine Dragons released "Follow You" along with "Cutthroat" on March 12, 2021. The two songs are the band's first music since the 2018 album Origins. "It took walking away from everything to find a lot more clarity and happiness," Reynolds explained of the new tracks.
  • Imagine Dragons wrote this testimony to his new marital commitment alongside:

    Alabama-born, Los Angeles-based singer Elley Duhé, who provided the vocals on Zedd's 2018 single "Happy Now."

    Songwriter Fransisca Hall, who has also written for the likes of Britney Spears ("Ooh La La") and Major Lazer ("Powerful").

    The track's producer, Joel Little, who previously collaborated with Imagine Dragons on their "Whatever It Takes" single. He is best known for co-writing Lorde's debut album, Pure Heroine, and for co-producing four tracks on Taylor Swift's Lover album.
  • Matt Estin directed the video, which stars real-life husband and wife Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson from the FX/FXX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Shot inside The Venetian Theatre at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, the clip finds the couple attending a surprise private birthday concert planned by Olson for McElhenney. It turns out though, she booked her favorite band, Imagine Dragons, rather than his, The Killers.

    Other clips shot by Eastin for Imagine Dragons include the ones for "On Top Of The World," "Roots," "Shots (Broiler Remix)," "Believer" and "Whatever It Takes."

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