Come with Me Now explained

Come with Me Now
Cover:Kongos Come with Me Now.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Kongos
Album:Lunatic
Released:July 31, 2012
Recorded:2011
Genre:
Length:3:31
Label:
  • Tokoloshe
  • Epic
  • Rock All Night Productions LLC
Producer:Kongos
Prev Title:I'm Only Joking
Prev Year:2011
Next Title:I Want to Know
Next Year:2012

"Come with Me Now" is a song by South African American[2] band Kongos. Initially released to iTunes in December 2012 as a single from their album Lunatic,[3] "Come with Me Now" earned commercial success in the United States in 2014, eventually peaking at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart[4] and becoming their first charting single in the United States.[4]

Background and release

In 2011, Kongos released their album Lunatic, which featured "Come with Me Now" which was released as a single. With the band performing the song live while opening for American band Linkin Park in South Africa, "Come with Me Now" was considered a fan favorite there though it initially struggled to find an audience in the United States. The band admitted that when "it didn't seem like things were getting along we really lost heart  - we were ready to move on to new material".

In early January 2014, the song began receiving airplay in the US, generating major label attention for the band which was eventually signed to Epic Records.[5] It was released to US contemporary hit radio on 15 April 2014.[6] The song appears on the soundtrack of the movie The Expendables 3.

The song was released in the UK as the lead single off Lunatic on August 17, 2014.

Composition

"Come with Me Now" has been described by Billboard as an "accordion-tinged" rock song.[5] Members of the band themselves say that the song is heavily influenced by kwaito music, which is described as being a blend of South African jazz, township pop, and Western house music.[1] It was written by keyboard/accordion player Johnny Kongos and singer/bassist Dylan Kongos.

Commercial performance

On April 9, 2014, "Come with Me Now" debuted at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it their first charting single on the chart; it peaked at number 31.[7] It also topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.[4] By reaching the summit of the chart in 10 weeks, it was the quickest song of a rookie band to top the chart since American rock band Evanescence's 2003 song "Bring Me to Life".[7] The single peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart[4] and number 7 on the Canadian Hot 100.[4] The song has sold 1.3 million copies in the United States, as of December 2014.[8] The single also peaked at number 14, number 16, and number 18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Top 40 charts, respectively. The song also topped the Official South African Singles Chart and peaked in the top 40 in New Zealand.[9] It has sold over 160,000 copies in Canada.[10]

Music video

The music video for "Come with Me Now" was uploaded on July 31, 2012. As of July 2024, the video has received a total of over 168 million views on YouTube. The video includes footage of the band playing the song, intercut with looped shots of people performing other activities such as applying makeup, exercising, and flipping through a magazine before they fall into water.

Live performances

The band performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on March 5, 2014.[1] [11]

Personnel

Use in popular culture

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014–2016)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[15] 94
Poland (ZPAV)[16] 38
South Africa (EMA)[17] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] 125

Year-end charts

Chart (2014)Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19] 27
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 88
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[21] 10
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[22] 2

Release history

CountryDateFormatLabel
South AfricaDecember 15, 2012Digital downloadTokoloshe[23]
United StatesApril 15, 2014Contemporary hit radioEpic[24]
United KingdomSeptember 4, 2014Digital download[25]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New on SONiC This Week!. Sonic 102.9. Rogers Radio. February 14, 2014. April 10, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140827040548/http://www.sonic1029.com/2014/02/14/new-on-sonic-this-week-14/. August 27, 2014. dead.
  2. News: Lester, Paul . Kongos (No 1,738) Band of the Week . The Guardian . 11 December 2018 . 9 April 2014 . they've got Greek blood, grew up in South Africa and the UK and now live in the States.
  3. Web site: Come With Me Now - Single . December 15, 2012 . iTunes.
  4. Kongos - Chart history - Billboard. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. April 5, 2014.
  5. Lipshutz. Jason. Kongos Scores Fastest Top 10 Alternative Debut Single Since Lorde's 'Royals'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. March 14, 2014. March 17, 2014.
  6. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases . All Access Music Group . https://web.archive.org/web/20140413195804/http://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases . 13 April 2014 . dead .
  7. Trust. Gary. Pharrell Williams Leads Hot 100; John Legend Gains At No. 2. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. April 9, 2014. April 9, 2014.
  8. Web site: The Big 9 in 2014: Epic . HITS Daily Double . HITS Digital Ventures . December 10, 2014 . December 10, 2014.
  9. Web site: Chart Watch: The Return Of Chris Brown . Paul Grein . August 20, 2014 . Yahoo! Music .
  10. Web site: Gonshor. Bram. Kongos Presented With Double Platinum Plaques For Hit Single "Come With Me Now". Music Canada. August 6, 2014. August 13, 2014.
  11. Web site: Watch Kongos Perform 'Come With Me Now' On Jimmy Kimmel Live. KROQ 106.7 FM. CBS Local. April 24, 2014.
  12. Web site: WWE Music. WWE. April 26, 2014.
  13. Web site: Come With Me Now used during Bowl Championship Series on ESPN. Kongos. January 1, 2013. June 1, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140605052847/http://www.kongos.com/2013/01/01/come-with-me-now-used-during-bowl-championship-series-on-espn/. June 5, 2014. dead.
  14. Web site: Get Carried Away with the Cup - BBC Sport Trail. 4 November 2014 . BBC. May 27, 2015.
  15. Week Commencing 12 January 2015. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20150211130100/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20150212-0001/Issue1298.pdf. dead. 2015-02-11. The ARIA Report. 1298. March 6, 2015. Trove.
  16. Web site: Lista Przebojów Trójki - Polskie Radio Online . 14 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140620101108/http://lp3.polskieradio.pl/utwor/artykul13394,4549_COME_WITH_ME_NOW.aspx . 20 June 2014 . dead .
  17. Web site: South African Airplay Chart Top 10 – May 27, 2014 . . May 28, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140529052758/http://www.sa-ema.com/index.php/charts-board/?week=2014-05-27 . May 29, 2014 . dead .
  18. Web site: CHART: CLUK Update 13.09.2014 (wk36) . Zobbel.de . September 14, 2014 . Zywietz . Tobias.
  19. Canadian Hot 100: Year End 2014 . . December 21, 2014.
  20. Hot 100 Songs: Year End 2014 . . December 21, 2014.
  21. Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2014 . . December 21, 2014.
  22. Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2014 . . December 21, 2014.
  23. Web site: Come With Me Now – Single by Kongos . . 15 December 2012 . South Africa . . September 14, 2014.
  24. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases . All Access Music Group . September 14, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140413195804/http://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases . April 13, 2014 . dead .
  25. Web site: Come With Me Now (2014) . United Kingdom . . September 14, 2014.

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