Take Me Home (Phil Collins song)
Phil Collins ballad about a mental institution patient.
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"Take Me Home" is a song written and performed by Phil Collins, released as the final track on his third solo studio album No Jacket Required. Co-produced with Hugh Padgham, it was issued as a single in the UK in July 1985 and in the US in March 1986, reaching number 19 in the UK and number 7 in the US.
Background
The lyrics of "Take Me Home" describe a patient in a mental institution, drawing influence from Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962). During the recording of "Long Long Way to Go," Collins asked Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Helen Terry to provide backing vocals. The song became Collins's show closer on the No Jacket Required World Tour and remained at the end of his live set for at least a decade, including the Seriously, Live! World Tour of 1990.
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Me Home (edit) | 4:37 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | We Said Hello Goodbye | 4:15 |
Side one
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Me Home (edit) | 4:37 |
Track listing from the source article.
Critical reception
Critical reception was mostly positive. Jan DeKnock of the Chicago Tribune called the song "hypnotic." Geoff Orens of AllMusic described it as an AMG Track Pick, noting that the "pulsating 'Take Me Home' utilizes the drama of 'In the Air Tonight' on a more wistful track." David Fricke of Rolling Stone highlighted its "engaging, circular rhythm and languid melodic texture." Marty Racine of the Houston Chronicle considered it one of the few songs that "rose above the crowd" on the album. Cashbox labeled it "an urgent ballad" with "intensity and hummable refrain," while Billboard called it an "introspective mood piece of melancholy and defiance."
Covers, remakes, and usage in media
"Take Me Home" appeared in the opening episode of the second season of Miami Vice and was included on the Miami Vice II soundtrack. It served as the closing theme for the World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event for several years in the late 1980s. Malik Pendleton performed the song on the Phil Collins tribute album Urban Renewal (2001). In 2003, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony based their song "Home" on this single, featuring the original chorus; Collins appeared in the music video.
JoJo released a revamped interpretation on her 2014 EP #LoveJo, with production from Da Internz; Time magazine praised her vocals and the incorporation of trap and 808 beats. The extended mix was used in a scene from the season 2 premiere of Mr. Robot in 2016, where an executive is blackmailed into burning $5.9 million. Phantogram covered the song for the 2016 album The Time Is Now!, and their cover was used in the closing scene of the 2026 miniseries Lucky.
Little Big Town and Sugarland covered the song to honor LBT's 25th anniversary, performing it at the 2024 CMT Music Awards.
Did You Know?
- The music video was directed by Jim Yukich and produced by Paul Flattery.
- The video features Collins getting into a Ford Popular and singing a line of the song in various locations worldwide.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Take Me Home (Phil Collins song) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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