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Come with Me Now

2012 single by Kongos From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"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]

ReleasedJuly 31, 2012
Recorded2011
Length3:31
Quick facts Single by Kongos, from the album Lunatic ...
"Come with Me Now"
Single by Kongos
from the album Lunatic
ReleasedJuly 31, 2012
Recorded2011
Genre
Length3:31
Label
  • Tokoloshe
  • Epic
  • Rock All Night Productions LLC
Songwriters
  • Johnny Kongos
  • Dylan Kongos
ProducerKongos
Kongos singles chronology
"I'm Only Joking"
(2011)
"Come with Me Now"
(2012)
"I Want to Know"
(2012)
Music video
"Come with Me Now" on YouTube
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Background and release

Kongos first uploaded the song to YouTube on September 27, 2011.[5] In 2012, they released their album Lunatic. 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".[6]

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.[6] It was released to US contemporary hit radio on 15 April 2014.[7] The song appears on the soundtrack of the movie The Expendables 3.[citation needed]

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

Composition

"Come with Me Now" has been described by Billboard as an "accordion-tinged" rock song.[6] 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.[8] 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".[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] It has sold over 160,000 copies in Canada.[11]

Music video

The music video for "Come with Me Now" was uploaded on July 31, 2012. 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 5 March 2014.[1][12]

Personnel

  • Dylan Kongos – Lead vocals, bass guitar, Lap steel guitar
  • John J. Kongos – Accordion, keyboards, vocoder, vocals
  • Jesse Kongos – Drums, percussion, vocals
  • Daniel Kongos – Guitar, vocals

Charts

More information Chart (2014–2016), Peak position ...
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Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...
Certifications and sales for "Come with Me Now"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[37] 2× Platinum 160,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[38] Platinum 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[40] 2× Platinum 1,300,000[9]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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Release history

More information Country, Date ...
Release dates and formats for "Come with Me Now"
Country Date Format Label Ref.
South Africa 15 December 2012 Digital download Tokoloshe [41]
United States 15 April 2014 Contemporary hit radio Epic [42]
United Kingdom 4 September 2014 Digital download [43]
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References

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