Homesick (Dua Lipa song)

"Homesick" is a song by English singer Dua Lipa from her eponymous debut studio album (2017). The song was written by Lipa and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who also contributes backing vocals, while Martin's engineer Bill Rahko handled the production. The song was released by Warner Bros. Records as a digital single on 1 December 2017, serving as the eighth single from the album. A week later, it was sent to top 40 and adult contemporary radio formats in Belgium and the Netherlands.

"Homesick"
Single by Dua Lipa
from the album Dua Lipa
Released1 December 2017
Studio
Length3:50
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bill Rahko
Dua Lipa singles chronology
"New Rules"
(2017)		 "Homesick"
(2017)		 "IDGAF"
(2018)
Album visual
"Homesick" on YouTube

"Homesick" is a piano ballad, with its lyrics addressing being away from loved ones. The song was met with mixed reviews from music critics, with many praising the lyrics, but also feeling it was forced. The song charted in both Belgium and the Netherlands. It received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The song was promoted with performances on Later... with Jools Holland, Saturday Night Live and at the LOS40 Music Awards 2018.

Writing and production
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin co-wrote "Homesick" with Lipa and contributes to the production by playing piano and singing additional backing vocals.

While in a planning meeting, Lipa was asked by a woman named Caroline who she would love to work with. Lipa jokingly responded that she would love to work with Chris Martin. Caroline had worked with Coldplay for a number of years and asked Lipa to let her know if there is anything she could send to Martin, although he was really busy at the time. Lipa thought Caroline was just being polite, but decided to send Martin some unreleased tracks anyways. Caroline later sent Lipa an email that read that Martin really enjoyed her work and requested that she meet him at a studio in Malibu, California. When Lipa went to the studio and Martin was there with his engineer Bill Rahko. Lipa then played them everything she had, where Martin began dancing around the room, writing down song titles and being really attentive, listening to everything, and wanting to know every song's meaning. Lipa recalled Martin enjoying "New Rules" (2017) and found it really surreal in those moments. Martin also looked at Lipa's notes on her laptop where she had ideas for future albums.[1][2][3][4]

Martin then suggested that they write a song for Lipa's debut album. Rahko and Martin set up microphones around the room, while Martin also began playing the piano. Lipa recalled that as soon as Martin began playing, she thought of Coldplay. They began recording the song, humming and making up melodies. It was getting quite late so Martin gave Lipa everything they had recorded and requested that she listen back to it and if there's something she liked, they'd come back to it. Lipa thought that Martin was sending her on her way and they were never going to see one and other again. Lipa did as Martin asked and picked out one of the melodies they had written. In one of Lipa's last trips to Los Angeles in order to finish her debut album, they arranged a second session at Woodshed Recording Studio in Malibu.[5][6] Before writing, Lipa and Martin already came up with title, "Homesick". At first, Lipa was only supposed to sing but she begged Martin to sing along with her as she thought it sounded better.[1][2][3][4] Rahko ended up handling the production and engineering with Alekes Von Korff serving as an assistant engineer. Lipa's vocals were later recorded at TaP Studio / Strongroom 7 in London. Mixing was handled by DJ Swivel, while mastering was done by John Davis at Metropolis Studios in London.[6]

Music and lyrics

"Homesick" is a piano ballad that runs for three minutes and fifty seconds.[7][8] The song is composed in 4
4 time and the key of G major, with a slow ballad tempo of 66 beats per minute and a chord progression of Em–C–G–Dsus–D. Lipa and Martin's vocals span from the low note of G3 to the high note of D5.[9] It's studio production is stripped away, leaving only the singers' vocals and a twinkling piano.[10] Lipa was inspired by how much she travels and how she misses being in London. The song's opening line, "Here, where the sky's falling, I'm covered in blue," was inspired by how Lipa enjoys when it rains in Los Angeles because it feels like London. Lyrically, the song is about the sacrifice one makes, spending time away from loved ones to pursue their dream.[1] Lipa described it as the "most beautiful" song on her album.[2]

Release and promotion

Lipa first revealed the collaboration on 8 May 2017, during a performance in Singapore.[11] The song was a last-minute addition to Lipa's eponymous debut studio album.[2] "Homesick" was released on 2 June 2017 as the closing track on the standard edition of the album.[8] The song was later released as a digital single on 1 December 2017, as the seventh single from the album.[12] It was serviced to top 40 and adult contemporary radio formats in Belgium and the Netherlands a week later.[13]

"Homesick" was performed as the encore during Lipa's Self-Titled tour (2017–18).[14] She also performed the song with Martin in 2017 during Coldplay's A Head Full of Dreams Tour, where she served as the opening act.[15] On 4 November 2017, Lipa performed the song on Later... with Jools Holland, alongside "Be the One" (2015) and "New Rules".[16] On 8 December 2017 and 3 February 2018, she performed it alongside "New Rules" on Sounds Like Friday Night and Saturday Night Live, respectively.[17][18] Lipa performed the song as a duet with Pablo Alborán at the LOS40 Music Awards 2018, on 2 November of that year.[19]

Reception

"Homesick" was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic labelled the song as "delicate" and praised it's revelation of Lipa's "vulnerability and softness." He went on to note it's potential for being a "direct sequel" to "Everglow" (2016) by Coldplay.[10] Anjali Raguraman of The Straits Times agreed that it is "delicate," and also compared it to the works of Coldplay.[20] For musicOMH, Ben Hogwood praised it for being the "least manipulated" song on it's parent album, while also noting it's "welcome tenderness" and "genuine sense of yearning."[21] Dylan Yadav of Immortal Reviews called it a "nice change" from the rest of Dua Lipa and "a beautiful end to the record."[22] The Fader's Aimee Cliff categorized Lipa's vocals as "fiery" and labelled the song as a whole "a straight-up 'I miss you' ballad."[23]

In Renowned for Sound, Rachael Scarsbrook labelled "Homesick" as a "raw," and "ready to tug at the heartstrings" track.[24] DIY's Alim Kheraj wrote that the song feels "overthought" and "calculated."[25] In a negative review from The Line of Best Fit, Claire Biddles stated it feels "tacked on and unnecessary," while also suggesting it is the result of "a record label employee needing to tick the 'piano ballad' box."[26] For The 405, Sean Ward compared it to a grandfather/daughter Britain's Got Talent audition, writing "nobody wants it and very few understand it."[27] As it was released as single in Belgium and the Netherlands, "Homesick" reached number 2, 14 and 12 respectively on the Dutch Top 40, Dutch Single Top 100 and Ultratop 50 in the Flanders region of Belgium.[28][29][30] The song received a gold certification in Belgium.[31] In July 2020, the song was certified silver in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[32]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dua Lipa.[6]

Publishing

Recording

Personnel
  • Dua Lipa – vocals, songwriting
  • Chris Martin – songwriting, additional backing vocals, piano
  • Bill Rahko – production, engineering
  • Alekes Von Korff – engineering assistance
  • DJ Swivel – mixing
  • John Davis – mastering

Charts

Certifications
Certifications and sales for "Homesick"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[31] Gold 15,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Silver 200,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history
Release dates and formats for "Homesick"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 2 June 2017
Warner [8]
1 December 2017 Digital single [12]
Belgium 8 December 2017
[13]
Netherlands
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References
  1. Schiller, Rebecca (16 October 2018). "Dua Lipa Explains How London Rain Inspired Her Chris Martin Collaboration 'Homesick': Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. Levine, Nick (19 May 2017). "Dua Lipa: How the rising star put herself on the path to pop's premier league". NME. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  3. Clarke, Patrick (17 October 2018). "Dua Lipa on how her 'surreal' meeting with Chris Martin led to 'Homesick'". NME. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  4. Savage, Mark (31 May 2017). "Dua Lipa: 'Chris Martin made me feel really calm'". BBC. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  5. Carley, Brennan (24 January 2018). "Dua Lipa Is Changing the Rules of Pop Music". GQ. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  6. Dua Lipa (liner notes). Dua Lipa. Warner Records. 2017. 0190295938482.CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. Davies, Hannah J (1 June 2017). "Dua Lipa: Dua Lipa review - a pop debut high on summery nonchalance". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  8. "Dua Lipa by Dua Lipa". iTunes (US). Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  9. "Dua Lipa 'Homesick' Sheet Music in G Major". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  10. Yeung, Neil Z. "Dua Lipa - Dua Lipa". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  11. Raguraman, Anjali (9 May 2017). "Dua Lipa collaborates with Coldplay's Chris Martin for a track on her debut album". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  12. Digital single releases for "Homesick":
  13. Belgian and Dutch radio releases for "Homesick":
  14. "Review: Dua Lipa brings sassy self-titled tour to Brighton". Brighton & Hove Independent. 6 October 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  15. "Shows do Coldplay no Brasil terão abertura de Dua Lipa e Jon Hopkins" (in Portuguese). Universo Online. 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  16. "Later.. with Jools Holland, Series 51, Episode 6". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  17. "Sounds Like Friday Night, Series 1, Episode 6". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  18. Kreps, Daniel (4 February 2018). "Watch Dua Lipa Bring 'New Rules,' 'Homesick' to 'SNL'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  19. Murcia, Alberto Palao (3 November 2018). "Dua Lipa y Pablo Alborán sorprenden cantando juntos 'Homesick' en LOS40 Music Awards" (in Spanish). Los 40. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  20. Raguraman, Anjali (19 July 2017). "Music review: Singer Dua Lipa is the most refreshing voice in pop music". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  21. Hogwood, Ben (5 June 2020). "Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa". musicOMH. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  22. Yadav, Dylan (7 June 2017). "Dua Lipa Brings A Sweet Sound In Self-Titled Debut 'Dua Lipa'". Immortal Reviews. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  23. Cliff, Aimee (30 May 2017). "Dua Lipa Wants You To Know She's In Control". The Fader. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  24. Scarsbrook, Rachael (16 June 2017). "Album Review: Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa". Renowned for Sound. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  25. Kheraj, Alim (2 June 2017). "Dua Lipa - Dua Lipa". DIY. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  26. Biddles, Claire (5 June 2017). "Dua Lipa by Dua Lipa". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  27. Ward, Sean (5 June 2017). "Album Review: Dua Lipa - Dua Lipa". The 405. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  28. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 8, 2018" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  29. "Dutchcharts.nl – Dua Lipa – Homesick" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  30. "Ultratop.be – Dua Lipa – Homesick" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  31. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2018". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  32. "British single certifications – Dua Lipa – Homesick". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 July 2020. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Homesick in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  33. "Jaaroverzichten 2018". Ultratop. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  34. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2018" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  35. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
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