As great a rapper as Drake is, he’s even better when he’s in pop star mode. Even without a strong singing voice, he has an unparalleled ear for melodies. His addictive hooks rattle around in your head for days, typically forgoing the hyper-masculine posturing for something a bit softer. Even his arch-rival Kendrick Lamar had to admit on “Euphoria” that he actually appreciates the Toronto MC when he channels his softer side.
No song depicts these strengths quite like “Hold On, We’re Going Home”, which was released on this day 13 years ago in 2013. It is a remarkably simple song, in which Drake sings the same verse twice with the slightest vocal alterations for effect. But alongside his OVO duo Majid Jordan, he’s hypnotic, cooing sweet nothings over 40 and Nineteen85’s thumping drums.
According to the 6 God himself, it was him trying to channel Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson with 40. Moreover, he described the record as a wedding song rather than his typical rap fare. “In approaching this album I was like man, it would be great if we had a record that was played at weddings in 10 years or that people that are away from their families in the army could listen to. Something that just [has] timeless writing, timeless melody,” he explained to MTV.
Drake Releases His Best Hit Song on This Day in 2013
Critics adored “Hold On We’re Going Home” upon its initial release in 2013. Pitchfork labeled it ‘Best New Track’, where they predicted that it would inevitably “smother radio.” “The truth is, he’s at his best when he picks one side or the other,” writer Corban Goble argued. “It’s a joint that comes across as a more quickly paced, more assertive take on cuts like Thank Me Later‘s ‘Find Your Love’ or ‘Karaoke’”.
Similarly, Rolling Stone Australia called it a “dreamy ode to unfettered romance” that was “one of the most earnest pop-star moments ever.”
But the critics loving it didn’t quite define it as the timeless song we know it as today. A surefire way to know which song will last a lifetime is to see how many different artists cover it. Drake writes enough malleable hits that every indie crooner, rock band, and pop star alike could give their spin on it.
“Hold On We’re Going Home” was tackled by seemingly everyone. Naturally, singers on The Voice gave their take on it to mixed results. But the best renditions go to Dev Hynes of Blood Orange and Arctic Monkeys by far.
Photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage
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