The band met and formed in Greenville, North Carolina, USA while studying art at East Carolina University. Their first band was Art Lord & The Self-Portraits, which was also composed of Adam Beeby and Kymia Nawabi and lasted from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, Cashion, Herring, and Welmers formed Future Islands, along with Erick Murillo, the bassist for The Kickass. Other former members include Samuel N. Ortiz-Payero (drums, 2008) and Denny Bowen (drums, 2009–2013 in studio; 2013–2014 touring)
Future Islands released Little Advances in April 2006, and a self-released split CD with Welmers' solo project Moss of Aura in January 2007. In July 2007, they recorded their debut album, Wave Like Home, with Chester Endersby Gwazda at Backdoor Skateshop in Greenville, North Carolina. After a Halloween party in 2007, Murillo quit the band. In late 2007 and early 2008, the band relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The "Feathers and Hallways" 7" was recorded in Oakland, California during their first US tour and was their first release as a focused three-piece. Upset! the Rhythm released Wave Like Home on 25 August 2008. The cover art was designed by Kymia Nawabi, a former member of Art Lord & The Self-Portraits. In 2009 the band signed to independent Chicago record company Thrill Jockey.
Their second album, In Evening Air, was recorded in the band's living room in the historic Marble Hill neighborhood in Baltimore and released on 4 May 2010.Their third full-length album, On the Water, was recorded in Elizabeth City, NC's historic, waterfront Andrew S. Sanders House. It was released on 11 October 2011.
These early albums from Future Islands are often associated with other bands affiliated with Wham City, such as Videohippos, Santa Dads, Blood Baby, OCDJ, Adventure, Dan Deacon, Weekends and Double Dagger.
In 2014, they released Singles with hit-track Seasons (Waiting on You). The band and song gained critical acclamation from Pitchfork and NME and performed the song on the Late Show with David Letterman, a performance that went viral. In 2017, they released The Far Field and most recently in 2020 they released As Long As You Are.
Follow You
Future Islands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whoa whoa whoa
I don't want to know my face
I don't want to know my name
I'll just follow you
And I'll find everything you do
I don't want to go back home
I don't want to be my own
I'd be beside you all the way
Take me away
Take me away
I'll follow you
Take me away
Take me away
I'll follow you
I don't want to go back home
I don't want to be my own
If you ran away
I'd be behind you all the way
I don't want to see my mom
I don't want to see my dad
I just want to see your face
That would make me so happy
Be so glad
Take me away
I'll follow you
I'll follow you anywhere
Take me away
Take me away
I'll follow you
I'll follow you anywhere
Take me away
Take me away
I'll follow you
C'mon baby
I'll follow you anywhere
Take me away
Take me away
I'll follow you
I'll follow you anywhere
The lyrics to “Follow You” by Future Islands convey a sense of complete surrender to another person. The repetition of “whoa whoa whoa” adds to the hypnotic nature of the song, as the singer sings of wanting to follow and be guided by someone else. The lines “I don't want to know my face” and “I don't want to know my name” suggest a longing to escape one’s own identity, to be freed from the limitations of self-knowledge.
The chorus, with its repetition of “Take me away, I'll follow you,” reinforces the idea of surrender and trust. The singer doesn’t need to know where they’re going or what they’ll find there, as long as they’re following the person they trust completely. There’s a yearning quality to the song, as the singer longs for escape and connection with another person. The imagery of not wanting to go back home or see their own family is poignant, as the singer is willing to abandon all else in pursuit of something – or someone – they truly desire.
Overall, “Follow You” is a beautifully crafted song that captures the powerful emotions of love, surrender, and trust. The hypnotic quality of the repeating chorus and the poignant imagery of the verses make it a memorable and moving work of art.
Line by Line Meaning
Whoa whoa whoa
Energetic expression to kick-off the song
I don't want to know my face
I don't want to be preoccupied with self-awareness
I don't want to know my name
I don't want to be defined by identity
I'll just follow you
I'm willing to let go of myself to pursue someone/something else
And I'll find everything you do
I'll learn and discover things through you
I don't want to go back home
I don't want to return to my mundane life
I don't want to be my own
I don't want to be left alone with myself
If you ran away
If you left
I'd be beside you all the way
I'd be with you regardless of the circumstances
Take me away
I want to escape my current state of being
I'll follow you
I'm putting my trust in you to lead me
I don't want to see my mom
I don't want to be associated with anything that reminds me of my past life
I don't want to see my dad
Same as above
I just want to see your face
I desire connection with the person who can fulfill my needs
That would make me so happy
My happiness is dependent on the happiness of someone else
Be so glad
The feeling of happiness will be immense
C'mon baby
An encouraging statement to someone, likely the person they are following
I'll follow you anywhere
I'll go to great lengths to be with you, no matter where that may be
I'll follow you
Reiteration of the primary sentiment expressed in the song
Contributed by Kaylee G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@DieselDog77
I saw this group at the 930 club in Washington, D.C. a couple of nights ago with Dan Deacon. Future Islands are fabulous live. I love this music so much.
@RichardBLongly
I CAN'T GET ENOUGH of the keyboardist's gesticulation at 2:28! ...love it.
@krazednconfused
the Strokes meets New Order. love it.
@Spance-er
Sam's expressions perfectly depict how this makes me feel.
@ArroganceClause
looooove his voice! he gets so into it!
@mozicastevens9912
Here in 2020 and remembering hearing this song for the first time in 2009 :)
@33interzona
Love their sound!
@TomYawns
Wish we had a higher quality video to enjoy someday. I wanna enjoy the details :)
@yohahn6835
Sam is the Jack black of Indy music:)
@JoeAyres
Still crying now, hours later. Xxx