"Come Back to Me" is the second official single released from American Idol season 7 winner David Cook's major label debut studio album, David Cook (2008). It was released as a joint double-A single with "Bar-ba-sol".
| "Come Back to Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by David Cook | ||||
| from the album David Cook | ||||
| B-side | "Bar-ba-sol" | |||
| Released | March 23, 2009 (iTunes) April 6, 2009 (Radio) | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 4:07 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Amund Bjørklund, Espen Lind, Zac Maloy | |||
| Producer(s) | Rob Cavallo | |||
| David Cook singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Song information
edit"Come Back to Me" was written by Espionage, the Norwegian songwriting and music production team consisting of Amund Bjørklund and Espen Lind, along with Zac Maloy. The song was produced by Grammy winning producer Rob Cavallo. Cook described the song as being about "loving someone you can't be near."[1]
Release
edit"Come Back to Me" was confirmed as a joint single with "Bar-ba-sol" to be released in March 2009 in an Entertainment Weekly piece on February 27, 2009.[2] Cook publicly debuted the song through a performance on American Idol on April 1, 2009.
Reception
editBillboard's Chris Williams review stated that "Cook gives an earnest, restrained vocal performance, reflective of the pensive lyric about letting a loved one go so that person can grow."[3]
Acclaims
editMusic video
editThe "Come Back to Me" music video was filmed at Los Angeles International Airport on March 5, 2009 and was directed by Gavin Bowden. In the video, Sarah Roemer plays Cook's girlfriend. After a bulletin sent by David Cook's official fan page, the video was released on April 1, 2009. First, it was released as a sneak peek on American Idol prior to Cook's performance of "Come Back to Me" and then it was released through AT&T later the same day. Cook stated that he had to learn to sing the song backwards.
It was similar to many past music videos, which were also shot backwards. Popular "The Scientist" by Coldplay has been a big comparison. Many similarities such as Cook jumping over the wall is seen in The Scientist as well, the main difference is when the music video ends with everything reversing and starts to move forward again, where this is not seen in The Scientist. Both singers had to learn the song backwards for the music videos.
The video was shot in a backward motion. It starts with Cook washing his face and singing to himself while looking into the mirror. He then walks backwards and enters a room where he plays the piano with his band. He then gets up and walks backwards through a parking lot and a forest, where he enters a taxi. He is then exits the taxi and walks backwards through the airport, where couples are embracing. He gets onto an escalator and heads to the terminal where he meets his love interest. They hug and kiss, and as they kiss, time stops and everyone is frozen except the two of them. As they finish their kiss, a tear is shown rolling into the girl's eye. At this point everything begins moving forward again. She walks away from Cook to her plane and he stares after her.
Chart performance
edit"Come Back to Me" debuted at number 49 on the Billboard Pop 100 chart issued April 9, 2009. It also debuted and peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart dated April 18, 2009 due to high digital downloads and airplay after David Cook performed the song on season 8 of American Idol. The song has also reached number six on the Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks and number eleven on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts.
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (2009) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[6] | 39 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 63 |
| US Billboard Pop 100[8] | 49 |
| US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[9] | 6 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[10] | 15 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[11] | 34 |
| US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard)[12] | 16 |
Sales and certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States | — | 514,000[13] |
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | March 23, 2009 | Digital download | RCA Records / 19 Records | |
| March 30, 2009 | Hot adult contemporary | [14] | ||
| April 6, 2009 | Contemporary hit radio | [15] |
Covers
edit- Tim Urban covered the song with an acoustic guitar as his first solo performance in Hollywood Week on the ninth season of American Idol.
- Daniel Evans, a finalist on The X Factor (UK) released a piano acoustic ballad version on his YouTube channel and subsequently included it on his self produced "Storm" EP.
Bar-ba-sol
edit| "Bar-ba-sol" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by David Cook | ||||
| from the album David Cook | ||||
| A-side | "Come Back to Me" | |||
| Released | March 23, 2009 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, post-grunge | |||
| Length | 4:27 | |||
| Label | RCA/19 Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Cook, Danny Grady, Jade Lemons, Steve Slovisky, Chris Wojtal | |||
| Producer(s) | Rob Cavallo | |||
| David Cook singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Spun Again" is a song written and recorded by American hard rock band Injected.[16] David Cook recorded a cover version, titled "Bar-ba-sol", for his eponymous debut studio album (2008). He is credited as a co-writer for the changes he made to the song. "Bar-ba-sol" was released in conjunction with "Come Back to Me" in March 2009 as the album's second single.
Release
edit"Bar-ba-sol" was released as a dual-A-side single with "Come Back to Me", being promoted to mainstream rock and modern rock radio while the latter impacted the mainstream, hot adult contemporary, and adult contemporary formats.[14]
Reception
editReception of "Bar-ba-sol" was generally positive.
Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt called "Bar-ba-sol" one of the more notable anthems on the album.[17]
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called "Bar-ba-sol" the hardest-rocking (and best) song of the album.[18]
Blender magazine's Chuck Eddy, despite giving the full album a negative review, wrote that the "power-chorded "Bar-ba-Sol," ... is the only place Cook flexes any muscle"[19]
Newsday magazine's Glenn Gamboa wrote that "He stretches boundaries creatively with the metallic, grinding "Bar-Ba-Sol" - part Pearl Jam fist-pumper, part Alice in Chains slither."[20]
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | March 23, 2009 | Digital download | RCA Records / 19 Records | |
| March 30, 2009 | Mainstream rock | [14] | ||
| Modern rock |
References
edit- ^ Come Back To Me Songfacts
- ^ "Idol Update"
- ^ "Billboard - David Cook's Come Back to Me". Archived from the original on April 28, 2009.
- ^ "2010 BMI Pop Awards".
- ^ "2010 BMI London Pop Awards".
- ^ "David Cook Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "David Cook Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ "David Cook - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
- ^ "David Cook Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ "David Cook Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs : Page 1" (Year End 2009). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ "Adult Pop Songs : Page 1" (Year End 2009). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ Mansfield, Brian (11 January 2011). "'Idol' track sales: Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jason Castro". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ a b c Santilli, MJ (9 March 2009). "David Cook Vlogs – Video for Come Back to Me Finished, Barbasol set for Rock Radio – VIDEO". MJ's Big Blog (MJSBIGBLOG). Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ Franklin, Mark (29 March 2009). "CD Spotlight: David Cook goes platinum already". Idol Chatter. YD Talk. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "David Cook - David Cook". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ "Entertainment Weekly Music review of "David Cook" album". Archived from the original on 2015-01-19. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
- ^ Allmusic review of "David Cook" album
- ^ "Blender review of "David Cook" album". Archived from the original on 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
- ^ Newsday review of "David Cook" album