Home (Michael Bublé song) – 2005
“Home” is a song recorded by Canadian singer Michael Bublé, and released on March 28, 2005, as the second single from his second major-label studio album, It’s Time. The song was written by Bublé, along with co-writers Alan Chang and Amy Foster-Gillies.
Home was first released on March 28, 2005, as Bublé’s debut single in the United Kingdom. It received a relatively low promoted release, as at the time, the lead single from It’s Time, Feeling Good, had only just been released in other territories around the world. As such, it underperformed heavily, only peaking at #162 on the UK Singles Chart. No music video was released either. When the album was released three months later, to much more widespread success and critical acclaim, it was decided that Home would be released as the album’s second single worldwide, accompanied by a re-release of the single in the United Kingdom. As such, the second time around, the single was a massive hit, topping the adult contemporary chart in the United States, reaching a high chart position in Canada, and peaking at a relatively successful #31 in the United Kingdom. This time, the release was accompanied by a music video, directed by Noble Jones, who had previously filmed the video for Feeling Good. The song was also used in the film The Wedding Date.
Subsequently, two cover versions of the song have also been released as singles by other artists. The first of these was recorded by Irish boyband Westlife, whose version was a top ten hit in several European countries. American country music singer Blake Shelton also released his version in early 2008, which reached the top of the American country singles charts. In December 2011, Bublé performed a duet version of the song with English singer-songwriter Gary Barlow, whilst also performing Barlow’s “Rule the World”. The performance gained great reception from fans, when it began trending worldwide on Twitter. Soon after, a petition was set up for the collaboration to be made available for digital download, to challenge for the UK Christmas Number One spot.
“Home” centralizes on the male narrator, who is separated from his lover, possibly his wife, while off travelling. He expresses a desire to return home and be with his lover. Bublé had been away touring in Italy when he co-wrote the lyrics, for his then-fiancée, Debbie Timuss. Bublé describes his loneliness from missing her in the lyrics. Aaron Latham of Allmusic, in his review of It’s Time, described the song favorably. He called it a “positive step forward” for Bublé, adding “The success of this ballad provides yet another direction that he can explore and expand upon.”
Track listing
UK CD single #1 (Debut release)
“Home” (U.K. Radio Mix) – 3:23
“Home” (Album Version) – 3:45
UK CD single #2 (Debut release)
“Home” (U.K. Radio Mix) – 3:23
“Home” (Album Version) – 3:45
“Nice N’Easy” – 4:11
“Home” (Music Video) – 3:54
UK CD single (Second release)
“Home” (Album Version) – 3:45
“Song For You” (featuring Chris Botti) – 3:12