Home Introduction
In a Nutshell
Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos are in love. But they're not just in love with each other. No, they're in love with life, music, and the whole big crowd of a band that they rock out with as Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros."Home" is the band's anthem in honor of all that affection. The whistling, bouncing, shout-singing hippie ditty manages to somehow feel like an old favorite that you’ve never heard before.
Want to know the best part? Behind the song, there actually is a pretty good love story. Read on to find out how and why this wacky bunch got together and what "Home" means to them. Bonus feature: Find out who Edward Sharpe really is.
About the Song
| Artist | Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros | Musician(s) | Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (Guitar, Harmonica, Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Vocals) |
| Album | Up from Below | ||
| Year | 2009 | ||
| Label | Vagrant Records, Rough Trade Records | ||
| Writer(s) | Alex Ebert, Jade Castrinos | ||
| Producer(s) | Kevin Augunas, Nicolo Aglietti, Aaron Older, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros | ||
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Learn to play: Chords Buy this song: Amazon iTunes |
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Shmoop Connections
If you can't stand the idea of the 1960s and its groups of hippies, if you vehemently hate the phrase "free love," or if you really never did dig the Beatles, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros might not be the band for you. On the other hand, even though they wear clothes, hair, and beards straight out of Woodstock 1969, there's something strangely fresh and original about the group and their music."Home," their most well-known track to date, is the work of a band having a rollicking good time in a way that's more reminiscent of Arcade Fire than it is of the Age of Aquarius. Plus, having that much fun is usually infectious.
Although Pitchfork didn't find it infectious. Their funny review of Up from Below, complained that "it's as if Sharpe's got his arms open so wide, he's never going to reach anybody" (source). Guess not everybody loves love the way Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros do.
On the Charts
"Home" peaked at #25 on the Alternative Songs and #39 on the Rock Songs charts on Billboard in the summer of 2010, a full year after Up from Below was released.Up from Below peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers, #12 on the Top Alternative Albums, and #13 on the Top Independent Albums, also during the summer of 2010.