To Build a Home


"To Build a Home" is a song by English electronic music group The Cinematic Orchestra, with vocals and piano performed by Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson. It was released as the second single from the group's third studio album, Ma Fleur, on 29 October 2007. In 2015, the song peaked at number 96 on the French Singles Chart.

Composition

"To Build a Home" is a piano ballad that serves as the opening track to its companion album, Ma Fleur, though it serves as the closing track on the Domino-released versions of the album. It features vocals from Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson, who also has writing credits on the song alongside Phil France and Jason Swinscoe of the Cinematic Orchestra. Watson also performed piano for the song. The instrumental begins with about three to four piano chords looped, building up to a more loud and grand point, introducing strings. During this portion of the instrumental, Watson sings over both the piano and strings, eventually climaxing with falsetto vocals. Lyrically, the song deals with Watson wanting to create a house for him and his lover. What happens with the house is unknown, resulting it to be merely metaphorical in place of a resting place for the two.

Release and reception

The song was first released on 29 October 2007 as a 7" vinyl single by Ninja Tune in the United Kingdom. It was backed with a cover version of the song performed by Grey Reverend. A 7" single was also released in the U.S. by the Domino Recording Company's U.S. division, which was backed with "Child Song".
"To Build a Home" had a positive reception from music critics. Critics often saw Watson's vocal performance as a highlight on the song. For The Observer, Stuart Nicholson wrote that "Swinscoe transforms three- and four-chord vamps into something special." Drowned in Sound's Shain Shapiro regarded the vocals as "bellowing haunting", while Tyler Fisher of Sputnikmusic noted that Watson "nearly steals the show". Maggie Fremont of Vulture called it "one of the most emotional songs ever performed."
"To Build a Home" has been used in several different TV shows, movies, and adverts, including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, One Tree Hill, Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Suits, Friday Night Lights, Orange Is the New Black, This Is Us and The Gifted. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, figure skaters Julian Yee and Dmitri Aliev used the song in their respective performances. In December 2017 the song was used in a Christmas-themed TV advert for the Dutch supermarket chain PLUS. It was reported in November 2016 that the song had been streamed over 60 million times, and by 2019 had over 200 million streams on Spotify alone.

Track listing

Personnel adapted from Ma Fleur liner notes.
Performers
Technical personnel