Hold On, We're Going Home

On August 6, 2013, Pitchfork published its review of a new Drake song called "Hold On, We're Going Home." The next day it went on sale as a digital download. Drake had just wrapped another OVO Fest in Toronto, and instead of a rap record he handed radio a slow, keyboard-driven R&B ballad sung almost entirely in his upper register, with two unknown Toronto collaborators, Majid Jordan, tucked into the harmonies. Radio got it on August 13.

The writing credits spread across five names: Aubrey Graham, Majid Al Maskati, Jordan Ullman, Noah "40" Shebib and Nineteen85. Shebib, Nineteen85 and Majid Jordan handled production. What they built is spare to the point of fragility, a single repeating keyboard figure, soft percussion, and a hook that never raises its voice. The opening lines set the terms immediately: "I got my eyes on you / You're everything that I see / I want your hot love and emotion, endlessly."

Critics did not treat it as a curiosity. Pitchfork named it the best song of 2013 and later put it at No. 21 on its Best Tracks of the Decade list. Rolling Stone placed it at No. 129 on its 2021 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2026, a Vice retrospective marking thirteen years since release went further and called it the best song of Drake's career. [edit]