Coming Home

Album: Once Again (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about a soldier in a war. In Rolling Stone magazine, Legend explained: "I don't have any personal experience, but I imagined what it would be like to be away from your wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever, and not knowing if you'll make it home and could die at any point. And knowing that America is perpetually at war with somebody, either planning it or debating it."

    At the time, America was involved in wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • Legend wrote and produced this song with will.i.am, one of his main collaborators at the time. They started working together in 2003, when Legend worked on will's Must B 21 album. Will.i.am then worked on the track "She Don't Have to Know" from Legend's 2004 debut album, Get Lifted. "Coming Home" is part of Legend's second album, Once Again.

Comments: 2

  • Celeste from Evansvillewonderful music and singer
  • Nikki from Chicago, IlJohn Legend performed this song at the 2007 Grammy Awards during his performance with John Mayer and Corrine-Bailey Rae.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."