Too much tertiary education... Former performer/wrestler, teacher, scientist; Published author & Father... Want to be a writer if I grow up...
Published January 22nd 2023
Falling for songs about falling
I've said it before, I'll say it again – it seems there is not a topic where someone has not written a song about it. Or several someones have written several songs.
And so we come to today's musical topic – songs about falling!
This came from a person I met recently who has gone back and read a few of my lists and asked about songs about falling because of something he does for his business, and he wants a soundtrack.
That intrigued me, so I thought why not? Now, it must be said, most falling songs about falling in love, but that's fine – still falling. I have avoided songs about the season known as Fall, called Autumn everywhere except America, because that is not really the remit here.
So, here is a list of songs about falling. One song per artist, one version of each song, the word "fall" or "fell" (or variations thereof) in the title, I need to like the song. Normal rules.
Here's falling songs!
'Why Do Fools Fall In Love?' by Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers (1956)
Let's start the list with a classic bit of early pop-rock, featuring the voice of Frankie Lymon, who died tragically young. This song has been covered many times since, but none are as good as the original.
'Can't Help Falling In Love' by Elvis Presley (1961)
Here is a song I could have chosen so many versions of, as I like so many versions, but I stuck with Elvis' original, based on a classical piece. When he cared about the song, the man could deliver.
'If I Fell' by The Beatles (1964)
This is one of my favourite songs from the A Hard Day's Night album, showing The Beatles delivering some of their fine harmonies, while showing some fine instrumentation.
'Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head' by BJ Thomas (1969)
From the soundtrack to Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, this song is another one I have numerous cover versions of. But there is something about Thomas' voice that makes the original just resonate.
'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall' by Bryan Ferry (1973)
Ferry took the Bob Dylan classic, and turned it into a glam rock staple. His smooth voice just lifts the amazing lyrics to an incredible height. This is a great cover version.
'Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone you Shouldn't've)? ' by Buzzcocks (1978)
The Buzzcocks had a relatively short career in the UK punk scene, and this song is the one most associated with the band. While more melodic than many of their contemporaries, this is still a punk classic.
'Fallin' In Love (Bein' Friends)' by Rocky Burnette (1980)
Rocky Burnette was one of the many artists to try and recapture the early rockabilly feel in the 1980s, with a few great singles before he stopped charting. Still, this is a good song about friends and love.
'Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer' by Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes (1980)
It seemed that in the 1980s, Kenny Rogers became better known for duets, and this is one of his better ones, a great piece of pop singing.
'Catch Me I'm Falling' by Real Life (1983)
One of the many good songs from 1983, this Australian band had a few charting singles before fading into obscurity, and this was one of the better ones.
'Hammer To Fall' by Queen (1984)
This is one of my favourite Queen songs, showing just how well they could rock when they wanted to. Great track.
'Falling' by Rose Tattoo (1986)
Rose Tattoo went from hard pub rock stalwarts of Australian music to something more melodic as time went on. The thing is, the transition did not see the quality diminish, as this song shows.
'Fall Of Rome' by James Reyne (1987)
This song gave rise to so many jokes (today it would be memed to death) because no-one could understand a single thing Reyne was singing. However, I still really like the song.
'If I Should Fall From Grace With God' by The Pogues (1988)
The Pogues are an interesting band, with so many great songs, and yet limited success on the charts. This title track from their 1988 album is one of their many strong songs.
'Fallen Angel' by Poison (1988)
Ah, 1980s poodle rock from one of the poodle-rockiest of all those bands. Just a fun bit of pop-rock, with a chorus so easy to sing along to.
'Falling' by Julee Cruise (1989)
Known to people of a certain age as the theme to the TV show Twin Peaks, this glorious piece of new age music is a great tune even without that association.
'Free Fallin'' by Tom Petty (1989)
The first song I thought of for this list. Tom Petty was a great songwriter and singer, and this more melodic track showed just what he was capable of. Brilliant song.
'Fall At Your Feet' by Crowded House (1991)
Showcasing the band's typical and renowned harmonies, this is one of the many songs Crowded House released that have become Australian classics.
'Fall Down' by Jebediah (2001)
And then we have an Australian band not known much outside of Australia, which is a shame because they are really good. I've seen them live just once in the 1990s, and they were fun to watch on stage. This track did well on the Australian charts.
'Falling Clouds' by Dyson Stringer Cloher (2019)
The teaser track for the great self-titled album that followed, this song is one that I related to rather well. It is brilliant.
'August Is Falling' by August Is Falling (2022)
And we finish with a track that should have been in my best of 2022 column, but I could not find where to buy it. I think it might be a YouTube only track, though I stand to be corrected. This is definitely one of the best songs of 2022, an emo-punk-pop track that is so good. I do know the story behind it as well, and Pat Finnerty is great.
20 songs about falling, and apologies for so many being from the 1980s, but that is where the best music seems to reside.
