"Falling" is a song by English singer
Harry Styles. This ballad was released through Erskine and
Columbia Records on 7 March 2020 as the third single from his second studio album, ''
Fine Line'' (2019). The song was written by Styles and
Kid Harpoon
Thomas Edward Percy Hull (born 20 April 1982), known professionally as Kid Harpoon, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Career
Already a fixture at local venues in his hometown of Chatham, Kid Harpoon first emerg ...
, the latter of whom also handled the song's production.
Background and release
Styles and songwriter/producer
Kid Harpoon
Thomas Edward Percy Hull (born 20 April 1982), known professionally as Kid Harpoon, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Career
Already a fixture at local venues in his hometown of Chatham, Kid Harpoon first emerg ...
first worked together on Styles'
self-titled debut album (2017) on two songs: "Carolina" and "
Sweet Creature". He would also become later the music director of Styles' first world solo tour. While working on his second album, Styles was seeing in the studio working on new music with Harpoon on 15 May 2019. While talking about Styles and the recording process of the album, Harpoon claimed: "He's got this wise-beyond-his-years timelessness about him. That's why he went on a whole emotional exploration with these songs. He went through this breakup that had a big impact on him."
Harpoon then suggested Styles to write about his feelings towards it, saying:" He had a whole emotional journey about her, this whole relationship. But I kept saying, 'The best way of dealing with it is to put it in these songs you're writing.'"
Regarding "Falling" in particular, he told: " Harry lives round the corner from me in LA and one day he wanted a lift somewhere, so I popped up there and he was getting out of the shower. I started playing piano while I was waiting for him, he was singing and in an hour we had written 'Falling'." The song was eventually released as the album's third single on 7 March 2020 to UK adult contemporary stations.
Composition
Written by Styles and its producer
Kid Harpoon
Thomas Edward Percy Hull (born 20 April 1982), known professionally as Kid Harpoon, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Career
Already a fixture at local venues in his hometown of Chatham, Kid Harpoon first emerg ...
, "Falling" is a "hushed"
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
piano ballad,
that runs for four minutes long. In an interview Styles commented that the song was lyrically about slipping back into old ways, becoming a person he didn't want to be again and trying to be a better person.
In an interview with
Radio.com
Audacy, previously known as Radio.com, is a free broadcast and Internet radio platform owned by the namesake company Audacy, Inc. (formerly known as Entercom). The Audacy platform functions as a music recommender system and is the national umbr ...
, Styles states that "Falling" is, "That feeling of kind of being overwhelmed, you know you can feel like you’re drowning sometimes… and the fact that it's coming from the piano, I guess it's like writing these songs are what helps but also they can hurt you sometimes." According to Laura Snapes from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', "the line, 'no one to blame but the drink in my wandering hands', from Falling, has prompted tabloid headlines."
In another line, he sings: "I'm well aware I write too many songs about you."
In fact, the song was said to be written about his breakup with ex-girlfriend
Camille Rowe.
Hannah Mylrea from ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' also noted that "he alludes to the fact he cheated on his ex, admitting that 'there's no one to blame but the drink and my wandering hands."
Critical reception
Most critics were positive with the song. Bryan Rolli from ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' named it a "gorgeous piano ballad
..a readymade mid-set tearjerker if there ever was one." Alexandra Pollard from ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' called it a "moody,
Moog-y lamentation."
Writing for ''
Slant Magazine'', Anna Richmond praised its introspectiveness and noted that "the line 'What am I now? What if I'm someone I don't want around' is one of ''Fine Line''s most moving moments."
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' described it as a "hymnlike, bitterly self-accusatory
ong Ong or ONG may refer to:
Arts and media
* Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction
* “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip
Places
* Ong, Nebraska, US, city
* Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town
* Ong River, Odisha, ...
" Susan Hansen of ''
Clash'' praised it, saying that it "holds much appeal. It's a song where piano and Moog bass form a relaxed base for introspection and sincerity."
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''
Rob Sheffield
Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author.
He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at '' Ble ...
was less favourable, calling it a "forgettable ballad," although he praised Styles for the lyrical content, claiming: "If there's a nontoxic masculinity, Harry Styles just might've found it."
Awards and nominations
Chart performance
"Falling" debuted at number 39 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and later peaked at number 15, making it the fourth song from ''Fine Line'' to chart in the UK top 20. In November 2020, it received a platinum certification from the
British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
(BPI) for selling 600,000 units in the UK, to be followed by double platinum in 2022.
In the US, "Falling" was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of 1 million track-equivalent units.
Music video
The music video, directed by
Dave Meyers, was released on 28 February 2020. The production design by
François Audouy was awarded an
Art Directors Guild
The Art Directors Guild (ADG; IATSE Local 800) is a labor union and local of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) representing 2,979 motion picture and television professionals in the United States and Canada.
T ...
Excellence in Production Design award, which was the first time the ADG had recognized a music video with a trophy in its 20-year history.
Synopsis
The video features Styles alone in an apartment with a piano. As he sings the ballad, the room slowly fills with water, until, in the end, he is fully submerged, drowning.
Live performances
On 18 February 2020, Styles performed the song for the first time at the
2020 Brit Awards
Brit Awards 2020 was the 40th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music show, the Brit Awards, and was marketed as "The 40th Show". It was held on 18 February 2020 at the O2 Arena in London, with Jack Whitehall as the host ...
.
Cover versions
*British girl group
Little Mix performed the song acoustically as part of
Radio 1's Live Lounge
''Radio 1's Live Lounge'' is a collection of live tracks played on Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show. It consists of both covers and the bands' own songs. Originally, it was scheduled for release in May 2006, but later changed to be released on 16 Octob ...
.
*British singer
Gabrielle included a cover of the "Falling" on her 2021 album ''
Do It Again'' following a live performance of the song during an episode of ''
The Masked Singer
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' upon which she was a contestant as Harlequin.
*
Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single " Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including "Love Will ...
performed this song on ''
The Masked Singer
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' as "Popcorn".
*
BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-pr ...
member
Jungkook
Jeon Jung-kook (; born September 1, 1997), known mononymously as Jungkook (stylized as Jung Kook), is a South Korean singer. He is the youngest member and vocalist of the South Korean boy band BTS.
Jungkook has released three solo tracks as ...
released a cover of the song on YouTube.
*
TWICE
Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, ...
member
Nayeon released a cover of the song on YouTube.
*
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
covered this song on
her talk show Kellyoke segment aired on May 5, 2022.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desc ...
of ''Fine Line''.
Recording
* Recorded at
RAK Studios (London) and Harpoon House (Los Angeles, California)
* Mixed at
EastWest Studios (Los Angeles, California)
* Mastered at Sterling Sound (
Edgewater, New Jersey
Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a population of 11,513,/nowiki>''sic''/nowiki> Hill Road was an important route to the top o ...
)
Personnel
*
Harry Styles – vocals, backing vocals, songwriting
*
Kid Harpoon
Thomas Edward Percy Hull (born 20 April 1982), known professionally as Kid Harpoon, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Career
Already a fixture at local venues in his hometown of Chatham, Kid Harpoon first emerg ...
– production, songwriting, piano, moog bass, organ
*
Tyler Johnson – additional production
*
Leo Abrahams
Leo Matthew Abrahams (born 1977 in Camden, London) is an English musician, composer and producer. He has collaborated with a multitude of professional musicians, including Brian Eno, Katie Melua, Imogen Heap, Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barât, Regina ...
– electric guitar
* Sammy Witte – engineering
* Dan Ewins – assistant engineering
*
Spike Stent
Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sh ...
– mixing
* Michael Freeman – mix assistant
*
Randy Merrill
Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse, Cag ...
– mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{authority control
2010s ballads
2020 singles
2019 songs
British soul songs
Columbia Records singles
Harry Styles songs
Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director)
Songs written by Harry Styles
Songs written by Kid Harpoon
Soul ballads