"Falling Down" is a song by English rock band
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
, from their seventh studio album ''
Dig Out Your Soul
''Dig Out Your Soul'' is the seventh and final studio album by English Rock music, rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. It was released on 6 October 2008 by Big Brother Recordings. The album was recorded between August and December 2007 at Abbey Road S ...
'' (2008). Written and sung by lead guitarist
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
, it was released on 9 March 2009 as the third single from the album with the digital release occurring a day earlier.
It was the final single released by the band before their break-up just over five months later in August 2009. It would remain the last new release from the band for more than eleven years until April 2020 with the release of the promotional single "
Don't Stop...".
Reception
The song debuted at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart with first-week sales of 21,448, but the song only achieved a chart position of number 37 in the UK download chart in the same week, most likely because it was available as a download release before the new album was released.
(Upon the release of ''Dig Out Your Soul'' the previous October, "Falling Down" charted briefly at number 125 on download sales alone).
[Chart Log UK (1994–2008) – The O – Ozric Tentacles (scroll down the page to Oasis > in alphabetical order)]
/ref> "Falling Down" is the sixth Oasis single to be sung by Noel rather than Liam
Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William.
Etymology
The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elem ...
.
It is also the second Oasis song to be used in a TV series (the first being "Half the World Away
"Half the World Away" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It is well known as the theme tune to the popular BBC sitcom ''The Royle Family''.
The song was written by Oasis' lead guitarist Noel Gallagher, who also provides lead vocals. The so ...
"). Due to strong download sales of the track, the B-side "Those Swollen Hand Blues" made the UK charts at number 190 on the day "Falling Down" made the top ten.
"Falling Down" posted a subtle improvement from its predecessor, "I'm Outta Time
"I'm Outta Time" is a song by English rock band Oasis, featured on their seventh studio album, ''Dig Out Your Soul'' (2008). The second single from the album, succeeding "The Shock of the Lightning", "I'm Outta Time" was written by lead vocalist ...
", 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 ...
, reaching number 10 in its chart entry week. This was something of a return to form for the band, after "I'm Outta Time
"I'm Outta Time" is a song by English rock band Oasis, featured on their seventh studio album, ''Dig Out Your Soul'' (2008). The second single from the album, succeeding "The Shock of the Lightning", "I'm Outta Time" was written by lead vocalist ...
" charting at number 12 made it the first Oasis single released in the UK to fail to reach the top 10 since "Shakermaker
"Shakermaker" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. The song was first released as a second single on 20 June 1994 and later released on Oasis' debut album ''Definitely Maybe'' (1994). The s ...
" in 1994. Between the two releases the band had put out 22 singles which made the top 10. However, it still showed a decline in the band's fortunes; from the release of "Whatever
Whatever may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Whatever'' (Adore Delano album), 2017
* ''Whatever'' (Aimee Mann album), 1993
* ''Whatever'' (Danny Thompson album), 1987
* ''Whatever'' (The Friends of Distinction album), 1970
* ''Whatever'' (Gre ...
" at the end of 1994 until the release of "I'm Outta Time
"I'm Outta Time" is a song by English rock band Oasis, featured on their seventh studio album, ''Dig Out Your Soul'' (2008). The second single from the album, succeeding "The Shock of the Lightning", "I'm Outta Time" was written by lead vocalist ...
", the band had only had one single which failed to reach the top four in the charts, and that had been 2007's "Lord Don't Slow Me Down
''Lord Don't Slow Me Down'' is a rockumentary film, looking back on British rock band Oasis' ''Don't Believe the Truth'' world tour which took place from May 2005 to March 2006. The film is directed by Baillie Walsh. It went platinum in th ...
", which was only a minor promotional release and a non-album track and also download only.
During the commentary on the '' Time Flies... 1994–2009'' DVD, Gallagher stated he "loves" the song, saying it was the one of the best he had written in a very long time. He felt it fitting that it was the band's final single, as he called it "the best-sounding of them all."
Personnel
*Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
* Andy Bell – bass
*Gem Archer
Colin Murray Archer (born 7 December 1966) is an English musician and singer, best known as a member of the English rock bands Oasis, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, making him, alongside Chris Sharrock, one of the only member ...
– lead guitar
*Zak Starkey
Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with English rock band Oasis. In 2020, Starkey toure ...
– drums
*Jay Darlington
Jay Peter Darlington (born 3 May 1968 in Sidcup, London) is an English keyboardist, best known as a member of Kula Shaker. He went on to work as a touring member of Oasis and is currently a member of the Totnes, Devon based prog band, Magic Bu ...
– electronics
The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
, mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
Other uses
The song was released as downloadable content for the video game '' Guitar Hero: World Tour'' on 29 January 2009.
The song was used in the opening sequence for the Production I.G
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...
anime ''Eden of the East
is a Japanese anime television series, which was broadcast on Fuji TV's noitaminA timeslot from April to June 2009. Created, directed and written by Kenji Kamiyama, it features character designs by Chica Umino and animation production ...
'', which first aired on Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...
's noitaminA
is a Japanese Block programming, programming block on Fuji TV devoted to anime, originally broadcast every Thursday late night/Friday morning from 00:45 to 1:15. It was launched with the intention of expanding the target audience beyond the typic ...
timeslot on 9 April 2009. American and Canadian distributor FUNimation Entertainment
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
announced a licence for the series and later announced that they will be able to include the song in their release but only on the first episode. The remaining episodes use the international theme song, "Michael ka Belial", by Saori Hayami
Saori (written: 沙織, 早織, 佐織, 砂織, 沙保里, 沙緒里, 紗央里, 紗央莉, 左多里 or さおり in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Saori (television personality) (born 1981) ...
.
Music video
The video depicts a woman (played by actress Natasha O'Keeffe
Natasha Dervill O'Keeffe (born 1 December 1986) is a British actress. She is known for her roles as Abbey in the E4 series ''Misfits'' (2012–2013), Fedora in the ITV series ''Jekyll and Hyde'' (2015), Emilia Ricoletti in the '' Sherlock'' s ...
), who is supposed to be part of the Royal Family
A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
who enjoys parties, one night stands and drugs. When she meets the band in the video, the members refuse to shake her hand because of the way she hides her party lifestyle . When the 'Princess' offers her hand to Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
he, standing alongside Liam
Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William.
Etymology
The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elem ...
, declines to bow and turns away in disdain. Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
appears at the conclusion of the video.
Track listing
All songs written by Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
.
;CD single
#"Falling Down" (album version with extended intro) – 4:20
#"Those Swollen Hand Blues" – 3:19
#"Falling Down" (The Gibb Mix) – 5:12
#"Falling Down" (The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional l ...
version) – 4:20
;7" vinyl
#"Falling Down" (album version with extended intro)
#"Those Swollen Hand Blues"
;12" vinyl
#"Falling Down" (Amorphous Androgynous
The Future Sound of London (often abbreviated FSOL) is a British electronic music duo composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. They have been described as a "boundary-pushing" electronic act, covering techno, ambient, house music, trip h ...
''A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble'' remix) – 22:26
;Digital bundle 1
#"Falling Down" (album version with extended intro)
#"Those Swollen Hand Blues"
#"Falling Down" (demo)
;Digital bundle 2
#"Falling Down" (The Gibb Mix)
#"Falling Down" (The Prodigy version)
#"Falling Down" (Amorphous Androgynous ''A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble'' remix)
;In Japan
#"Falling Down" (album version with extended intro) – 4:20
#"Those Swollen Hand Blues" – 3:19
#"Falling Down" (Amorphous Androgynous ''A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble'' remix) – 22:26
#"Falling Down" (The Gibb Mix) – 5:12
#"Falling Down" (The Prodigy version) – 4:20
;In Japan, Limited Edition Bonus DVD
#"Falling Down" (music video; original version)
#"Falling Down" (music video; ''Eden of the East'' version)
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falling Down (Oasis Song)
Oasis (band) songs
2007 songs
2009 singles
Songs written by Noel Gallagher
Song recordings produced by Dave Sardy