"Falling out of Reach" is a song by Guillemots that appears on the band's second album, Red. It was released as the second single from their second album on 26 May 2008. It has reached #49 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 ...

. The B-side, 'Trick Of The Light' was originally recorded for

Q (magazine) ''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. '' ...

. The band were given the song title 'Seabirds' and 24 hours to write and record the track. The video for the single features actor

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...

. The band performed the song at

Wulfrun Hall The Halls Wolverhampton, formally known as Wolverhampton Civic Halls is a music venue in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It has been one of the most notable live music venues in the county for several decades. It is part of a complex als ...

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

Reception

Review of the single were generally positive.

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

gave the single four stars out of five, calling it "an epic, gorgeous summer tear-jerker". Amrit Singh of

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

described it as a "really lovely song".

Clash Music ''Clash'' is a music and fashion magazine and website based in the United Kingdom. It is published four times a year by Music Republic Ltd, whose predecessor Clash Music Ltd went into liquidation. The magazine won the Best New Magazine award in ...

called it a "grandiose affair", and praised its "thoughtful lyrics". A slightly more critical review came from Nick Orton of

Gigwise ''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England. History Gigwise was launched in 2001 ...

, who called the song "80s radio-friendly MOR".Guillemots - 'Red' (Universal) Released 24/03/08
.

Tracks

CD

#"Falling out of Reach" (Radio Mix) #"Falling out of Reach" (Album Version) #"Trick of the Light"

7" 1

#"Falling out of Reach" (Radio Mix) #"Last Kiss" (Instrumental)

7" 2

#"Falling out of Reach" (Radio Mix) #"The Face We Deserve"

Chart performance

Notes

{{authority control 2008 singles Guillemots (band) songs 2008 songs Polydor Records singles