HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Fallin" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...
. It was released as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''
Songs in A Minor ''Songs in A Minor'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. It was released on June 26, 2001, by J Records. Keys began writing songs for the album in 1995 at age 14 and recording the album in 1998 for Columbia Reco ...
'' (2001), and as Keys' debut single. Written and produced by Keys, "Fallin" is generally considered her
signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
. It was released on April 10, 2001, by
J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG's record labels in late 2008 at the end of their merger. It was distribut ...
. The official remix features rappers
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...
and Rampage. "Fallin" attained global commercial success, reaching number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the top 10 in several countries, topping the charts of
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In 2009, "Fallin" was named the 29th most successful song of the 2000s, on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Songs of the Decade. Critically acclaimed, it won three
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002, including Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and was also nominated for
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
.


Music and lyrics

"Fallin" was written and produced solely by Alicia Keys for her debut album ''
Songs in A Minor ''Songs in A Minor'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. It was released on June 26, 2001, by J Records. Keys began writing songs for the album in 1995 at age 14 and recording the album in 1998 for Columbia Reco ...
''. When asked about the lyrical background for the song, Keys told ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'': "I wanted to write a song for someone who was 10 or 12 years old – like a young
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
. Even though he was young, he was singing some deep stuff back then. he songis about the ins and outs of a relationship. Sometimes, you're completely head-over-heels in love with someone, and sometimes you can't stand that person. You fall in and out, sometimes it goes back and forth, and that's just what relationships are about." According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing LLC (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is an American music publisher. Responsible for publishing the largest quantity of music, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021, it is part of Sony ...
, "Fallin" is set in 12/8 time with a "free" tempo of 60
beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
. It is composed in the key of
E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: Change ...
, with Keys's vocal range spanning from the low-note of B3 to the high-note of E5. The song has a basic
chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
of Em–Bm7–Em–Bm7 as it follows a "moderate
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
tempo" throughout the chorus of the song.


Critical reception

''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' called "Fallin" a " ssive, massive massive hit" adding "Piano tinkles, drum machine coughs like an whippet and Alicia strokes your spine with ice cubes and spatters your spotty back with hot candle wax". The song was described as "
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
fervor of lovesick righteousness" by Beth Johnson of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''.
Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As music critic and editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays, and profiles have appeared in publications worldwide ...
of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' described the song as having "the neo-soul vitality of
Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known professionally as Macy Gray, is an American contemporary R&B, R&B and soul music, soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influence ...
and Jill Scott." Sam Faulkner of ''NME'' said that the song had "deeper moments
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
creep up and grab you exemplified." Mark Anthony Neal of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' said that the song "combines Keys' natural blues register with a subtle, and brilliantly so, sample of
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
's ' It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World'." Barry Walters of ''
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. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' said "there's no denying the serious early Aretha vibe permeating the hit." Sal Cinquemani of ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' said that "the gospel-tinged ongstarts out simply with measured piano and basic drum programming, eventually building to a
crescendo In music, the dynamics of a piece are the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings require interpretation by the performer depending ...
of operatic proportions." Steve Jones of ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' described the song as "a bluesy ode to self-destructive love" and further commented that the song "is only a teaser for what she has to offer." Simon Price of ''
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 publis ...
'' called the song Keys' breakthrough song and noted how the
melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
of the song is similar to
Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
's " We Are the Champions".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
pointed out the lack of depth in the song, saying it "doesn't have much body to it", which he felt was "a testament to Keys' skills as a musician."


Accolades

One of the most critically acclaimed singles of 2001, "Fallin" was nominated for numerous awards. It connected well with
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...
(NARAS) and was nominated for four
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s at the 44th ceremony (2002): Song of the Year,
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song. It ended up winning all but one of the four awards, as Record of the Year was awarded to U2's " Walk On". At the 2001 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, "Fallin" was nominated for the Hot 100 Single of the Year; however, it lost the award to Lifehouse's " Hanging by a Moment". The song was also nominated for Outstanding Song and Outstanding Music Video at the 2002
NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...
s; it did not win in either category. On ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''s 2001
Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
critics' poll, "Fallin" appeared at number four. In 2003, ''
Q Magazine ''Q'' was a British popular music magazine. 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''. ''Q'' was published in print in the ...
'' ranked "Fallin'" at number 713 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In September 2011, "Fallin" was placed at number 22 by
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
on its list "100 Greatest Songs of the '00s". " spel vibe and powerful vocals form Keys" led ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' to place the song on number two on its list "The 25 Best Alicia Keys Songs". ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
'' compiled a list of "100 songs that defined the Noughties" and placed "Fallin" at number 97. In December 2009, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it at number 62 on their list "100 Best Songs of the Decade". "Fallin" placed at number 413 on '' Blender'' magazine's "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". In 2011, the song was ranked at number five on
Nerve A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons). Nerves have historically been considered the basic units of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the Electrochemistry, electrochemical nerv ...
's list "The 25 Greatest Love Songs of the 2000s". In January 2024 Rollling Stone ranked "Fallin" at number7 on their list of "100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century".


Commercial performance

In the United States, "Fallin" debuted at number 98 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for the week of June 16, 2001. The song peaked atop the chart in its eighth week, where it would remain for six non-consecutive weeks. It remained on the chart for a total of 34 weeks and managed to chart on the 2001 ''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100 at number two, behind Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment"; however, it was the highest-charting number-one single on the chart in 2001.


Music video

The accompanying
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "Fallin" was directed by Chris Robinson. The video opens with a radio playing " Girlfriend", where Keys is sitting at a piano. The plot has Keys traveling to a
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
to visit her incarcerated boyfriend. The plot is continued in the video for Keys' next single " A Woman's Worth", which explores what happens when Keys' boyfriend is released and, with her help, adjusts back to regular life. Keys said in an interview that originally, she was supposed to be the one incarcerated, and her boyfriend was visiting her.


Track listings and formats

* US 12-inch vinyl (remix) :A1. "Fallin" (remix) (featuring
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...
and Rampage) – 4:15 :A2. "Fallin" (remix) (instrumental version) – 4:15 :B1. "Fallin" (remix) (without rap) – 3:35 :B2. "Fallin" (radio version) – 3:16 * UK CD single # "Fallin" (radio version) – 3:16 # "Fallin" (remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15 # "Rear View Mirror" – 4:03 # "Fallin" (video/picture gallery/lyrics) * UK 12-inch single :A1. "Fallin" (remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15 :B1. "Fallin" (album version) – 3:30 :B2. "Fallin" (instrumental) – 3:06 * UK cassette single # "Fallin" (radio version) – 3:16 # "Fallin" (remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15 # "Rear View Mirror" – 4:03 * European CD single # "Fallin" – 3:30 # "Fallin" (extended remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15 * European CD maxi-single # "Fallin" (radio edit) – 3:16 # "Fallin" (album version) – 3:30 # "Fallin" (extended remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15 # "Fallin" (Remix) (without rap) – 3:35 # "Fallin" (remix instrumental) – 4:15 # "Fallin" (video) * Australian and New Zealand CD maxi-single # "Fallin" (radio edit) – 3:16 # "Fallin" (album version) – 3:30 # "Fallin" (extended remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15 # "Fallin" (remix) (without rap) – 3:35 # "Fallin" (remix instrumental) – 4:15


Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''
Songs in A Minor ''Songs in A Minor'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. It was released on June 26, 2001, by J Records. Keys began writing songs for the album in 1995 at age 14 and recording the album in 1998 for Columbia Reco ...
''. *
Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
,
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
, all other instruments, producer,
arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...
*
Miri Ben-Ari Miri Ben-Ari (; born ) is an Israeli Americans, Israeli–American violinist, record producer, and humanitarian. As of 2025, she is the first and only violinist to win a Grammy in the Hip Hop category, known as "the Hip hop music, hip-hop vio ...
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
* Kerry "Krucial" Brothersdrum programming * Spaceman Patterson – guitar *Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals *Tammy Saunders – backing vocals *Andricka Hall – backing vocals * Russ Elevadomixer


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


All-time charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

* ''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2001 * List of best-selling singles of 2001 (Germany) * List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones of 2001 * List of ''Billboard'' Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of 2001 * List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 2001 * List of Hot 100 Airplay number-one singles of the 2000s * List of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks number ones of 2001 * List of number-one singles in 2001 (New Zealand) * List of UK top-ten singles in 2001 * Ultratop 50 number-one hits of 2001


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2001 debut singles 2001 songs 2000s ballads Alicia Keys songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Contemporary R&B ballads Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Grammy Award for Song of the Year J Records singles Music videos directed by Chris Robinson (director) Number-one singles in New Zealand Songs written by Alicia Keys Soul ballads Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles Song recordings produced by Alicia Keys