Fallin' (Alicia Keys song)

Music and lyrics

"Fallin" was written and produced solely by Alicia Keys for her debut album Songs in A Minor. When asked about the lyrical background for the song, Keys told Billboard: "I wanted to write a song for someone who was 10 or 12 years old – like a young Michael Jackson. Even though he was young, he was singing some deep stuff back then. [The song] is 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, "Fallin" is set in time with a "free" tempo of 60 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of E minor, 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 of Em–Bm7–Em–Bm7 as it follows a "moderate blues tempo" throughout the chorus of the song.

Critical reception

NME called "Fallin" a "[m]assive, 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 fervor of lovesick righteousness" by Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly. Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described the song as having "the neo-soul vitality of Macy Gray and Jill Scott." Sam Faulkner of NME said that the song had "deeper moments [that] creep up and grab you exemplified." Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters said that the song "combines Keys' natural blues register with a subtle, and brilliantly so, sample of James Brown's 'It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World'." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone said "there's no denying the serious early Aretha vibe permeating the hit."

Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said that "the gospel-tinged [song] starts out simply with measured piano and basic drum programming, eventually building to a crescendo of operatic proportions." Steve Jones of USA Today 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 called the song Keys' breakthrough song and noted how the melody of the song is similar to Queen's "We Are the Champions". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic 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 (NARAS) and was nominated for four Grammy Awards at the 44th ceremony (2002): Song of the Year, Record of the Year, 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 Awards; it did not win in either category.

On The Village Voices 2001 Pazz & Jop critics' poll, "Fallin" appeared at number four. In 2003, Q Magazine 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 on its list "100 Greatest Songs of the '00s". "[G]ospel vibe and powerful vocals form Keys" led Complex to place the song on number two on its list "The 25 Best Alicia Keys Songs". The Telegraph 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's list "The 25 Greatest Love Songs of the 2000s". In January 2024 Rollling Stone ranked "Fallin" at number seven 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 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 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 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

1. "Fallin" (radio version) – 3:16
2. "Fallin" (remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15
3. "Rear View Mirror" – 4:03
4. "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

1. "Fallin" (radio version) – 3:16
2. "Fallin" (remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15
3. "Rear View Mirror" – 4:03

• European CD single

1. "Fallin" – 3:30
2. "Fallin" (extended remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15

• European CD maxi-single

1. "Fallin" (radio edit) – 3:16
2. "Fallin" (album version) – 3:30
3. "Fallin" (extended remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15
4. "Fallin" (Remix) (without rap) – 3:35
5. "Fallin" (remix instrumental) – 4:15
6. "Fallin" (video)

• Australian and New Zealand CD maxi-single

1. "Fallin" (radio edit) – 3:16
2. "Fallin" (album version) – 3:30
3. "Fallin" (extended remix) (featuring Busta Rhymes and Rampage) – 4:15
4. "Fallin" (remix) (without rap) – 3:35
5. "Fallin" (remix instrumental) – 4:15

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Songs in A Minor.

• Alicia Keys – lead vocals, backing vocals, all other instruments, producer, arranger
• Miri Ben-Ari – violin
• Kerry "Krucial" Brothers – drum programming
• Spaceman Patterson – guitar
• Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals
• Tammy Saunders – backing vocals
• Andricka Hall – backing vocals
• Russ Elevado – mixer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history

References

References

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