Falling (Harry Styles song)

"Falling" is a song by English singer and songwriter 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).[1] Written by Styles and Kid Harpoon, the latter also handled the song's production.

"Falling"
Single by Harry Styles
from the album Fine Line
Released7 March 2020 (2020-03-07)
Studio
  • RAK (London, United Kingdom)
  • Harpoon House (Los Angeles, California)
GenreSoul
Length4:00
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Kid Harpoon
Harry Styles singles chronology
"Adore You"
(2019)		 "Falling"
(2020)		 "Watermelon Sugar"
(2020)
Music video
"Falling" on YouTube

Background and release
"Tom had come up to my place to grab something, and he'd sat at the piano and I'd just got out of the shower. He started playing, and we wrote it there. So I was completely naked when I wrote that song."

—Harry Styles, Rolling Stone.[2]

Styles and songwriter/producer Kid Harpoon first worked together on Styles' self-titled debut album (2017) on two songs: "Carolina" and "Sweet Creature".[3] He would also become later the music director of Styles' first world solo tour.[4] While working on his sophomore album, Styles was seeing in the studio working on new music with Harpoon on 15 May 2019.[5] 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."[6] 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.'"[6] 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'."[7] The song was eventually released as the album's third single on 7 March 2020 to UK adult contemporary stations.[8]

Composition

Written by Styles and its producer Kid Harpoon, "Falling" is a "hushed" soul piano ballad,[9][2] 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.[9] According to Laura Snapes from The Guardian, "the line, 'no one to blame but the drink in my wandering hands', from Falling, has prompted tabloid headlines."[10] In another line, he sings: "I'm well aware I write too many songs about you."[11] In fact, the song was said to be written about his breakup with ex-girlfriend Camille Rowe.[12][13][11] Hannah Mylrea from NME 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."[14]

Critical reception

Most critics were positive with the song. Bryan Rolli from Consequence of Sound named it a "gorgeous piano ballad [...] a readymade mid-set tearjerker if there ever was one."[15] Alexandra Pollard from The Independent called it a "moody, Moog-y lamentation."[11] 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."[16] Jon Pareles of The New York Times described it as a "hymnlike, bitterly self-accusatory [song]."[17] 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."[18] Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield 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."[19]

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 39 in the UK, giving Styles his fifth top 40 entry there. It later reached number 20 in March 2020 for 3 weeks,[20] making it the third top 20 single and fourth top 20 song from Fine Line and Styles' fifth solo top 20 overall.[21] It peaked at number 15 in April.[22] The song certified Silver in April 2020, making it the album's 4th single to achieve Silver or higher.[23][24]

The song is certified Platinum in the US, making it Styles's sixth single to be certified Platinum or higher.[25]

Music video

The music video, directed by Dave Meyers, was released on 28 February 2020.[26][27]

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. In reference to the video, Styles said, "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."

Live performances

On 18 February 2020, Styles performed the song for the first time on 2020 Brit Awards.[28][29]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Fine Line.[30]

Recording

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

[53]

Certifications and sales for "Falling"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[54] Platinum 70,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[55] Gold 20,000
Canada (Music Canada)[56] Platinum 80,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[57] Gold 45,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[58] Gold 30,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[59] Gold 15,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[60] Gold 30,000
Portugal (AFP)[61] Gold 5,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[63] Platinum 1,000,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history
Release formats for "Falling"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 13 December 2019
[64]
United Kingdom 7 March 2020 Adult contemporary [8]
Australia 27 March 2020 Contemporary hit radio Sony [65]

References
  1. "Harry Styles Readies A Video For New 'Fine Line' Single "Falling"". Idolator. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  2. Sheffield, Rob (13 December 2019). "Harry Styles Reveals the Secrets Behind 'Fine Line'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. "Who Are the Producers on Harry Styles' Album?". Billboard. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. Spanos, Brittany (29 September 2017). "Inside Harry Styles' Intimate First Solo Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. "Harry in a studio with Kid Harpoon - May 15". Harry Styles Daily via Twitter.
  6. Sheffield, Rob (26 August 2019). "The Eternal Sunshine of HARRY STYLES". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  7. Homewood, Ben (18 February 2020). "Showers, sunshine and song: Kid Harpoon tells the story of Harry Styles' Fine Line". Music Week. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  8. "Radio 2 New Music Playlist". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  9. Zaleski, Annie (17 December 2019). "With Fine Line, Harry Styles transforms into a California-pop iconoclast". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  10. Snapes, Laura (13 December 2019). "Harry Styles: Fine Line review – idiosyncratic pop with heart and soul". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  11. Pollard, Alexandra (6 December 2019). "Harry Styles review, Fine Line: A dextrous, audacious album a little too in thrall to music's greats". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  12. "What Are The Lyrics To Harry Styles' 'Falling' And Is The Song About His Ex Camille Rowe?". Capital FM. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  13. Haylock, Zoe (13 December 2019). "Everything We Know About Harry Styles's Ex-Girlfriend, Based on Fine Line". Vulture. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  14. Mylrea, Hannah (9 December 2019). "Harry Styles – 'Fine Line' review: packed with personality and charm (and saucy lyrics)". NME. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  15. Rolli, Bryan (19 December 2019). "Harry Styles Pivots to Power Pop on the Breezy Fine Line". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  16. Richmond, Anna (15 December 2019). "Review: Harry Styles's Fine Line Eschews Boundaries for Youthful Self-Discovery". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  17. Pareles, Jon (12 December 2019). "Camila Cabello and Harry Styles, Teen-Pop Alumni, Think Bigger". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
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