Falling (Julee Cruise song)

"Falling" is a 1989 song by American dream pop singer Julee Cruise. It is the lead single and second track from her debut studio album, Floating into the Night (1989). Featuring music composed by Angelo Badalamenti and lyrics written by David Lynch, an instrumental version of "Falling" was used as the theme song for the ABC television series Twin Peaks and its Showtime revival.

"Falling"
Single by Julee Cruise
from the album Floating into the Night
B-side"Theme from Twin Peaks (Instrumental)"/"Floating"
Released1990 (1990)
Recorded1989 (1989) at Excalibur Sound Productions in New York, New York
Genre
Length
  • 4:12 (radio edit)
  • 5:21 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Angelo Badalamenti
  • David Lynch
Julee Cruise singles chronology
"Falling"
(1990)		 "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart"
(1991)

Twin Peaks gained a cult following after its original broadcast in April 1990, and "Falling" subsequently charted in 15 countries worldwide between 1990 and 1992, including Australia, where it reached No. 1 in April 1991. The instrumental version of the song, performed by Badalamenti, won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 32nd Grammy Awards.[1] This instrumental version is included in the first volume of the Pure Moods compilation album series but is erroneously titled on the artwork and liner notes as being the theme for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.[2] In 2010, Pitchfork Media ranked "Falling" at No. 146 on its "Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s".[3] NME listed the song at No. 38 in their ranking of "100 Best Songs Of The 1990s" in 2012.[4]

Composition

According to composer Angelo Badalamenti the characteristic sound of the song was made playing a tuned down electric guitar.[5]

In the ruckus of beers flying through the air at The Roadhouse, we have Julee singing a beautiful, slow-tempo song, and it’s so outrageous. You would never have that kind of song in a place like that. [...] The songs with Julee serve a two-fold purpose: They contrast the visuals and they set the tone for the show.

— Angelo Badalamenti[6]

Critical reception

Billboard described the song as a "modern rock staple" propelled by the hit television series "Twin Peaks". They noted further that the track "succeeds in creating its own surreal yet comforting environment."[7] Music & Media commented that "anyone who is familiar with the Twin Peaks series is sure to have shivers listening to the theme tune. An ambient and dreamy song; although atmospheric, it is at the same time very down-to-earth, and threatening in its cold-blooded beauty."[8] Diane Tameecha from The Network Forty wrote that "the hypnotic blend of the track's music and Cruise's aforementioned downy singing style is an unbeatable combination."[9] NME described the song as "an eerie 50s-flecked ballad".[10] Tom Ewing for Pitchfork said that "it's not just that "Falling" is unshakably evocative of a great show, it's that the show was great because at its best it lived up to the mystery and romance Julee Cruise's frost-delicate voice promised.[11] In 2012, Porcys listed the song at number 95 in their ranking of "100 Singles 1990-1999", noting it as "hauntologia par exellence."[12]

Music video

A music video was produced featuring Julee Cruise performing the song through soft curtains and dramatic red lighting. It fades to various scenes from the Twin Peaks television series. The version used in the video is an edited cut of the song.

Track listings

UK 7" and US cassette

  1. "Falling" (edit) – 4:12
  2. "Theme from Twin Peaks" (instrumental) – 4:45

UK 12" and European CD

  1. "Falling" (edit) – 4:12
  2. "Theme from Twin Peaks" (instrumental) – 4:45
  3. "Floating" – 4:55

Charts and certifications

Other versions and covers

A demo version by Cruise (5:56 in length) was released in 1994 as No. 15 in Warner Bros./Reprise Records’ Soil X Samples promotional singles series, which ran from 1990-1997. The green vinyl 7” was a split single, "Falling" backed with "Syria" by Not Drowning, Waving. Cruise also recorded a new version of the song and released it as a hidden track on her 2002 album The Art of Being a Girl.

"Falling" has been covered by a number of artists since its original release. In 1990, the German house band The Mob released a four-track single entitled "Theme from Twin Peaks", which included three original mixes of "Falling."[37] Danish radio DJ Kjeld Tolstrup released an EP of three dance renditions of the song — "The Log Lady Mix", "The Ronnette Pulaski Mix" and "The Log Lady Mix Short Version"[38] in 1991, under the pseudonym One–Eyed Jacks, the name of the casino/brothel in Twin Peaks. English band The Wedding Present recorded a version of "Falling" that was released on their 1992 single "Silver Shorts" and included on the band's compilation album Hit Parade 1 (1992).[39] The Apoptygma Berzerk song "Moment of Tranquility", from the 2000 album Welcome to Earth, is based on the Twin Peaks theme song, with different lyrics.

In 2010, a cover of "Falling" by Girls Names, a noise pop band from Northern Ireland, appeared on a 15-track sampler, Young & Research.[40] Also in 2010, Bright Light Bright Light, the pseudonym of Welsh electropop singer Rod Thomas, released a cover of "Falling" online for free.[41] A corresponding music video was recorded in Snoqualmie, Washington—where the Twin Peaks pilot episode was shot—and featured scenes at several locations from the series.[42] Dream pop band Field Mouse included the song on an EP released in 2012. American folktronica duo The Endless included instrumental and vocal renditions of "Falling" as well as other songs from Twin Peaks on their EP Holiday 2012, proceeds from which were donated to Médecins Sans Frontières, a humanitarian aid charity.[43] In October 2013, Gavin Castleton and Lex Land posted a version to YouTube and Soundcloud. The Joy Formidable released a cover of Badalamenti's instrumental as "Twin Peaks" in 2015.[44] In February 2016, Lily Fawn and Eric Hogg, recording as Songs From The Black Lodge, released a 7-song EP[45] containing six "Twin Peaks" covers and one original tune. On Record Store Day 2016 (April 16), experimental rock band Xiu Xiu released Plays the Music of Twin Peaks, a tribute to Angelo Badalamenti's original soundtrack, featuring a seven-minute rendition of "Falling."[46]

Chrysta Bell (who plays Agent Tammy Preston in Twin Peaks' revival) released a cover version of the song in 2017.[47]

References
  1. "Past Winners Search". Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  2. "Allmusic.com listing and review".
  3. "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 150–101 | Features". Pitchfork Media. August 31, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  4. "100 Best Songs Of The 1990s". NME. May 8, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  5. Andreas Halskov, A Marriage Made in Heaven: The Music of Twin Peaks According to Composer Angelo Badalamenti and Music Editor Lori Eschler Frystak, Series - International Journal of TV Serial Narratives, vol. 2, n. 2, 2016, p. 69.
  6. Andreas Halskov, A Marriage Made in Heaven: The Music of Twin Peaks According to Composer Angelo Badalamenti and Music Editor Lori Eschler Frystak, Series - International Journal of TV Serial Narratives, vol. 2, n. 2, 2016, pp. 68-69.
  7. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. July 7, 1990. p. 65. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  8. "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. December 15, 1990. p. 11. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  9. "Crossover: Alternative" (PDF). The Network Forty. August 17, 1990. p. 56. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
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  11. "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 150–101 | Features". Pitchfork Media. August 31, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  12. "100 Singli 1990-1999". Porcys (in Polish). August 20, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  13. "Australian-charts.com – Julee Cruise – Falling (The Theme from Twin Peaks)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  14. "Austriancharts.at – Julee Cruise – Falling (The Theme from Twin Peaks)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
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  16. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7974." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
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  20. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
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  27. "Norwegiancharts.com – Julee Cruise – Falling (The Theme from Twin Peaks)". VG-lista. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  28. "Swedishcharts.com – Julee Cruise – Falling (The Theme from Twin Peaks)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
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  38. Falling (LP). One-Eyed Jacks. RCA Records. 1991. PT 44434.CS1 maint: others (link)
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  40. "Premiere: Girls Names – Falling (Twin Peaks Theme)". RCRD LBL. Downtown Music. September 13, 2010. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
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  43. "The Endless Releases Twin Peaks Holiday EP". welcometotwinpeaks.com. 710-YEP. December 19, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
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