| "Fall on Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork for North American, French, and Dutch vinyl releases | ||||
| Single byR.E.M. | ||||
| from the albumLifes Rich Pageant | ||||
| B-side | "Rotary Ten" | |||
| Released | August 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1986 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:50 | |||
| Label | I.R.S. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Don Gehman | |||
| R.E.M. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Fall on Me" is a song by the Americanalternative rock bandR.E.M. from their fourth albumLifes Rich Pageant (1986). It was the first of two singles released from that LP. It peaked at number 94 on theBillboard Hot 100. The song was one of the band's early compositions aboutenvironmentalism, discussingacid rain. It also transitioned from their murky lyrics and jangling guitar of their first three albums to a more accessible sound influenced by producerDon Gehman.
Though R.E.M. singerMichael Stipe once described the song as "pretty much a song about oppression," the subject of the song was initially aboutacid rain and its effects on the environment, hence the first line of the chorus, "Don't fall on me."[2]
When it first appeared during live concerts in 1985, the song had a different melody which had been entirely rewritten by the time of its recording forLifes Rich Pageant. Thecounter-melody in the second verse is actually the song's original tune and features the originalacid rain inspired lyrics.[3]
In an interview withDavid Fricke, singer Michael Stipe commented that the finished version of the song "is not about acid rain. It's a general oppression song about the fact that there are a lot of causes out there that need a song that says, 'Don't smash us.' And specifically, there are references to theLeaning Tower of Pisa and the guy dropping weights and feathers."[4]
In audience patter prior to a performance of the song onVH1 Storytellers in 1998, Stipe again mentioned the apocryphal tale ofGalileo Galilei dropping feathers and lead weights off the Leaning Tower of Pisa (to test the laws of gravity) as partial inspiration for the first verse:
“I was reading an article inBoston when I was on tour with theGolden Palominos, andChris Stamey showed me this article about this guy that did an experiment from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, whereby he dropped a pound of feathers and a pound of iron to prove that there was... a difference in the... density? What did he prove? I don’t even know. [A man shouts out from the audience] What? ["They fall just as fast," repeated the disembodied voice] They fall just as fast. Thank you very much.”
Billboard said it is "hum-worthy and top 40-compatible, though the subliminal stuff is here, too."[5]
Stipe filmed and directed thevideo for this song, in which the lyrics are seen superimposed over upside-down, black-and-white footage of a quarry and various pieces of abandoned equipment.
All songs written byBill Berry,Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.
TheB-side to this single is an instrumental entitled "Rotary Ten", a song which has been described by guitarist Peter Buck as "a movie theme without a movie." It would gain a sequel of sorts, "Rotary Eleven" for the "Losing My Religion" single in 1991.
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S.Billboard Hot 100 | 94[6] |
| U.S.BillboardMainstream Rock Tracks | 5[6] |
Thefolksupergroup,Cry Cry Cry (Dar Williams,Richard Shindell, andLucy Kaplansky) used "Fall on Me" as the opening track for theireponymous album of cover songs.Tooth and Nail melodic rap duo Furthermore, covered the song on their 2002 albumShe and I.[7]Matt Nathanson included an acoustic cover of this song on the deluxe version of his 2013 albumLast of the Great Pretenders.Death Cab for Cutie covered the song on their 2020The Georgia E.P.[8]
