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Oasis - 'Falling Down'

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Fraser McAlpine | 14:46 UK time, Monday, 2 March 2009

OasisNoel Gallagher is a very witty man. Sharp, self-aware, brutally frank about his own faults and witheringly harsh about the faults of others. So do not be surprised if, in years to come, when someone asks him about the release of this song as a single (that's a SINGLE, a piece of music which is aimed at the singles chart, a piece of music which by definition has to be perky, hooky, and bratty enough to sieze the attention, and NOT so snoozy as to put people off buying it), he replies with something along the lines of "yeah, what was THAT all about? We had better songs, we had louder songs, and what did we put out? 'Falling Down'! I'm not having that!"

It's kind of pointless listing the reasons why this isn't a good single, because they're the same reasons why 'The Shock Of The Lightning' and 'I'm Outta Time' were brilliant singles, it's just a question of how memorably Oasis have done what they always do.

For the record, the list goes something like this:

blah blah mellotrons blah blah marked '60 influence blah blah ain't broke blah blah guitars blah blah influences blah blah rock 'n' roll blah blah swagger blah blah passion blah blah real music blah blah I'm having that blah blah Beatles blah blah tunes blah blah not like this synthesized pop rubbish you get nowadays blah blah Jay-Z blah blah don't fix it blah blah 'soul' blah blah I'm not having that blah blah always the same blah blah working class blah blah...

It's an eternal and circular argument, because the things the people who hate Oasis see as their weaknesses are the same things that the people who love Oasis see as their strengths.

Having said that, this plays to the haterz in a massive way. There's no song here to speak of, just an endlessly repeated chord sequence and a couple of well-chosen melodic fragments. It emerges from a fug, with Noel singing like a wet choirboy, and then churns for a bit while he sings like himself again, and then it just wafts off into the ether.

As a song, it leaves you as it finds you, having made no attempt to change how you are or what you are feeling. It is, therefore, a bit of a waste of time, and, as I say, an incredibly strange choice for a single.

I expect Noel will end up claiming it was Russell Brand's fault. That's what I would do...

Two starsDownload: Out now
CD Released: March 9th

(Fraser McAlpine)

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    I kind of like it. To be honest I think Oasis have given up on trying with singles, they are just somethig that the record company insist on releasing, the ever reducing enthusiasm that the band show in appearances before a release ould seem to indicate this, certainly compared to before an album. So for Noel it doesnt matter which one is released because the fans will have it on the album already anyway, perhaps it makes moe sense to them to release some of the songs that tbey might like rather than would sell.

  • Comment number 2.

    As far as I can tell, Falling Down is generally regarded as one of the absolute high points of the album (an opinion I share). It's incredibly atmospheric and brooding, and really creates a sense of foreboding, desperation and claustrophobia. Rather than not changing how I feel when I listen to it, it actually has quite a powerful impact for me.

    I think a great song is a great song, and as long as it isn't a ten minute jam, it can make a great single (and even those can be edited for radio). Most of the time with Oasis, there are obvious singles on an album which have blatantly been written according to some of your criteria (especially lead-off singles), and they're often some of the weakest or most boring songs on the record (eg Roll With It, Go Let It Out, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, The Hindu Times, Let There Be Love and, for my money, The Shock of the Lightning and I'm Outta Time). Usually there's something far greater on the album which doesn't conform to the stereotype of a "single", but would sound great on the radio in my personal opinion. Let's be honest, this is Oasis - pretty much everything they do is going to be accessible. We're not talking Kid A here.

    It'll be obvious I'm an Oasis fan, which I'm sure will diminish my credibility on this topic for some people. But they DO do more than meat-and-potatoes rock 'n' roll and big ballads, and I'm glad they're releasing an example. Hackerjack above is probably right too, that they likely aren't bothered SO much about single releases. But that doesn't stop this being a great one.

  • Comment number 3.

    Thanks for this Curty,

    You're an Oasis fan who doesn't like the lead-off singles on their albums. I'm not particularly an Oasis fan, but those are the songs I DO like.

    I think we have a yin/yang situation going on!

    Also...forgive what'll seem like pedantry, but...

    I know it's pop culture shorthand, and therefore received wisdom, but 'Kid A' is not an inaccessible album. It's just not a very 'classic rock' album.

    I've listened to it far more than I have 'OK Computer', because to my mind it's a far warmer record. And I'm the pop guy who writes a blog about the charts.

  • Comment number 4.

    Thanks for the terrific description of what a great pop song actually does:

    'change how you are and what you are feeling'

    That kind of sets the 5 star bar for me.

  • Comment number 5.

    Fraser McAlpine is an idiot, i would use stronger words but tht would be rude. critics have to criticise otherwise u'll be out of a job. its not the best oasis song ever but its definitely not the worst and is far better then some of the trash about at the moment.

    to conclude, Fraser quit ur day job, get a job more suited, my rubbish gets picked up on tuesday afternoons see you then.

  • Comment number 6.

    Umm... bartlett03... if you don't want to be rude, it would possibly be a start if you avoided saying things like, "[x]...is an idiot"!

    (Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but then you felt free to give Fraser advice, so all's fair..!)

  • Comment number 7.

    Thing is, you just proved my point, genius.

    If it's not their best, why is it being released as a single? Who is it for?

    It sounds like, at best, you'd add one extra star to this review. Hardly seems worth all the - admirably restrained - abuse, really.

  • Comment number 8.

    Why would they release it as a single? Oh, maybe because its the best song on the album. Most oasis fans would agree. (ask any oasis forum/ community) I really don't think oasis need to release a catchy but rubbish tune (like most of the chart) to try and get a good review from a chart blog or get more sales.

    A single doesnt have to fit your criteria. I get the feeling Noel just wanted to put out his best song because it deserved to be put out. May open a few minds... obviously not yours.

    Was roll with it one of the better songs from MG? no, but it was catchy. Falling Down is the opposite.

  • Comment number 9.

    Thing is, they've already released two catchy (and not rubbish) songs from 'Dig Out Your Soul'.

    'I'm Outta Time' has also been claimed as "the best song on the album", so it's not like they can't have both. And it's just snooty to claim it's better for a song to be uncatchy but great.

    I do take your point about a third single being released with a different agenda. It's still not very good though.

  • Comment number 10.

    Sounds like Noel has stumbled on some old New Model Army tracks, which is no bad thing.

  • Comment number 11.

    So you're saying that if I start a band and throw in some " swagger blah blah passion blah blah real music" I can create a song like Wonderwall? Wow.

  • Comment number 12.

    nope. You need all the other stuff too. Plus talent. Otherwise Northern Uproar would have been as good as Oasis.

  • Comment number 13.

    I'm a huge Oasis fan, but this is not one of their best singles.

    However, it is certainly better some of the rubbish in the top at the moment, such as 'Right Round', 'Poker face' and 'dead and gone'. I mean WTF, how can anyone like that rubbish. Its not even sound, just random noise with a name!

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