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The Fallen (song)

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"The Fallen"
Song
B-side"Jeremy Fraser",
"Brown Onions"

"The Fallen" and "L. Wells" are songs by Scottish Post-punk revival band Franz Ferdinand. "The Fallen" is taken from their second album You Could Have It So Much Better, while "L. Wells" is a new track recorded by the band in Australia in early 2006. They were released as a double A-side for the third single from that album in the UK on 3 April 2006 charting at #14 in the UK Singles Chart, before dropping out of the top 40 altogether the next week (see 2006 in British music). The single also hit #1 on the UK Indie Chart.

Songs

The Fallen

"The Fallen" is addressed to Jesus Christ, hypothesizing his actions were he on Earth at the present time, implying that he would be among the poor underclass preaching love rather than hobnobbing with wealthy self-proclaimed Christians.

L. Wells

"L. Wells" is a song about Liverpudlian Lynsey Wells, an acquaintance of Alex Kapranos, describing her beauty, goodness, and innocence. The song references the football anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" in the second verse because Lynsey, a Liverpool supporter, would frequently play the Gerry & the Pacemakers version in her flat.[1]

Airplay

"The Fallen" gained significant airplay in the United States in February 2006, where it was added to the playlists of 30 modern rock stations. These include the Sirius Satellite Radio stations S021 and S026, WFNX and WBCN of Boston, Massachusetts, as well as KXRK (Salt Lake City, Utah), WHTG-FM (Monmouth / Ocean), WWCD (Columbus), and KWOD (Sacramento).

The song managed to enter the top 50 modern rock songs in the US in February, 2006, even cracking the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart at #39. However, its success was short-lived, as its airplay was decreasing by March 2006.

On 6 March 2006, "L. Wells" had its worldwide radio debut during Steve Lamacq's show, Lamacq Live, on BBC Radio 1.

Music videos

The single featured three videos for "The Fallen", "L. Wells", and "Jeremy Fraser".

The video for "The Fallen" has been criticized by some fans for being too simple and not as entertaining as some of the band's previous videos. However others have praised the effects used in the video, such as the lyrics appearing as they are sung (this effect was also used in Franz Ferdinand's videos, Take Me Out and This Fire.) The video for "L. Wells", directed by Blair Young, is in black and white, and features many venues in Glasgow, Scotland, including The Château, where Franz Ferdinand played many songs in their early days. It follows a woman going around Glasgow. However, this woman is not the Lynsey Wells about whom the song was written. Lynsey, originally from Maghull, Liverpool, was actually on holiday assisting in an orphanage and church in Africa when Franz Ferdinand decided to release the track. [citation needed] The video is inspired by Rita Tushingham in A Taste of Honey and, particularly, Julie Christie in Billy Liar. Lynsey is played by Saskia Pomeroy, a student at Glasgow School Of Art. None of the members of the band appear in the video. The video premiered on MTV's UK website on 24 March 2006.

The video for "Jeremy Fraser" premiered on the "The Fallen"/"L. Wells" minisite. It depicts Jeremy Fraser as a medieval man on a pantomime horse. He 'dies of a lance of silver', and is dragged by children with creepy masks into the 'old schoolyard', where his captors morbidly dance around him, and form a star around his neck with planks of wood. Jeremy's eyes remain open and he even stands up after the lance strikes him, giving the whole video a rather comical yet sad feel. As with L. Wells, supposedly, none of the band members appear in this song's video; although lead guitarist Nick McCarthy revealed in a webcam interview, that the band members were in the video, along with several hidden easter eggs. [citation needed]

List of Allusions to Jesus in "The Fallen"

The lyrics for "The Fallen" borrow heavily from New Testament miracles; with references to the feeding of the five-thousand, the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and the turning of water into wine. Biblical references can also be seen in the song Auf Achse, from Franz Ferdinand's first album, which references crucifixion; this interest in the Bible and Christianity appear to stem from Kapranos' brief study of theology at the University of Aberdeen before he dropped out.

  • "flinging out the fish and the unleavened" - a reference to the feedings of the 5000 and the 4000 in Matthew 14:13–21 and Matthew 15:32–38
  • "turn the rich into wine as you walk on the mean" - refers to the water being made into wine in John 2:1–11 and the walking on the water in Mark 6:45–52, which thus implies a relation between being "rich" and "mean". Also, the wine press of Revelation 14:19–20.
  • "five thousand users fed today" - refers specifically to the feeding of the 5000
  • "on the seventh seal you said you never feel pain" - an allusion to the seventh seal in Revelation 8:1.
  • "be they Magdalene or Virgin you've already been" - refers to Mary Magdalene and Christ's mother Mary
  • "you are the word, the word is destroy" - refers to Christ as being the Word of God in John 1:1. Also, the name, 'Destroyer' (Apollyon) in Revelation 9:11.
  • "if it's not a jag in the arm, it's a nail in the beam" - refers to the crucifixion
  • "on this barren earth you scatter your seed" - a reference to the parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3–23
  • "So I'm sorry if I ever resisted, I never had a doubt you ever existed, I only have a problem when people insist on taking their hate and placing it on your name" A reference to religious violence done in the name of God including crusades and suicide bombers.
  • "I never feel pain, won't you hit me again?" A reference to turning the other cheek.

Track listings

All tracks written by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy, except where noted.

In the UK

  • 7" RUG219
  1. "The Fallen" (album version) - 3:42
  2. "L. Wells" (Alex Kapranos) - 3:31
  • 7" RUG219X
  1. "The Fallen" (Remixed by Justice) - 3:55
  2. "L. Wells" (Alex Kapranos) - 3:31
  3. "Brown Onions" (Franz Ferdinand) - 3:02
    • Instrumental
  • CD RUG219CD
  1. "The Fallen" (radio edit) - 2:49
  2. "The Fallen" (Remixed by Justice) - 3:55
  3. "L. Wells" (Alex Kapranos) - 3:31
  4. "Jeremy Fraser" (Nick McCarthy) - 3:57
    • Vocals performed by Nick McCarthy.
  5. "The Fallen" (video) - 2:49
  1. "The Fallen" (Remixed by Justice) - 3:55
  2. "The Fallen" (album version) - 3:42
  3. "Do You Want To" (Max Tundra remix) - 4:35
  4. "Do You Want To" (Max Tundra remix - instrumental) - 4:22

In Australia

  1. "The Fallen" (album version) - 3:42
  2. "Sexy Boy" (Jean-Benoît Dunckel, Nicolas Godin) - 3:40
  3. "The Fallen" (acoustic version)
  4. "Do You Want To" (Max Tundra remix - instrumental) - 4:22

Music sample

Cover images

Trivia

  • The single was released in an album jewelcase to enable fans to choose whether their copy displayed the sleeve artwork for "The Fallen" or "L. Wells".
  • "L. Wells" was included on the CD of music played at GAP stores in the U.S. during the 2006 holiday season.
  • "The Song "Brown Onions" was latter combined with the words of the poem No by David Shrigley for the compilation album Worried Noodles.

References

  1. ^ "You'll Never Walk Alone" BBC Radio 2 Music Club, 10 June, 2008.
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