Fall Out (song): Difference between revisions

"Fall Out"
"Fall Out"
	1977 record sleeve
Single by the Police
B-side	"Nothing Achieving"
Released	May 1977
Recorded	12 February 1977
Studio	Pathway, London
Genre	Punk rock
Length	2:03
Label	Illegal
Songwriter(s)	Stewart Copeland
Producer(s)	Stewart Copeland; Bazza (Barry Hammond);
The Police singles chronology
1979 Re-issue cover

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"Fall Out" is a song by British rock band the Police. It was released as their first single in May 1977 with "Nothing Achieving" on its B-side. It was re-released in 1979. A non-album track, it has appeared on a number of compilation and live albums including Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings, The Police and Live!

Background

"Fall Out" was written by drummer Stewart Copeland, and was one of the first songs he presented to lead singer and bassist Sting when the Police were forming.

"This was one of the first songs Stewart played me. What they [the songs] lacked in sophistication they made up for in energy. I just went along with them and sang them as hard as I could. No, it wasn't false punk. I mean what's a real punk? Our first record was entirely a tribute to Stewart's energy and focus. The band wouldn't have happened without him."
— Sting, 'Message in a Box' Liner Notes, 1993^[1]

The single was recorded before the Police had done any live performances,^[2] using a budget of £150 borrowed from Paul Mulligan,^[2] and is the only Police recording featuring original guitarist Henry Padovani. Due to nervousness in the studio, Padovani only played the guitar solos for both tracks, with Copeland playing the other guitar parts.^[3] Copeland used a Gibson SG for his parts, while Padovani used a Jacobacci.^[4]

"It was a heartfelt lyric, all about a personal disinclination to follow the styles of my peers. It was the first song that we rehearsed as the Police and also our first recording. We recorded it in a tiny studio and it was one of the rare instances in which I got to play the guitar. On this track and on Nothing Achieving I played the main guitar tracks and Henri Padovani did the solo in the middle."
— Stewart Copeland, 'Message in a Box' Liner Notes, 1993^[1]

The b-side, "Nothing Achieving" was written by Stewart Copeland and his brother Ian, with Ian being responsible for most of the lyrics. Both tracks were produced by Stewart Copeland and "Bazza", which was the nickname of engineer Barry Farmer.

The cover art for the single is a photo of the group taken on the roof of Copeland's apartment by his friend Lawrence Impey. Padovani's unusual grimace on the cover, though appropriate for the punk look of the time, was actually a result of his having a major toothache on the day of the shoot.^[4] The actual packaging of the 7" singles was done by Copeland and Sting.

Release

"Fall Out" was released on the Illegal Records label, part of the Faulty Products group of companies owned by Copeland's brother Miles. Sting has cited Mick Jagger's review of the single in Sounds magazine as contributor to its success, saying, "we had a coup when Mick Jagger reviewed it in a music weekly called Sounds."^[3] Jagger called the song "competently played rock, with nasal annihilated vocals." Ultimate Classic Rock critic Mike Duquette describes the theme as "a man going insane in a post-apocalyptic world."^[5] Copeland estimates that the single sold mostly because it was a part of the overall punk movement; the band appears in the cover photograph in clothes that were fashionable at the time and fans of the punk movement were buying any punk single that came out.

"It sold purely on the strength of the cover, because of the fashion at the time. Punk was in and it was one of the first punk records – and there weren't very many to choose from. The average punk had every punk record that was available and when the next one came out which was the Police record, he bought that, too. But still I think it was a good record, so it did more than the average punk single."
— Stewart Copeland, Melody Maker, September 1979^[1]

It failed to chart on its original release, but when re-released in 1979 it made number 47 on the UK Singles Chart, two months after "Message in a Bottle" reached number one.^[6] On the Record Business national chart then widely used in Independent Local Radio, which polled more independent shops, the 1979 release made number 26,^[7] and number 34 on the Record Business London chart broadcast on Capital Radio.^[8]

Track listing

UK 7" vinyl single

"Fall Out" (Stewart Copeland) – 2:03
"Nothing Achieving" (Stewart Copeland, Ian Copeland) – 1:56

Personnel

Sting - lead & backing vocals, bass
Henry Padovani - lead guitar solo
Stewart Copeland - drums, rhythm guitar, producer

Charts

Chart	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	47 (1979)^[6]
UK Independent Chart	48 (1980)^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "'Fall Out' / 'Nothing Achieving'". sting.com.
^ ^a ^b Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). L'Historia Bandido. London and New York: Proteus Books. ISBN 0-906071-66-6. Page 41.
^ ^a ^b Sutcliffe, Phil (1993). "The B-sides and Other Obscure Releases". In Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings (pp.57–59) [Boxed set booklet]. A&M Records Ltd.
^ ^a ^b Padovani, Henry (2009). Secret Police Man. Pen Press. pp. 52–54. ISBN 978-1-907172-83-0.
^ Duquette, Mike (6 May 2022). "All 70 Police Songs Ranked Worst to Best". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
^ ^a ^b The Police in the UK Charts Archived 26 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Official Charts.
^ Superpop magazine, 8 December 1979
^ Capital Countdown with Peter Young as broadcast on 1 December 1979, uploaded to Mixcloud
^ Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980–1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4, p. 175

"Fall Out Release Details". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2007.

[sting.com-1] "'Fall Out' / 'Nothing Achieving'". sting.com.

[Historia-2] Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). L'Historia Bandido. London and New York: Proteus Books. ISBN 0-906071-66-6. Page 41.

[In_a_Box-3] Sutcliffe, Phil (1993). "The B-sides and Other Obscure Releases". In Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings (pp.57–59) [Boxed set booklet]. A&M Records Ltd.

[Padovani52-4] Padovani, Henry (2009). Secret Police Man. Pen Press. pp. 52–54. ISBN 978-1-907172-83-0.

[ucr-5] Duquette, Mike (6 May 2022). "All 70 Police Songs Ranked Worst to Best". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 5 June 2022.

[UK_Charts-6] The Police in the UK Charts Archived 26 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Official Charts.

[7] Superpop magazine, 8 December 1979

[8] Capital Countdown with Peter Young as broadcast on 1 December 1979, uploaded to Mixcloud

[Lazell-9] Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980–1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4, p. 175

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[2]

[3]

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[5]

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[9]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|1977 single by the Police}}
 {{for|similarly titled songs|Fallout (disambiguation)}}
 {{EngvarB|date=May 2015}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
 {{Infobox song
 | name       = Fall Out
@@ Line 8: / Line 9: @@
 | caption    = 1977 record sleeve
 | type       = single
-| artist     = [[The Police]]
+| artist     = [[the Police]]
 | album      =
 | B-side     = Nothing Achieving
-| released   = 1 May 1977
+| released   = May 1977
+| recorded   = 12 February 1977
-| format     = [[Gramophone record|7" single]]
-| recorded   = 12 February 1977 at [[Pathway Studios]]
+| studio     = [[Pathway Studios|Pathway]], London
-| studio     =
-| venue      =
 | genre      = [[Punk rock]]
 | length     = 2:03
@@ Line 26: / Line 25: @@
 | prev_title =
 | prev_year  =
-| next_title = [[Roxanne (song)|Roxanne]]
+| next_title = [[Roxanne (The Police song)|Roxanne]]
 | next_year  = 1978
 | misc       = {{Extra album cover
@@ Line 38: / Line 37: @@
 }}
-"'''Fall Out'''" is a song by English [[New wave music|new wave]] rock band [[The Police]].  It was released as their first [[Single (music)|single]] in May 1977 with "Nothing Achieving" on its [[A-side and B-side|B-side]]. It was re-released in 1979.  A non-album track, it has appeared on a number of compilation and live albums including ''[[Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings]]'', ''[[The Police (album)|The Police]]'' and ''[[Live! (The Police album)|Live!]]''.
+"'''Fall Out'''" is a song by British [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Police]].  It was released as their first [[Single (music)|single]] in May 1977 with "Nothing Achieving" on its [[A-side and B-side|B-side]]. It was re-released in 1979.  A non-album track, it has appeared on a number of compilation and live albums including ''[[Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings]]'', ''[[The Police (album)|The Police]]'' and ''[[Live! (The Police album)|Live!]]''
 ==Background==
-"Fall Out" was written by drummer [[Stewart Copeland]], and was one of the first songs he presented to lead singer and bassist [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] when The Police were forming.
+"Fall Out" was written by drummer [[Stewart Copeland]], and was one of the first songs he presented to lead singer and bassist [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] when the Police were forming.
 {{quote|"This was one of the first songs Stewart played me. What they [the songs] lacked in sophistication they made up for in energy. I just went along with them and sang them as hard as I could. No, it wasn't false punk. I mean what's a real punk? Our first record was entirely a tribute to Stewart's energy and focus. The band wouldn't have happened without him."|Sting, 'Message in a Box' Liner Notes, 1993<ref name=sting.com>{{cite web|title='Fall Out' / 'Nothing Achieving'|url=http://www.sting.com/discography/index/album/albumId/134/tagName/Singles%20(The%20Police)|website=sting.com}}</ref>}}
-The single was recorded before The Police had done any live performances,<ref name="Historia">Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). ''L'Historia Bandido''. London and New York: Proteus Books. {{ISBN|0-906071-66-6}}. Page 41.</ref> using a budget of £150 borrowed from Paul Mulligan,<ref name="Historia"/> and is the only Police recording featuring original guitarist [[Henry Padovani]]. Due to nervousness in the studio, Padovani only played the guitar solos for both tracks, with Copeland playing the other guitar parts.<ref name="In a Box">Sutcliffe, Phil (1993). "The B-sides and Other Obscure Releases". In ''Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings'' (pp.57–59) [Boxed set booklet]. A&M Records Ltd.</ref> Copeland used a [[Gibson SG]] for his parts, while Padovani used a Jacobacci.<ref name="Padovani52">{{cite book|last=Padovani |first=Henry |title=Secret Police Man|date=2009|publisher=Pen Press|isbn=978-1-907172-83-0 |pages=52–54}}</ref>
+The single was recorded before the Police had done any live performances,<ref name="Historia">Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). ''L'Historia Bandido''. London and New York: Proteus Books. {{ISBN|0-906071-66-6}}. Page 41.</ref> using a budget of £150 borrowed from Paul Mulligan,<ref name="Historia"/> and is the only Police recording featuring original guitarist [[Henry Padovani]]. Due to nervousness in the studio, Padovani only played the guitar solos for both tracks, with Copeland playing the other guitar parts.<ref name="In a Box">Sutcliffe, Phil (1993). "The B-sides and Other Obscure Releases". In ''Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings'' (pp.57–59) [Boxed set booklet]. A&M Records Ltd.</ref> Copeland used a [[Gibson SG]] for his parts, while Padovani used a Jacobacci.<ref name="Padovani52">{{cite book|last=Padovani |first=Henry |title=Secret Police Man|date=2009|publisher=Pen Press|isbn=978-1-907172-83-0 |pages=52–54}}</ref>
-{{quote|"It was a heartfelt lyric, all about a personal disinclination to follow the styles of my peers. It was the first song that we rehearsed as The Police and also our first recording. We recorded it in a tiny studio and it was one of the rare instances in which I got to play the guitar. On this track and on ''Nothing Achieving'' I played the main guitar tracks and Henri Padovani did the solo in the middle."|Stewart Copeland, 'Message in a Box' Liner Notes, 1993<ref name=sting.com>{{cite web|title='Fall Out' / 'Nothing Achieving'|url=http://www.sting.com/discography/index/album/albumId/134/tagName/Singles%20(The%20Police)|website=sting.com}}</ref>}}
+{{quote|"It was a heartfelt lyric, all about a personal disinclination to follow the styles of my peers. It was the first song that we rehearsed as the Police and also our first recording. We recorded it in a tiny studio and it was one of the rare instances in which I got to play the guitar. On this track and on ''Nothing Achieving'' I played the main guitar tracks and Henri Padovani did the solo in the middle."|Stewart Copeland, 'Message in a Box' Liner Notes, 1993<ref name=sting.com>{{cite web|title='Fall Out' / 'Nothing Achieving'|url=http://www.sting.com/discography/index/album/albumId/134/tagName/Singles%20(The%20Police)|website=sting.com}}</ref>}}
-The b-side, "Nothing Achieving" was written by Stewart Copeland and his brother Ian, with Ian being responsible for most of the lyrics. Both tracks were produced by Stewart Copeland and "Bazza", which was the nickname of engineer Barry Hammond.
+The b-side, "Nothing Achieving" was written by Stewart Copeland and his brother Ian, with Ian being responsible for most of the lyrics. Both tracks were produced by Stewart Copeland and "Bazza", which was the nickname of engineer Barry Farmer.
 The cover art for the single is a photo of the group taken on the roof of Copeland's apartment by his friend Lawrence Impey. Padovani's unusual grimace on the cover, though appropriate for the punk look of the time, was actually a result of his having a major toothache on the day of the shoot.<ref name="Padovani52"/> The actual packaging of the 7" singles was done by Copeland and Sting.
 ===Release===
-"Fall Out" was released on the Illegal Records label, part of the [[Faulty Products]] group of companies owned by Copeland's brother [[Miles Copeland III|Miles]]. Sting has cited [[Mick Jagger]]'s review of the single in [[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]] as contributor to its success, saying, "we had a coup when [[Mick Jagger]] reviewed it in a music weekly called ''Sounds.''"<ref name="In a Box"/> Copeland estimates that the single sold mostly because it was a part of the overall [[Punk rock|punk]] movement; the band appears in the cover photograph in clothes that were fashionable at the time and fans of the punk movement were buying any punk single that came out.
+"Fall Out" was released on the Illegal Records label, part of the [[Faulty Products]] group of companies owned by Copeland's brother [[Miles Copeland III|Miles]]. Sting has cited [[Mick Jagger]]'s review of the single in ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' magazine as contributor to its success, saying, "we had a coup when [[Mick Jagger]] reviewed it in a music weekly called ''Sounds.''"<ref name="In a Box"/>  Jagger called the song "competently played rock, with nasal annihilated vocals." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Mike Duquette describes the theme as "a man going insane in a post-apocalyptic world."<ref name=ucr>{{cite web|title=All 70 Police Songs Ranked Worst to Best|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/police-songs-ranked/?fbclid=IwAR22Tc5u0__oTDbiqm_Hc0JuuW1SlPkIbXHndw6s3cEspuBAzPxEL87XaLg|author=Duquette, Mike|accessdate=2022-06-05|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=May 6, 2022}}</ref>  Copeland estimates that the single sold mostly because it was a part of the overall [[Punk rock|punk]] movement; the band appears in the cover photograph in clothes that were fashionable at the time and fans of the punk movement were buying any punk single that came out.
-{{quote|"It sold purely on the strength of the cover, because of the fashion at the time. Punk was in and it was one of the first punk records – and there weren't very many to choose from. The average punk had every punk record that was available and when the next one came out which was the Police record, he bought that, too. But still I think it was a good record, so it did more than the average punk single."|Stewart Copeland, Melody Maker, 9/1979<ref name=sting.com />}}
+{{quote|"It sold purely on the strength of the cover, because of the fashion at the time. Punk was in and it was one of the first punk records – and there weren't very many to choose from. The average punk had every punk record that was available and when the next one came out which was the Police record, he bought that, too. But still I think it was a good record, so it did more than the average punk single."|Stewart Copeland, Melody Maker, September 1979<ref name=sting.com />}}
-It failed to chart on its original release, but when re-released in 1979 it made number 47 on the [[UK Singles Chart]], two months after "[[Message in a Bottle (song)|Message in a Bottle]]" reached number one.<ref name="UK Charts">[http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/police/ The Police in the UK Charts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026172803/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/POLICE/ |date=26 October 2011 }}, The Official Charts.</ref> On the Record Business national chart then widely used in [[Independent Local Radio]], which polled more independent shops, the 1979 release made number 26<ref>''Superpop'' magazine, 8 December 1979</ref>, and number 34 on the Record Business London chart broadcast on [[Capital London|Capital Radio]].<ref>Capital Countdown with Peter Young as broadcast on 1 December 1979, uploaded to Mixcloud</ref>
+It failed to chart on its original release, but when re-released in 1979 it made number 47 on the [[UK Singles Chart]], two months after "[[Message in a Bottle (The Police song)|Message in a Bottle]]" reached number one.<ref name="UK Charts">[http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/police/ The Police in the UK Charts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026172803/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/POLICE/ |date=26 October 2011 }}, The Official Charts.</ref> On the ''[[Record Business]]'' national chart then widely used in [[Independent Local Radio]], which polled more independent shops, the 1979 release made number 26,<ref>''Superpop'' magazine, 8 December 1979</ref> and number 34 on the ''Record Business'' London chart broadcast on [[Capital London|Capital Radio]].<ref>Capital Countdown with Peter Young as broadcast on 1 December 1979, uploaded to Mixcloud</ref>
 ==Track listing==
@@ Line 66: / Line 65: @@
 ==Personnel==
-*[[Sting (musician)|Sting]] – bass, vocals
+*[[Sting (musician)|Sting]] - lead & backing vocals, bass
-*[[Henry Padovani]] – guitar solo
+*[[Henry Padovani]] - lead guitar solo
-*[[Stewart Copeland]] – drums, guitar, producer
+*[[Stewart Copeland]] - drums, rhythm guitar, producer
 == Charts ==
@@ Line 85: / Line 84: @@
 {{Reflist}}
-* {{cite web |url=http://www.sting.com/discog/?v=a&a=2&id=134 |title=Fall Out Release Details |accessdate=23 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927031102/http://www.sting.com/discog/?v=a&a=2&id=134 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |dead-url=yes }}
+* {{cite web |url=http://www.sting.com/discog/?v=a&a=2&id=134 |title=Fall Out Release Details |access-date=23 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927031102/http://www.sting.com/discog/?v=a&a=2&id=134 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}
-==External links==
-* {{MetroLyrics song|the-police|fall-out}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider -->
 {{The Police}}
+{{authority control}}
+[[Category:1977 debut singles]]
 [[Category:1977 singles]]
 [[Category:1979 singles]]
 [[Category:The Police songs]]
-[[Category:Debut singles]]
 [[Category:1977 songs]]
 [[Category:Songs written by Stewart Copeland]]

v t e The Police
Sting Andy Summers Stewart Copeland Henry Padovani
Studio albums	Outlandos d'Amour Reggatta de Blanc Zenyatta Mondatta Ghost in the Machine Synchronicity
Live albums	Live! Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires
Compilations	Every Breath You Take: The Singles Their Greatest Hits Greatest Hits Every Breath You Take: The Classics The Very Best of Sting & The Police The Police
Box sets	Six Pack Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings
Singles	"Fall Out" "Roxanne" "Can't Stand Losing You" "So Lonely" "Message in a Bottle" "Walking on the Moon" "Bring On the Night" "The Bed's Too Big Without You" "Don't Stand So Close to Me" "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" "Invisible Sun" "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" "Spirits in the Material World" "Secret Journey" "Every Breath You Take" "Wrapped Around Your Finger" "Synchronicity II" "King of Pain"
Other songs	"Next to You" "Reggatta de Blanc" "Driven to Tears" "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" "Behind My Camel" "Demolition Man" "Synchronicity I" "Tea in the Sahara"
Tours	Ghost in the Machine Tour Synchronicity Tour A Conspiracy of Hope Tour The Police Reunion Tour
Related articles	Discography Songs Strontium 90 Miles Copeland Strontium 90: Police Academy Brimstone & Treacle ¡Policia!: A Tribute to the Police Everyone Stares Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police
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