10 Best Songs With The Word 'Falling' In The Title

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Falling can mean surrender, heartbreak, exhilaration, destruction, or the dizzying rush of love. Rock, pop, soul, and singer-songwriter music have all used the word to capture moments when life suddenly feels as if it is moving beyond our control.

These ten songs take that idea in very different directions. Tom Petty turns it into freedom and disillusionment, Julee Cruise makes it dreamlike and mysterious, The Kinks use it for political commentary, and B.J. Thomas transforms falling raindrops into one of popular music’s great statements of resilience.

# 10 – Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty

Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” opened his 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever and became one of the biggest songs of his career. Written by Petty and Jeff Lynne, the track uses a simple arrangement to frame a story of freedom, regret, and Southern California life. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of Petty’s signature recordings.

# 9 – Falling Down – Tom Waits

Tom Waits included “Falling Down” on his 1988 album Big Time, which was built mainly from live performances but also included this studio recording. Waits and Kathleen Brennan produced the track, with Waits on vocals and organ, Fred Tackett on guitar, Larry Taylor on upright bass, and Richie Hayward on drums. The result is spare, weary, and perfectly suited to Waits’ darker storytelling.

# 8 – Still Falling For You – Boz Scaggs

“Still Falling for You” appeared on Boz Scaggs’ 1977 album Down Two Then Left, produced by Joe Wissert. Coming after the enormous success of Silk Degrees, the song continued Scaggs’ polished blend of rock, soul, and sophisticated pop. Its title captures the persistence of love after the first rush has passed, giving the word “falling” a warm and romantic meaning.

Read More: 10 Most Rocking Boz Scaggs Songs

# 7 – Under The Falling Sky – Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne recorded “Under the Falling Sky” for his self-titled 1972 debut album, produced by Richard Sanford Orshoff. The song mixes Browne’s folk-rock songwriting with a more driving arrangement and became one of the early compositions that other artists quickly noticed. Bonnie Raitt recorded her own version for Give It Up later that same year.

# 6 – Could It Be I’m Falling in Love – The Spinners

The Spinners turned “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” into one of the defining Philadelphia soul records of the early 1970s. Produced and arranged by Thom Bell, the track features Bobbie Smith on lead vocals with the group’s harmonies surrounding him. The single reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B chart, making romantic uncertainty sound completely irresistible.

Read More: Top 10 Spinners Songs

# 5 – Falling – Julee Cruise

Julee Cruise recorded “Falling” for her 1989 debut album Floating into the Night, with music by Angelo Badalamenti and lyrics by David Lynch. Badalamenti and Lynch produced the recording, whose slow, dreamlike atmosphere became inseparable from the world of Twin Peaks. The television series used an instrumental version of the composition as its main theme, while Cruise’s vocal version became a haunting classic in its own right.

# 4 – Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain) – INXS

INXS recorded “Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)” for their 1985 album Listen Like Thieves. Produced by Chris Thomas, the song combines Michael Hutchence’s urgent vocal with the band’s increasingly confident mix of rock, rhythm, and atmosphere. The title and imagery give falling a sense of danger and momentum rather than surrender.

Read More: Top 10 INXS Songs

# 3 – Catch Me Now I’m Falling – The Kinks

Ray Davies wrote “Catch Me Now I’m Falling” for The Kinks’ 1979 album Low Budget, using the image of Captain America to comment on the United States and its relationship with its allies. The track carries a hard-rock riff that recalls “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” while keeping Davies’ social commentary at the center. It was released as a U.S. single in 1979, though it did not reach the Billboard Hot 100.

# 2 – Fallin’ in Love – Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds

“Fallin’ in Love” gave Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds their only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. Written by Dan Hamilton and Ann Hamilton and produced by Jim Price, the song became one of the defining soft-rock singles of the decade. Its easygoing melody turns falling in love into something effortless, warm, and completely unavoidable.

# 1 – Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head – B.J. Thomas

B.J. Thomas recorded “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the song turns a rainy image into an easygoing declaration that life’s troubles will not win. It spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making it a fitting choice for the top spot.

Read More: Top 20 Burt Bacharach Songs