Fallin'
Mon 10 December
Alicia Keys
I really have to look in the books to find out when I first heard this track, it seems to have been around forever. July 21 turns out to be the date, three weeks before it hit #1 Stateside, and 14 weeks before it repeated the feat here. Almost five months on, what's the attraction?
I keep on fallin'
I-i-i-i-i-i-i-in
In love
With you.
It's the a capella beginning. Devoid of drum, devoid of piano, just one voice proclaiming the state of affairs. This is what I'm doing. This is how I'm doing it.
Already we have proof that this is a Voice to Reckon With; the purity of the held note oozes class. There's more evidence in the playful chorus of "Fallings" just before the choir comes in.
Yes, there's a choir. A huge gospel choir joins Alicia for the final minute, reinforcing the simple message of the song.
Fundamentally, though, this is a solo performance, just Alicia, her piano, and a drum track. The comparisons are with such voices and presences as Tori Amos, not soul divas like Whitney Houston or Mary Blige.
How do you give me so much pleasure?
Cause me so much pain?
This isn't the perfect relationship. Alicia's other half has flaws. They're human. They hurt. But, through all the analysis, the good times outweigh the bad times.
Structurally, this is a fascinating song. We have a brief snatch of the chorus, then two verses and a chorus. Then there's the vocal gymnastics bit, and the choruses with the choir.
But it's not the music theory that hits right between the ears. It's the entry of the choir that transforms the song into a soul classic. Just as R Kelly did on 1997's I Believe I Can Fly and last year's The Storm Is Over Now, the choir provide the lift that turns a great song into a slice of pure magic.
The album, Songs In A Minor is out now.