All Falls Down

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This article is about the Kanye West song. For other uses, see All Falls Down (disambiguation).

"All Falls Down"
All Falls Down2.jpg
Single by Kanye West featuring Syleena Johnson
from the album The College Dropout
B-side"Get 'Em High"
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2004 (2004-02-24)
Recorded2001–2003
Studio
GenreHip hop
Length3:43
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Kanye West
  • Lauryn Hill
Producer(s)Kanye West
Kanye West singles chronology
"Get By"
(2004) 		"All Falls Down"
(2004) 		"Talk About Our Love"
(2004)
Syleena Johnson singles chronology
"Tonight I'm Gonna Let Go"
(2002) 		"All Falls Down"
(2004) 		"Hypnotic"
(2005)
Audio sample
Menu
0:00
  • file
  • help
Music video
"All Falls Down" on YouTube

"All Falls Down" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. It was released as the third single from his debut album, The College Dropout. The song was written and produced by West and features singer Syleena Johnson. The hip hop song contains an interpolation of "Mystery of Iniquity" by Lauryn Hill from her live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, therefore Hill is credited as a composer.

It was released in February 2004 and entered the UK Singles Chart at number ten and peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 on May 11, 2004, his first solo Top 10 hit in the USA. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Grammy Awards, Viewer's Choice at the 2004 BET Awards and received nominations for a total of four awards at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards.

Background[]

The song contains an interpolation of "Mystery of Iniquity" by Lauryn Hill from her live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. West originally attempted to acquire legal clearance to sample the recording but due to various complications, the permission was withheld.[1] West then called upon Syleena Johnson to re-sing the relevant vocal portions of "Mystery of Iniquity" which ended up in the final track.[2] The version of the song with the original sample can be heard on West's Freshman Adjustment mixtape. However, the earliest version of the song can be found on West's 2001 mixtape The Prerequisite, on which it called "Dream Come True". Lyrically, "All Falls Down" examines the self-consciousness and insecurity within society, particularly the black community, and how these characteristics pertain to economic materialism.[3]

In a 2013 interview with The New York Times, West revealed Dead Prez's impact on the song;

"It wasn’t until I hung out with Dead Prez and understood how to make, you know, raps with a message sound cool that I was able to just write “All Falls Down” in 15 minutes.”[4]

Live performances[]

West performed the song live on Def Poetry Jam in 2004 as a poem titled "Self Conscious".[5] A performance of "All Falls Down" was included on West's 2006 live album Late Orchestration, which was recorded in 2005 at Abbey Road Studios in London.[6] It was performed live by West in 2015 as the closer to his headlining set at Glastonbury.[7]

The song was performed by West as part of a medley at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, as well on numerous television shows, including; Late Show with David Letterman, Total Request Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Later... with Jools Holland.

Music video[]

The music video for "All Falls Down" was directed by Chris Milk and shot at Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California.[8] It follows West as he accompanies his girlfriend, played by Stacey Dash, to the airport to catch her flight.[9] The video is shot in first-person perspective, displaying the journey from their car to the airport terminal through West's eyes.[10] The music video also features cameos by GLC, Consequence, Common, Kel Mitchell, and Syleena Johnson, who features on the song, as the lady who checks Dash in at the airport reception.[11][12] Complex named it the 18th best music video of the 2000s decade.[13]

Lyrical Analysis[]

"All Falls Down" is placed as the fourth song of Kanye West's debut studio album, The College Dropout. The album is notable for containing complex societal issues, which West strives to advertently cover in ways relating to the Black American community. These thematic concepts, prevalent through the entirety of the album, are omnipresent within this specific song.[14]

West in "All Falls Down" decides to vulnerably share his own imperfections.[15] This shines through his divulge into chronic issues with personal insecurities, which he recognizes as a problem that relates to the greater population within society than just himself. Within the concept of insecurities, West makes the decision to specifically hone in on the continuous, dividing matter of excessive materialism, or a desire of it, in attempt to pertain to an affluent appearance. While focusing on this topic, he admits that although being subject to this affair, he knowingly understands the mindset contradictory to such a lifestyle pertaining to short-term, consumerist happiness. Yet, he still finds himself to be a participant in this way of life.[16][17]

West also ties this thematic idea to an even deeper, underlying meaning. The reason this lifestyle is endeavored is in an attempt to recompense for everything the Black American community has had taken from them in the past. But, in the process of making up for the prior oppression they had received, West scrutinizes their new subjugation, this excessive materialism, as a result. West ends with a claim that he recognizes his submission to such a lifestyle, but also knows that it is not just him that falls subject to such a behavior.[16][17]

Accolades[]

Spin named "All Falls Down" the third best song of 2004.[18]

Track listings[]

12" vinyl #1[]

A-Side

  1. "All Falls Down" (Clean)
  2. "All Falls Down" (Dirty)
  3. "All Falls Down" (A cappella)

B-Side

  1. "Get 'Em High" (Clean)
  2. "Get 'Em High" (Extended Dirty)
  3. "Get 'Em High" (A cappella)

12" vinyl #2[]

A-Side

  1. "All Falls Down" (Explicit)
  2. "All Falls Down" (Edited)

B-Side

  1. "Heavy Hitters" (Dirty)
  2. "Heavy Hitters" (A cappella)

CD single #1[]

  1. "All Falls Down" (Album Version Explicit)
  2. "Heavy Hitters" (Dirty)

CD single #2[]

  1. "All Falls Down"
  2. "Get 'Em High"
  3. "Heavy Hitters"
  4. "Through the Wire"

CD single #3[]

  1. "All Falls Down - Explicit"
  2. "All Falls Down" - Edited"
  3. "Heavy Hitters (Feat. GLC)"
  4. "Get 'Em High (Feat. Talib Kweli & Common)"
  5. "All Falls Down - Video"

Personnel[]

Information taken from The College Dropout liner notes.[28]

  • Songwriters: Kanye West, Lauryn Hill
  • Producer: Kanye West
  • Record engineer: Tatsuya Sato, Rabeka Tunei
  • Mix engineer: Manny Marroquin
  • Guitar: Eric "E-Bass" Johnson
  • Acoustic guitar: Ken Lewis

Chart positions[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (2004) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[29] 7
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[30] 18
Canada (Canadian Singles Chart)[31] 9
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[32] 71
Germany (Official German Charts)[33] 72
Ireland (IRMA)[34] 23
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[35] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[36] 85
Russia (Tophit)[37] 243
UK Singles (OCC)[38] 10
UK R&B (OCC)[39] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[40] 7
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[41] 4
US Hot Rap Tracks (Billboard)[42] 2
US Pop Songs (Billboard)[43] 22

Year-end charts[]

Chart (2004) Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[44] 158
US Billboard Hot 100[45] 47
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[46] 23

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Platinum 600,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[48] 2× Platinum 2,000,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Reid, Shaheem (February 9, 2005). "Road To The Grammys: The Making Of Kanye West's College Dropout". MTV. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  2. ^ Hall, Rashaun (January 21, 2005). "Kanye West Collaborating With Lauryn Hill On New LP". MTV. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  3. ^ Heaton, Dave (March 5, 2004). "Kanye West The College Dropout – PopMatters Music Review". PopMatters. PopMatters Media, Inc.
  4. ^ J. Pablo (June 16, 2013). "Dead Prez React to Kanye's New York Times Comments About Them". Village Voice. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Anderson, Kyle (September 11, 2011). "Kanye West shows early charisma, stand-up skills on 'Def Poetry Jam' in 2004: Watch it here!". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  6. ^ "Kanye West at Abbey Road for Radio 1". BBC. MMIX. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  7. ^ Halliday, Josh (June 28, 2015). "I disrupted Kanye West's Glastonbury set for Taylor Swift, says Lee Nelson | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  8. ^ Reid, Shaheem (August 25, 2005). "Kanye Puts It All On The Line — For A Video: VMAs Behind The Camera". MTV. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  9. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (January 21, 2016). "Tyrann Mathieu references Kanye video to explain Stacey Dash comments". theScore.com. theScore Inc. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  10. ^ Zadeh, Joe (July 7, 2014). "Just One Song: 'All Falls Down' | Features". Clash Magazine. Clash Music. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Schiller, Rebecca (June 6, 2018). "Kanye West's Music Video Evolution: Every Ye Video From 2003 to Today". theScore.com. Billboard. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  12. ^ "How Kel Mitchell Snagged A Cameo In Kanye West's 'All Falls Down' Video". HuffPost. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  13. ^ "The Best Music Videos of the 2000s". Complex. October 25, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  14. ^ Paoletta, Michael (March 20, 2004). "All Falls Down (Music)". EBSCOhost. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. ^ Toure (April 29, 2004). "Head of the Class". ProQuest. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Duncan, Andrew (2018). "EGO PLURIBUS UNUM: HOW ONE MAN, SPEAKING FOR MANY, CHANGED HIP HOP". JSTOR. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Ciccariello-Maher, George (2009). "A Critique of Du Boisian Reason: Kanye West and the Fruitfulness of Double-Consciousness". JSTOR. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  18. ^ "Spin Lists - End Of Year". Rock List Music. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  19. ^ "2004 BET Award Nominees". Canarsie Courier. May 20, 2004. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  20. ^ "Kanye West dominates Mobo list". BBC. August 24, 2004. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  21. ^ "MTV VMAs 2004 Nominees". MTV. July 27, 2004. Archived from the original on August 19, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  22. ^ "2004 Much Music Video Award Nominees". May 28, 2004. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  23. ^ "2004 Teen Choice Awards Winners". Billboard. August 9, 2004. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  24. ^ "Vibe Awards 2004". HipHop Galaxy. November 16, 2004. Archived from the original on November 3, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  25. ^ "2005 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards: Rap Songs". ASCAP. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
    "2005 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". ASCAP. June 16, 2005. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  26. ^ "Grammys - Artist - Kanye West". Grammy. Archived from the original on December 8, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  27. ^ "05 GV Music & Fashion Awards Winners: Hip Hop". Groovevolt. March 1, 2005. Archived from the original on March 7, 2005. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  28. ^ The College Dropout (Media notes). Kanye West. Roc-A-Fella Records. 2004. 986 173-9.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ^ "Ultratop.be – KanYe West feat. Syleena Johnson – All Falls Down" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – KanYe West feat. Syleena Johnson – All Falls Down" (in French). Ultratip.
  31. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Singles Chart)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  32. ^ "Europe Official Top 100 - 3 July 2004". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  33. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – KanYe West feat. Syleena Johnson – Through the Wire" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  34. ^ "Discography Kanye West". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  35. ^ "Charts.nz – KanYe West feat. Syleena Johnson – All Falls Down". Top 40 Singles.
  36. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – KanYe West feat. Syleena Johnson – All Falls Down" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  37. ^ "Kanye West – All Falls Down" (in Russian). Tophit. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  38. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  39. ^ "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  40. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  41. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  42. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Rap Tracks)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  43. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  44. ^ "UK Singles Chart 2004" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved January 30, 2019. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  45. ^ "Billboard Year End 2004". bobborst. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  46. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  47. ^ "British single certifications – Kanye West – All Falls Down". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  48. ^ "American single certifications – Kanye West – All Falls Down". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links[]

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