When You're Falling

"When You're Falling" is a song by world music group Afro Celt Sound System, released as the first single from the band's third studio album Volume 3: Further in Time. The song features vocals from Peter Gabriel, Iarla Ó Lionáird, and members of Screaming Orphans.^[1]

"When You're Falling"
Single by Afro Celt Sound System featuring Peter Gabriel
from the album Volume 3: Further in Time
Released	June 19, 2001
Genre	World
Length	5:14 (Album version) 3:44 (Single version)
Label	Real World
Songwriters	Simon Emmerson James McNally Iarla O'Lionaird Martin Russell
Producer	Simon Emmerson
Afro Celt Sound System singles chronology
"Release" (2000) "When You're Falling" (2001)
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"While the Earth Sleeps" (1996) "When You're Falling" (2001) "The Barry Williams Show" (2002)

The song's music video, directed by Adam Berg, features a man falling from the sky until he eventually falls through the ground, where he continues to fall until he eventually falls out of Earth. Peter Gabriel appears three times during the music video, as an airplane pilot, a man inside a building, and a man walking on the street.

Following the September 11 attacks in the United States, Slate reported that Clear Channel Communications distributed a memorandum to various program directors. The memorandum contained a list of over 150 songs that they believed contained "questionable lyrics", with one of those songs being "When You're Falling".^[2] The vice president of programming at Clear Channel had assembled the list for radio programmers and advised them to exercise restraint when selecting songs to broadcast.^[3]

Track listing

CD single (UK)

1. "When You're Falling" (Short radio edit) – 3:44
2. "When You're Falling" (Wren & Morley Mix) – 4:35
3. "When You're Falling" (Album version) – 5:16
4. "When You're Falling" (video)

Promo CD single (UK)

1. "When You're Falling" (Short radio edit) – 3:40
2. "When You're Falling" (Long radio edit) – 4:14

Promo CD single (US)

1. "When You're Falling" (Short radio edit) – 3:40
2. "When You're Falling" (Long radio edit) – 4:14
3. "When You're Falling" (Album version) – 5:14
4. Call-out hook

Charts

Chart performance for "When You're Falling"

Chart (2001)	Peak position
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[4]	86
UK Singles Chart[5]	139
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[6]	27