| Falling Away from Me | |
| Cover: | korn_fafm.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Korn |
| Album: | Issues |
| Recorded: | 1999 |
| Genre: | Nu metal[1] [2] |
| Length: | 4:31 |
| Producer: | Brendan O'Brien |
| Prev Title: | Freak on a Leash |
| Prev Year: | 1999 |
| Year: | 1999 |
| Next Title: | Jingle Balls |
| Next Year: | 1999 |
"Falling Away from Me" is a song by American nu metal band Korn. It was released as the first single from their fourth album Issues, debuting in an episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park, entitled "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery". The song went on to become one of Korn's most popular singles, with an anti-child abuse themed video topping MTV's Total Request Live for ten days.
Jonathan Davis explained: "The song is about domestic abuse and that there are ways to get help whether it's telling someone or calling a help line, there are ways to get out of those situations. No one has to be treated like that."[3]
The music video for "Falling Away from Me" received its world premiere on MTV in November 26, 1999 during Spankin' New Music Week. It begins as a continuation of the famous video for "Freak on a Leash", starting with its closing animation. The video then transitions into live action as it shows a young girl (played by actress Jill Noel) clearly distraught by her abusive father. Inside her room, she opens a box and appears to see the band inside, performing below hanging lightbulbs. A crowd of young people have gathered outside the window, raising their arms in time to the beat as the band is then surrounded by flashes of green electricity, and then appear inside her bedroom with flashes of red electricity. As her father angrily approaches her room with a belt in his hand, one of the youths appears outside her window and helps her get outside. She leaves the house as the song ends and the crowd scatters. The band dissolves into red electricity and goes straight back into the box in her hands. She then runs off into the night just as her father finally opens the door to see her empty bedroom. The video ends with a shot of the neighborhood with red lights showing in one bedroom in every house.
In the original version of the video, shortly before the band disappears into the box (once the teenage girl escapes through the window), Fred Durst made a "cameo" appearance in the video – his face appearing for a brief moment during one of the close-up shots of Jonathan Davis. Due to reasons which are somewhat unclear (it's rumoured that Davis spotted the cameo and objected), subsequent versions of the video have had the Fred Durst cameo removed.
The video enjoyed similar success to its predecessor, "Freak on a Leash", debuting on MTV's Total Request Live at number three,[4] and reaching number one on its seventh day.[5] It would eventually become Korn's third "retired" video on the program,[6] with ten non-consecutive days at number one.[7]
As of March 2024, the video has over 155 million views on YouTube.
Korn performed a memorable version of "Falling Away from Me" for the filming of MTV Unplugged in December 2006, featuring hand bells and a glass harmonica.[8] It was also performed at the 2006 Download Festival with M Shadows, lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold, when lead vocalist Jonathan Davis had fallen ill.
"Falling Away from Me" is widely considered to be one of Korn's best songs. In 2019, Loudwire ranked the song number four on their list of the 50 greatest Korn songs,[9] and in 2021, Kerrang ranked the song number two on their list of the 20 greatest Korn songs.[10]
| Chart (1999–2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Alternative 30 (RPM)[12] | 24 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] | 90 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 35 |
| Iceland (Dagblaðið Vísir Top 20)[15] | 1 |
| Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)[16] | 26 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[17] | 6 |
| Polish Airplay (ZPAV)[18] | 1 |
| Chart (2000) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Peru (UNIMPRO)[19] | 24 | |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[20] | 25 | |
| US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[21] | 24 |