The Fallen (song) explained

The Fallen
Cover:	Franz Ferdinand - The Fallen.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Franz Ferdinand
Album:	You Could Have It So Much Better
A-Side:	L. Wells
B-Side:	"Jeremy Fraser" "Brown Onions"
Length:	3:42 (album version) 2:49 (radio edit)
Label:	Domino
Producer:	Rich Costey
Prev Title:	Walk Away
Prev Year:	2005
Next Title:	Eleanor Put Your Boots On
Next Year:	2006

"The Fallen" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the third single from their second studio album, You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), on 20 February 2006 in Australia and on 3 April 2006 in the United Kingdom as a double A-side with new song "L. Wells". The single peaked at number four on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.

Composition

The lyrics for "The Fallen" borrow heavily from New Testament miracles; with references to the feeding of the five-thousand, the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and the turning of water into wine. Biblical references can also be seen in the song "Auf Achse", from Franz Ferdinand's first album, which references crucifixion; this interest in the Bible and Christianity appear to stem from Kapranos' brief study of theology at the University of Aberdeen before he dropped out.

Track listings

All tracks were written by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy except where noted.

• 7-inch 1

1. "The Fallen" (album version) – 3:42
2. "L. Wells" (Alex Kapranos) – 3:31

• 7-inch 2

1. "The Fallen" (Remixed by Justice) – 3:55
2. "L. Wells" (Alex Kapranos) – 3:31
3. "Brown Onions" (Franz Ferdinand) – 3:02
   • Instrumental

• CD

1. "The Fallen" (radio edit) – 2:49
2. "The Fallen" (Remixed by Justice) – 3:55
3. "L. Wells" (Alex Kapranos) – 3:31
4. "Jeremy Fraser" (Nick McCarthy) – 3:57
   • Vocals performed by Nick McCarthy.
5. "The Fallen" (video) – 2:49

• 12-inch

1. "The Fallen" (Remixed by Justice) – 3:55
2. "The Fallen" (album version) – 3:42
3. "Do You Want To" (Max Tundra remix) – 4:35
4. "Do You Want To" (Max Tundra remix – instrumental) – 4:22

• Australian CD

1. "The Fallen" (album version) – 3:42
2. "Sexy Boy" (Jean-Benoît Dunckel, Nicolas Godin) – 3:40
   • Air cover, released in the UK on the "Walk Away" single.
3. "The Fallen" (acoustic version) – 2:44
4. "Do You Want To" (Erol Alkan remix) – 7:41
   • Errors in the liner notes stating that all tracks were written by Franz Ferdinand and omitting that track number three is an acoustic version.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
Australia	20 February 2006	CD	Domino	^[1]
United Kingdom	3 April 2006			^[2]
	8 May 2006	12-inch vinyl		^[3]

Notes and References

1. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 20th February 2006. ARIA. 26. 20 February 2006. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20060409140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20060410-0000/issue833.pdf. 9 April 2006. 21 October 2021.
2. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 23. 1 April 2006.
3. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 27. 6 May 2006.