The Fall

The Fall are an English post-punk band, formed in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, in 1976. With an ever-changing line up, the group essentially consists of its founder and only constant member, Mark E. Smith, who has said "If it's me and your granny on bongos, then it's [the] Fall". First associated with the late 1970's punk movement, the band's music has evolved through numerous stylistic changes, often concurrently with changes in the group's membership. The Fall's music is characterised by repetition, an abrasive guitar-driven sound, and is always underpinned by Smith's often cryptic lyrics, described by critic Steve Huey as "abstract poetry filled with complicated wordplay, bone-dry wit, cutting social observations, and general misanthropy. The group's output is prolific—as of November 2011 they have released 29 studio albums, and more than triple that counting live albums and other releases. They have never achieved widespread public success beyond a handful of minor hit singles in the late 1980s, but have maintained a strong cult following. The band were long associated with BBC disc jockey John Peel, who championed them from early on in their career and cited the Fall as his favourite band, famously explaining, "They are always different, they are always the same.

Of the group's influence, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "the Fall, like many cult bands, inspired a new generation of underground bands, ranging from waves of sound-alike indie rockers in the UK to acts in America and New Zealand, which is only one indication of the size and dedication of their small, devoted fan base.^"

The Fall have influenced groups and artists such as Sonic Youth, Franz Ferdinand, Steve Albini, These New Puritans, LCD Soundsystem, The Long Blondes, The Birthday Party, Nirvana, Meat Puppets, Faith No More, Hole, The kills, Pavement and Happy Mondays.

Sonic Youth covered three Fall songs (and "Victoria" by The Kinks, also covered by the Fall) in a 1988 Peel Session, which was released in 1990 as the 4 Tunna BrixEP on Sonic Youth's own Goofin' label. The 1990s indie acts Pavement (who recorded a version of "The Classical") and Elastica (Smith contributed vocals to their final EP and album) showed an influence of the Fall, while Suede parodied the band with "Implement Yeah!", a song found on the cassette edition of their 1999 single "Electricity".

The Fall is referenced in the Jens Lekman song "Maple Leaves" with the lyrics "And when she talked about her fall, I thought she talked about Mark E. Smith".The Electric Soft Parade album No Need to Be Downhearted is named after a lyric from the Fall song "15 Ways"^. The German rock band Tocotronic has a song called "Ich hab geträumt ich wäre Pizza essen mit Mark E. Smith" (German for "I've dreamed I ate pizza with Mark E. Smith"). Scottish Band Belle and Sebastian also reference the Fall in their song, "Nice Day for a Sulk." The Dutch indie band Seedling refers to the Fall in their song "The Upshot", singing "You make it sound so sexy, as if you're Mark E. Smith from the Fall". U.S. indie singer-songwriter Barbara Manning's song "Mark E. Smith & Brix" describes running into "the man of my dreams" (and his then-wife) while out walking. Homestead/Merge indie rock band Volcano Suns recorded a song called "Sea Cruise". The song is about the Fall attempting to sell records in America. It was written after touring with the Fall. The lyrics "why did the chicken cross the road when there ain't no other side?" refers to the This Nation's Saving Grace tour of 1985. The Jazz Butcher's first single in 1983 was the oxymoronic "Southern Mark Smith." Jeffrey Lewis wrote the song and comic The Legend of the Fall, which is a documentary of the Fall and features in The Fallen (Canongate), Dave Simpson's book tracking down all the ex-members of the group.