The Fall is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Norah Jones, released on November 11, 2009, by Blue Note Records. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 180,000 copies in its first week. As of August 2012, the album had sold over three million copies worldwide.[1]
The first single, "Chasing Pirates", was released on October 13, 2009.
"Young Blood" was released as the second single in North America, Europe (minus the UK), and Japan. The music video was made available at iTunes on 30 March 2010. The song has reached No. 33 on the Japan Hot 100.[3]
"Stuck" was released as the second single on March 5, 2010, in the UK (digital download only).[4]
"It's Gonna Be" was released as the third single in North America in April 2010.[5][6] It charted on the Billboard Triple A Chart and peaked on the airplay chart at No. 11 in April 2010. Jones performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[7]
To promote the release of the album Jones appeared on:
The Fall received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 73 out of 100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews" based on 22 reviews.[9]
Billboard gave the album a score of 83 out of 100 and stated that "Jones ditches the gentle piano-playing of her previous work and rises to a new level of creative boldness."[20]The New York Times gave it a favorable review and called it "the sonic and emotional expansion [Jones'] music needed, and it's tied to some of her most unguarded songs."[21]Uncut gave it four stars out of five and said that "The emotional imprint... moves beyond the pining, wistful tones that are [Jones'] trademark in favor of Sex And The City scenarios bursting with heartbreak, regret and emotional devastation."[22]Q also gave it four stars out of five and praised the album for its "copper-bottomed classics".[9]musicOMH likewise gave it four stars out of five and said, "Less predictable was her now clear desire to take risks and step off the all-too-well-forged path of safe, agreeable background music. Instead, on The Fall Norah Jones chooses to defy categorization."[23]Hot Press gave it a score of four out of five with the header: "Easy listening princess goes indie-goth."[24]The Boston Globe gave it a favorable review and stated that Jones "seems liberated from the expectations of what her music is supposed to sound like, and the album is flush with fresh production ideas and a varied sonic palette."[25]
Filter gave the album a score of 78% and stated that "unlike Not Too Late, Jones’ latest decision to ditch her keys for strings is a poor one. In a way, she has indeed found a different beat to groove to, and if anyone can play in a piano bar without a piano, it would certainly be Norah Jones."[26]Paste gave it a score of 7.6 out of 10 and stated that "Jones is clearly comfortable with where she’s arrived, and is ready to throw open the doors for a party."[27]Spin gave it a score of seven out of ten and said that the album "has been billed as Norah Jones' rock album. In fact, it's something even more surprising: a hot-blooded soul record from the queen of the even keel."[9][28]
Other reviews are average or mixed: The Austin Chronicle gave the album three stars out of five and said it "offers many new sides to Jones while remaining comfortably close to the jazz diva many adore."[29]Yahoo! Music UK gave it six stars out of ten and stated that "If the hardcore fanbase feel a blanch coming on, this isn't all wilful eclecticism gone mad. [Jacquire] King's work is The Fall's unifying factor that keeps it cohesive."[30]Mojo gave it three stars out of five and said that "The wrong kind of sonic adventure undermines about half the songs."[9]The Guardian also gave it three stars out of five and stated that "Jones's cashmere voice sounds more polite than ever, creating an overriding impression of a nice girl keeping dirty company."[31]Under the Radar gave it five stars out of ten and called it "intelligent, tasteful, and well-executed music. But it ain't rock 'n' roll, not even a little, and damn Jones for trying to pretend that it is."[9]
Track listingedit
All tracks are written by Norah Jones, except where noted
^Hermes, Will (2009-11-16). "The Fall : Norah Jones : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2009-11-20. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Keefe, Jonathan (2009-11-15). "Norah Jones: The Fall". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Shriver, Jerry (2009-11-20). "Listen Up: Norah Jones is standing tall on new album 'The Fall'". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Stewart, Allison (2009-11-17). "Album reviews: Norah Jones's 'The Fall,' John Mayer's 'Battle Studies'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
^Graff, Gary (2009-11-20). "Norah Jones, 'The Fall'". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Pareles, Jon (2009-11-15). "New CDs (Norah Jones: 'The Fall')". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
^Spencer, Neil (2010). "Norah Jones - The Fall". Uncut. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Helfand, Ryan (2009-11-16). "Norah Jones - The Fall". musicOMH. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Murphy, Peter (2009-12-01). "The Fall". Hot Press. Retrieved 2013-11-13.(subscription required)
^Reed, James (2009-11-17). "Jones takes a fresh, cool turn". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Lieu, Lynn (2010-01-26). "Norah Jones: The Fall - BLUE NOTE". Filter. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Davis, Reid (2009-11-17). "Norah Jones: The Fall :: Music :: Reviews". Paste. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Wood, Mikael (2009-11-16). "Norah Jones, 'The Fall' (Blue Note)". Spin. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Caligiuri, Jim (2009-11-27). "Norah Jones: The Fall (Blue Note)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Draper, Jason (2009-11-16). "Norah Jones - The Fall". Yahoo! Music UK. Archived from the original on 2009-11-25. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^Costa, Maddy (2009-11-12). "Norah Jones: The Fall". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
^"Australiancharts.com – Norah Jones – The Fall". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"ARIA Jazz & Blues Albums – Week Commencing 23rd November 2009" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 1030. November 23, 2009. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-07. Retrieved January 31, 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Austriancharts.at – Norah Jones – The Fall" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Ultratop.be – Norah Jones – The Fall" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Ultratop.be – Norah Jones – The Fall" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Norah Jones Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 01.Týden 2010 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Danishcharts.dk – Norah Jones – The Fall". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – Norah Jones – The Fall" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^Sexton, Paul (November 27, 2009). "Robbie Williams' Second Week Atop Euro Chart". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Lescharts.com – Norah Jones – The Fall". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Offiziellecharts.de – Norah Jones – The Fall" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Greekcharts.com – Norah Jones – The Fall". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2010. 5. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 19 November 2009". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
^"Italiancharts.com – Norah Jones – The Fall". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^ザ・フォール(デラックス・エディション) ノラ・ジョーンズ [The Fall (Deluxe Edition) – Norah Jones] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on June 26, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Mexicancharts.com – Norah Jones – The Fall". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Charts.nz – Norah Jones – The Fall". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Norwegiancharts.com – Norah Jones – The Fall". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^"Japanese album certifications – ノラ・ジョーンズ – ザ・フォール" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved June 11, 2020. Select 2010年11月 on the drop-down menu
^"New Zealand album certifications – Norah Jones – The Fall". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 17, 2016.