"Falling Back" is a song by Canadian rapper and singer

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

. It was released through

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

and

OVO Sound OVO Sound (also known simply as OVO) is a Toronto-based Canadian record label, founded in 2012 by hip hop artist Drake, producer 40, and Oliver El-Khatib. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Warner Music Group's Warner ...

as the second track from his seventh studio album, ''

Honestly, Nevermind ''Honestly, Nevermind'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake, which was surprise-released on June 17, 2022, through OVO Sound and Republic Records. The album includes a sole guest feature from 21 Savage, and produc ...

'', on June 17, 2022, along with the album. Drake wrote the song with producers &ME and Rampa and additional producers Alex Lustig and Beau Nox. The song was mixed by 40 and

Luca Pretolesi Luca Pretolesi is an Italian Grammy Award-nominated mixing engineer, music producer, musician, DJ, and educator. He has many records that made it to the top of the charts since 1990s when he started his techno project Digital Boy. Life At th ...

and was recorded by Noel Cadastre.

Composition and lyrics

"Falling Back" was described as "introspective

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

" by ''Consequence''. The production adds old-school

tape hiss Tape or Tapes may refer to: Material A long, narrow, thin strip of material (see also Ribbon (disambiguation): Adhesive tapes * Adhesive tape, any of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive *Athletic tape, pressure-sensitiv ...

Critical reception

"Falling Back" received negative reviews from music critics. Writing for ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', David Smyth felt that "the vocal melody and delivery sound like so many other mid-paced Drake songs, and the lyrics sound dashed off". ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' music critic Kyann-Sian Williams described Drake's vocals as "monotonous and droning" and noted that his high-pitched vocals towards the end of the song starts off well but quickly gets worse as he repeatedly sings: "Falling back on me".

Accolades

Music video

The official music video for "Falling Back", directed by

Director X Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian filmmaker, commercial director, music video director, and television director. Having directed more than 100 music videos, he is widely known as a pr ...

, premiered alongside the release of the song and album on June 17, 2022. It sees Drake marrying 23 different women. Canadian-American professional basketball player

Tristan Thompson Tristan Trevor James Thompson (born March 13, 1991) is a Canadian-American professional basketball player who last played for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won the 2016 NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavalie ...

makes an appearance as his

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be s ...

and Drake's mother, Sandi Graham, also makes an appearance. The video also features

The Dan Band The Dan Band is a comedy band created by actor/comedian Dan Finnerty. The band is known for its covers of originally female-performed pop songs, with added obscenities and swearing, made famous by Finnerty's appearance in the films '' Old Schoo ...

singing a cover version of Drake's popular song Best I Ever Had. In the video, "Free YSL" is written in green capital letters to show support for American record label

YSL Records YSL Records (also known as Young Stoner Life Records) is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 2016 by the Atlanta-based rapper Young Thug. The company is a label imprint of 300 Entertainment. Its artists include ...

, as some of their artists, including Drake's previous collaborators, American rappers

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

and Gunna, and some other artists and affiliates of the collective were arrested and held in jail without bond at the time of the release of the song and video after being named in a

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was e ...

(RICO) indictment in May 2022. The marriage scene pays homage to the video for hip hop duo

UGK UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, ''Too Hard to Swallow'', in 1992, followe ...

's 2007 single, "

International Players Anthem (I Choose You) "International Players Anthem (I Choose You)" is a song by American hip hop duo UGK, released on June 6, 2007, as the second single from their fifth studio album '' Underground Kingz'' (2007). The song, produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three ...

", featuring fellow hip hop duo Outkast.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 2022 singles 2022 songs Drake (musician) songs House music songs Polygyny Songs written by Drake (musician) Music videos directed by Director X