"Ready to Fall" is the first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by the

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rise Against's mu ...

from their fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''

The Sufferer & The Witness ''The Sufferer & the Witness'' is the fourth studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against, released on July 4, 2006. A melodic hardcore album, it comprises thirteen tracks that focus on melody, catchy hooks, and rapid-paced tempo. Socia ...

'' (2006). An acoustic version of this song was performed live on the CJZN Radio station in Victoria, British Columbia, on January 18, 2007, before a

Billy Talent Billy Talent is a Canadian Rock music, rock band from Mississauga, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with lead vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz, guitarist Ian D'Sa, bassist Jonathan Gallant, and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk. There have been no lineup change ...

concert featuring Rise Against,

Anti-Flag Anti-Flag was an American punk rock band formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1988. The band was known for its left-wing politics, left-wing political activism. For the majority of the band's career, their members included Justin Sane (voc ...

, and

Moneen Moneen (sometimes stylised as .moneen.) is a Canadian indie rock band from Brampton, Ontario. History Moneen formed in 1999 after the dissolution of another band, called Perfectly Normal. The founding members were singer/guitarist Kenny Bridges ...

Composition and reception

"Ready to Fall" was the first single from ''

'', Rise Against's follow-up to its 2004 breakthrough album ''

Siren Song of the Counter Culture ''Siren Song of the Counter Culture'' is the third album, studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against. Released on August 10, 2004, it was Rise Against's first album on a major record label, after the band signed with DreamWorks Records ...

'' For ''The Sufferer & the Witness'', Rise Against's members sought to return to their punk roots. McIlrath commented: "It's definitely more of a punk rock record ... We haven't 'grown or matured' as such, we've just really executed what we've been trying to nail with the last few records." Like most of the songs from ''The Sufferer & The Witness'', "Ready to Fall" is characterized as

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

and

melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. The style often includes guitar harmonies, riffs using octave chords, as well as broken chords. Additionally, lyrics tend towar ...

. with a

midtempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmos ...

beat. "Ready to Fall" features a complex

song structure Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common piece-level musical forms for vocal music include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus ...

, with controlled verses that lead into an intense chorus and

screaming vocals Screaming is an extended vocal technique that is popular in "aggressive" music genres such as heavy metal, punk rock, and noise music. Screamed vocals are usually harsh, loud and aggressive, used to create an angry, emotional or intense tone. I ...

, while a continuous

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

plays in the background. The vocals and instrumentation are noticeably heavier than most of the songs on the album. "Ready to Fall" was released on May 30, as the first single from ''The Sufferer & The Witness''. It was released as a CD and 7" single; the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

features a live performance of "State of the Union", take from the album ''

''. Commercially, "Ready to Fall" peaked at number thirteen on the ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs chart, the bands' highest charting single at the time. "Ready to Fall" received positive reviews from critics, several of whom described the chorus as "compelling". Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic further praised the song for its controlled verses and intense bridge. Scott Heisel of ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...

'' and Corey Apar of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

noted how "Ready to Fall" emulated Rise Against's older style of music. Heisel in particular said the song was "guaranteed to start circle pits wherever played".

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

was directed by

Kevin Kerslake Kevin Kerslake is an American filmmaker, photographer, and music video director. He has directed documentaries on Joan Jett ('' Bad Reputation''), DJ AM (''As I AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM''), The Ramones ('' We're Outta Here!''), Nirvana ...

. Made in 2006, the video is about pollution, environmental destruction, and animal rights. The video is 3 minutes and 51 seconds long. It cuts between shots of the band playing, wild animals, and footage related to the three issues listed. This includes mining, forest clearing, desertification, oil, and melting of polar ice, as well as animals who are dead or dying as a result of those practices. It shows footage of hunters, rodeos, animal experimentation, the capture and slaughter of wild dolphins, and animals in captivity. Finally, it features video from several areas of animal agriculture including eggs, fishing, and meat. At the end of the video,

lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Tim McIlrath Timothy James McIlrath (born November 3, 1978) is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is vegetarian and straight edge. Early and personal life Mc ...

says, "Every action has a reaction. We've got one planet, one chance." As well as the version played on television there was another, more graphic, 'uncut' version created. This was never released officially but is available on certain websites such as

Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...

. The video is focused more on animal rights and serves a testimony to

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...

is an active supporter of

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

, an animal rights organization, and the band members are all active

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

s. Some cutscenes, such as the traffic scene and the

napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated aluminium ...

exploding, were also featured in the

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

music video for "

What I've Done "What I've Done" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single from their third studio album, '' Minutes to Midnight'' (2007), and is the sixth track. The song was released as a radio single on April 1, 2007, as ...

". The video was filmed at

Brandywine Falls Provincial Park Brandywine Falls Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located adjacent to British Columbia provincial highway 99, BC Highway 99 between Garibaldi, British Columbia, Garibaldi and Whistler, British Columbia. It is mana ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Much of the footage of animals in both film clips is from the documentary

Earthlings Earthling or Earthlings may refer to: Film and television * ''Earthling'' (film), a 2010 sci-fi film * ''Earthlings'' (film), a 2005 animal rights documentary * ''The Earthling'', a 1980 drama film * "Earthling" (''Fringe''), a 2009 TV episode ...

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''The Sufferer & the Witness''.

Rise Against

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar * Chris Chasse – lead guitar, backing vocals *

Joe Principe Joseph Daniel Principe (; born November 14, 1974) is an American musician. He is the bassist, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is also straight edge, a vegan, an animal rights advocate, and actively prom ...

– bass guitar, backing vocals *

Brandon Barnes Brandon Barnes (born October 10, 1978) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the punk rock band Rise Against. Biography Barnes received his first drum set when he was nine years old from his grandfather, who was a jazz musi ...

– drums Additional personnel *

Chad Price Chad Price is the lead singer for the melodic punk band ALL and alt-country band Drag the River. As of 2018, he is the lead singer for A Vulture Wake. He joined ALL in 1993 as the band's third singer, after Dave Smalley and Scott Reynolds. H ...

- backing vocals

Production

* Bill Stevenson, Jason Livermore – producers * Bill Stevenson, Jason Livermore – audio engineering *

Chris Lord-Alge Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic range compression for molding mixes that ...

– mixing *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...

– mastering

Chart performance

References

External links

* {{Rise Against Rise Against songs 2006 singles Environmental songs Songs written by Tim McIlrath Songs written by Joe Principe Songs written by Brandon Barnes Melodic hardcore songs Music videos directed by Kevin Kerslake