World Falling Down
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''World Falling Down'' is the fourth solo album by American singer-songwriter
Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera Jr. ( ; born September 13, 1944) is a retired American musician best known for being a frontman, vocalist, and bassist for the American rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985. His career as a recording artist ...
, released in July 1992, and his third album since leaving the group
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
.


Background

Released four years after his previous album, ''
One More Story ''One More Story'' (1988) is the third solo album for music artist Peter Cetera and his second album after leaving the group Chicago. The album was co-produced by Patrick Leonard and Peter Cetera, and contains an appearance by Leonard's most famo ...
'', ''World Falling Down'' was recorded sporadically over a lengthy period across nine different recording studios. Cetera's marriage to second wife, Diane Nini had ended, causing the once busy songwriter to step away from the music scene. Between 1988 and 1992, his only musical activities were an appearance as a guest vocalist on Cher's 1989 single, " After All", a song on the soundtrack to the movie '' Chances Are'', "No Explanation" for the soundtrack to the movie ''
Pretty Woman ''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and written by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), ...
'', and a vocal contribution to David Foster's "
Voices That Care "Voices That Care" is a 1991 song written by David Foster, Linda Thompson, and Peter Cetera and recorded by a supergroup of popular musicians, entertainers and athletes. The song was released as a single on March 13, 1991 by Giant Records. Th ...
" production, based on music that he and Cetera had written together years earlier. Deeply depressed, Cetera found himself using the album as an outlet to deal with his marriage ending and learning to be a single parent. Recording began in London, England and occurred in short, spread out bursts as Cetera worked through the personal issues in his life. In 1992, he explained to ''Billboard'', "This was actually the first time I could write about the other side of love. I'd try to write a happy love song and I just couldn't do it. Then I got mad and so everything was about hating the world. I finally settled on the truth." The album was predominantly produced by Andy Hill and Cetera. Two tracks were produced by veteran producer
David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...
who had worked with Cetera previously on ''
Chicago 16 ''Chicago 16'' is the thirteenth studio album, sixteenth overall by the American rock music, rock band Chicago (band), Chicago, released on June 7, 1982. It is considered their "comeback" album because it was their first album to go platinum si ...
'' and ''
Chicago 17 ''Chicago 17'' is the fourteenth studio album, seventeenth overall by American rock band Chicago, released on May 14, 1984. It was the group's second release for Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records, their second album to be produced by David Foster ...
'' during his days as bassist and vocalist for Chicago. Former Chicago alumni
Bill Champlin William Bradford Champlin (born May 21, 1947) is an American singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter. He formed the band Sons of Champlin in 1965, which still performs today, and was a member of the rock band Chicago (band), Chicago from 1 ...
sings background vocals on the song "Wild Ways", and singer
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
stepped in to perform a duet on the song "Feels Like Heaven" after original partner
Lorrie Morgan Loretta Lynn Morgan (born June 27, 1959) is an American country music singer and actress. She is the daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are also country music singers. ...
was unable to perform the song in its intended key. Unlike Cetera's previous three solo efforts, Cetera co-wrote only four songs on ''World Falling Down''. The album also marked a brief return to bass playing as Cetera himself played the bass lines on "Dip Your Wings" and "Where There's No Tomorrow".


Commercial reception

Released in the summer of 1992, ''World Falling Down'' was a commercial disappointment. Dance, rap and
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
songs had begun dominating top forty radio, resulting in a decline in pop music that had been popular only a few years earlier. Many of Cetera's contemporaries, including his former band-mates in Chicago, found their singles struggling to get airplay and generate album sales. Warner released three singles, "Restless Heart", "Feels Like Heaven" and "Even a Fool Can See". Only "Restless Heart" made the top 40, peaking at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100, though it topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at No. 1 for two weeks. "Feels Like Heaven" hit No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Billboard AC chart. The third single, "Even a Fool Can See" performed slightly better, reaching No. 68 on the Billboard Top 100 and No. 3 on the Billboard AC Chart the next summer. As with his previous solo efforts, Cetera declined to go on tour feeling that he didn't have enough solo material. The singer performed live on ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...
'' and ''
The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989 ...
'' to promote the album. In addition, Warner produced music videos for the first two singles, with Cetera's daughter Claire appearing in the music video for "Restless Heart". The final track, "Have You Ever Been In Love?" was not released as a single, but gained popularity when used by professional skaters in their routines. Cetera often closes live concerts with the popular album cut. ''World Falling Down'' reached a peak of No. 163 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart during a brief stay. Following its commercial disappointment, Cetera left Warner Brothers and signed to the independent record label, River North Records. In 2010, a
Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...
light beer commercial, "Lady Music", featured the album cover and the song "Restless Heart".


Track listing

# "
Restless Heart Restless Heart was an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band's longest-tenured lineup consisted of Larry Stewart (singer), Larry Stewart (lead vocals), John Dittrich (drums, vocals), Paul Gregg (bass guitar, vocals), Dav ...
" (Peter Cetera, Andy Hill) – 4:09 # "Even a Fool Can See" (Cetera,
Mark Goldenberg Mark Goldenberg (born October 2, 1952) is an American guitarist and songwriter, noted for his session work and composition of successful songs for Linda Ronstadt, the Pointer Sisters, and others. Biography Early career Raised in Chicago, Illi ...
) – 4:31 # "Feels Like Heaven" (Goldenberg,
Kit Hain Kit Hain (born Keturah V Hain, 15 December 1952) is a British singer, songwriter, musician and writer. She was a member of the pop rock duo Marshall Hain and had a solo career as a performer and songwriter. Musical career Hain met Julian Mar ...
) – 4:48 #* Performed by
Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera Jr. ( ; born September 13, 1944) is a retired American musician best known for being a frontman, vocalist, and bassist for the American rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985. His career as a recording artist ...
and
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
# "Wild Ways" (David Tyson, Christopher Ward) – 4:00 # "World Falling Down" (Cetera, Hill) – 5:00 # "Man in Me" ( Joseph Williams, Paul Gordon) – 5:41 # "Where There's No Tomorrow" (Cetera, Hill, Jimmy Cregan) – 4:43 # "The Last Place God Made" ( Richard Kerr,
Gary Osborne Gary Osborne (born 1949 in London) is an English singer and songwriter. He chaired The Songwriters Executive of the British Academy Of Songwriters Composers and Authors for 12 years during which time he was also chairman of The Ivor Novello Awa ...
) – 4:14 # "Dip Your Wings" (
Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin co-wrote th ...
, Paul Fox, Franne Golde) – 3:33 # "Have You Ever Been in Love" (Hill,
Peter Sinfield Peter John Sinfield (27 December 1943 – 14 November 2024) was an English poet and songwriter. He was best known as a co-founder and lyricist of King Crimson. Their debut album '' In the Court of the Crimson King'' is considered one of the fi ...
, John Danter) – 4:06


Production

* Producers – Peter Cetera; Andy Hill (Tracks 1, 3–7, 9 & 10); David Foster (Tracks 2 & 8). * Engineers – Martin Hayes, Rick Holbrook, Richard Manwaring and Trevor Vallis. * Mixed by
Tom Lord-Alge Tom Lord-Alge (born January 17, 1962) is an American music engineer and mixer. He began his career at Unique Recording in New York. Subsequently, he was the resident mixer at what used to be known as "South Beach Studios", located on the ground ...
at Encore Studios (Burbank, CA). * Mix Assistant – David Betancourt * Mastered by
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 ...
at Sterling Sound (New York, NY). * Production Coordination – Marsha Burns, Suzanne Edgrin and Carrie McConkey. * Photography – Merlyn Rosenberg * Art Direction and Design – Janet Levinson * Management – Jeff Wald and Kelly Newby


Personnel

*
Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera Jr. ( ; born September 13, 1944) is a retired American musician best known for being a frontman, vocalist, and bassist for the American rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985. His career as a recording artist ...
– lead vocals, backing vocals (2, 4, 5), bass (7, 9) * Andy Hill – all instruments (1), keyboards (3, 7), programming (3–5, 7), acoustic guitar (3, 5), guitars (4, 7), bass (4, 5), keyboard programming (6), drum programming (6), backing vocals (7) *
Mark Goldenberg Mark Goldenberg (born October 2, 1952) is an American guitarist and songwriter, noted for his session work and composition of successful songs for Linda Ronstadt, the Pointer Sisters, and others. Biography Early career Raised in Chicago, Illi ...
– keyboards (2), programming (2), guitars (2) * Robbie Buchanan – acoustic piano solo (2), additional keyboards (6) *
Simon Franglen Simon Franglen is an English composer of classical and film music. He is also a record producer and former musician. His credits include four of the list of top grossing films and six of the list of best-selling albums of all time. His film w ...
Synclavier programming (2, 8) * C.J. Vanston – additional keyboards (3), keyboards (6, 8–10), programming (8, 10), acoustic piano (10) *
Peter-John Vettese Peter-John Vettese (born 15 August 1956), also known as Peter Vettese, is a Scottish keyboardist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. Vettese was the keyboardist for progressive rock band Jethro Tull for most of the 1980s. Early life Pet ...
– acoustic piano (3, 6, 7), keyboards (4, 6) *
David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...
– keyboards (8) * Claude Gaudette – additional programming (8) *
Bruce Gaitsch Bruce R. Gaitsch (; born February 7, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is best known for working with notable bands and musicians such as Chicago, Peter Cetera, Madonna, and Agnetha Fältskog as a session musician and son ...
– programming (9), acoustic guitar (9) *
Tim Pierce Tim Pierce (born 1958 in Albuquerque) is an American session guitarist. He has worked for artists such as Joe Cocker, Crowded House, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Jackson, Beth Hart, Roger Waters, Alice Cooper, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Collins, and th ...
– guitars (3, 6, 7, 9, 10), guitar solo (4, 7) * Keith Airey – guitars (4), additional guitar (7) * Michael Thompson – guitars (8) * Jimmy Johnson – bass (2) *
Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A session bassist, he has played bass for a number of acts such as the Who, the John Mayer Trio, Gary Numan, Paul Young, Don Henle ...
– bass (3, 6) *
Graham Broad Graham Broad (born 10 March 1957) is an English drummer who has been playing professionally since the age of fifteen, after attending the Royal College of Music in 1970. He is a former pupil of drumming educator Lloyd Ryan, who also taught Phi ...
– drums (3–7) * John Robinson – percussion (2), drums (8, 9) * Tal Bergman – percussion (3, 6) * Chris Mostert – saxophone (3) * Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (2, 6) * Gary Grant – trumpet (2, 6) *
Jerry Hey Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's '' Thriller'', '' Rock with Y ...
– trumpet (2, 6), horn arrangements (2, 6) * Janey Clewer – backing vocals (1, 4, 7–9) * Edie Lehmann – backing vocals (1, 7–9) * Bobbi Page – backing vocals (1, 7–9) *
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
– lead vocals (3) * Kenny Cetera – backing vocals (4) *
Bill Champlin William Bradford Champlin (born May 21, 1947) is an American singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter. He formed the band Sons of Champlin in 1965, which still performs today, and was a member of the rock band Chicago (band), Chicago from 1 ...
– backing vocals (4) *
Tamara Champlin Tamara Champlin (née Matoesian) is an American singer-songwriter who started her career as a session singer in Houston, Houston, Texas, later moving to Los Angeles. She has performed with and written for singers such as Elton John, Leon Russell ...
– backing vocals (4) * Joseph Williams – backing vocals (6)


References

{{Authority control 1992 albums Peter Cetera albums Albums produced by David Foster Warner Records albums