FAITH NO MORE – Falling To Pieces

“Falling to Pieces” is the third single on Faith No More’s first studio album with Mike Patton on vocals, The Real Thing (1989). The song was released as a single on July 2, 1990. The song peaked at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 40 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. The song has rarely been performed live due to the band’s disdain for it.

Despite its success, the song did not go on to be a live staple, appearing very rarely in concerts after their appearance at the 1993 Phoenix Festival, where Billy Gould announced, “This is the last time we’ll ever play this song again” right before the song. During Second Coming Tour, the band picked up the song again and performed it at least once at a concert in Rio de Janeiro in 2009. The song was performed at the Open’er Festival in 2014 for the first time since 2009. In a 2016 interview, Gould stated, “That song sucks, let’s face it. I don’t know, we don’t groove on that one. Also, when you play it live, it just kind of gets boring”.

The bass-driven song spawned a video directed by Ralph Ziman (who also directed the video for “Epic”), in which lead singer Mike Patton wears a series of different outfits, including one resembling Alex from the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange. Billy Gould wears various death metal band shirts during the video including Carcass and, at the time, Sepultura. The video is also notable for using a different mix of the song featuring more prominent background vocals, keyboards, and a guitar solo during the fade out.

There is also another lesser known music video which uses clips from the Brixton Academy performance, played with the album version of the song.

Back and forth, I sway with the wind Resolution slips away again Right through my fingers, back into my heart Where it’s out of reach and it’s in the dark Sometimes I think I’m blind Or I may be just paralyzed

Because the plot thickens every day And the pieces of my puzzle keep crumblin’ away But I know, there’s a picture beneath Indecision clouds my vision No one listens

Because I’m somewhere in between My love and my agony You see, I’m somewhere in between My life is falling to pieces Somebody put me together

Layin’ face down on the ground My fingers in my ears to block the sound My eyes shut tight to avoid the sight Anticipating the end, losing the will to fight Droplets of yes and no In an ocean of maybe

From the bottom, it looks like a steep incline From the top, another downhill slope of mine But I know, the equilibrium’s there Indecision clouds my vision No one listens

Because I’m somewhere in between My love and my agony You see, I’m somewhere in between My life is falling to pieces Somebody put me together

Back and forth, I sway with the wind Resolution slips away again Right through my fingers, back into my heart Where it’s out of reach and it’s in the dark Sometimes I think I’m blind Or I may be just paralyzed

Because the plot thickens every day And the pieces of my puzzle keep crumblin’ away But I know, there’s a picture beneath Indecision clouds my vision No one listens

Because I’m somewhere in between My love and my agony You see, I’m somewhere in between My life is falling to pieces Somebody put me together

Between, My love and my agony You see, I’m somewhere in between My life is falling to pieces Somebody put me together (between) Somebody put me together Somebody put me together (between) oh oh my life is falling to pieces