Analysis of Alicia Keys - Fallin'

Background of the song

This song lies in the genre of R&B and Soul and was released in 2001 onto Alicia Keys’ album "Songs in A Minor".

The song samples James Brown’s "It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s world". James’ song influence on Alicia can be seen and heard through-out the song and video for "Fallin’". Comparisons can be made between these two tracks and the representation of gender. Alicia’s heavily focussing on women and their struggle through loosing a man to legal battles and prison life, James’ focussing more on the lifestyle of men. The plot behind Alicia Keys "Fallin’" holds the story of complicated love and what it means to battle with it. Alicia Keys can be seen travelling to and entering a prison to see her boyfriend.

Analysis of the video

The video opens with a radio playing one of Alicia’s previous songs "Girlfriend", the sound being produced is diegetic. The camera begins to slowly zoom in as a hand appears which turns the song off. Next, the shot changes quickly and a faster zoom is used to move towards Alicia Keys as she sits at her piano in a vacant room. The room is dimly lit and the piano is positioned in the centre of the room, this focuses the audience’s attention on just this. She then begins to sing without the use of any instruments or music, a close up of her face is used to show this in a more obvious way and Alicia’s face is clearly shown for the first time, tilting slightly to the left. The introduction to this song not only pulls the audience into the message of complicated love, but also invokes the gospel tradition of singing behind the beat.

Subsequently, a mid close up is then shown; the shot is taken straight on and reveals only Alicia’s head and shoulders. It is here, that she makes her first eye contact with the camera, look precisely into it when singing the word ‘you’ (“I keep on falling, in and out of love, with you”). The impression is then specified that she is singing the song ‘to’ someone. Furthermore, this shot also introduces the use of the piano, continuing the diegetic sound, we see a ‘mid close up’ shot of Alicia playing the instrument, the angle of the camera lays at the side of the keys and her left. The next time we see the piano being played, the picture is viewed as an ‘over the shoulder shot’.

Cutting from the room, we see Alicia Keys walking down a street. The street is ordinary with buildings and shops placed on the side with grey clouds representing the feelings within the song at this time. The pace of the shot is very slow, and the angle is low, giving Alicia superiority and the viewers are closely focused on just her. Another close up can be seen a few shots later, where eye contact is directed at the camera, again giving the audience a purpose in the song, they can begin to relate to what she is singing about. 

A medium shot of Alicia walking down the street face on, this time however, the pace of the shot, is of normal walking speed is now shown. The camera is reversing as Alicia casually sings whilst walking. A basic drum programming is then introduced to the song, in this scene however, it is non-diegetic.

Slow motion shots of what surrounds her on the street are occasionally shown, helping to establish the scene for the audience. One of these shots comprises a couple kissing on the steps of a building. As this shot is exposed, Alicia sings about her feelings of love towards someone else, it’s as though she reminisces when seeing the couple.

As Alicia Keys sings a note, three camera shots quickly transact. The shots get closer towards her face. This expresses the enthusiasm and importance of the lyrics is which she is expressing.

As the plot of the video thickens, Alicia Keys is shown getting onto a bus; a head on shot of the bus travelling down a deserted road indicates to the audience where it is coming from, in this case, New York. Other people settled on the bus include mothers, babies and wives; it is then made clear when prison labour is seen amongst the fields that this bus is taking Alicia to a prison. The images of the women on the bus bring a message of family separation and despair as the lead male of the household is not around.  However, the people serving work in the fields are in fact women, who subsequently raise their heads to sing along with the words “I keep on fallin’ in and out of love with you” representing the rates in which these women go to protect their men.

A long shot of Alicia back inside the room can be seen. It shows her throwing pictures onto a pile positioned on the floor. The picture in which she throws travels towards the camera, giving the impression is may eventually block the view of anything else. Alicia continues to look directly into the camera, when performing at her piano to the word ‘you’ (“falling back in love with you”) this is repeatedly shown in different stages through-out the song.

In the room, a shot takes place where Alicia is standing next to the photos singing. She gestures towards the camera several times, which again, makes the audience feel they are part of the song and emphasising the fact that she needs to get her thoughts and message across to the person in which she is singing about.

Joining the plot of the video are the next shots of Alicia, entering the prison to visit her boyfriend. Mid shots show her speaking to him through a telephone; they press their hands against the glass that separates them.

Her piano sheets are then seen falling to the floor, the idea given across here is that they represent her feelings of falling in and out of love. Much like the beginning, the video ends with Alicia playing her piano in the room and looking at the camera with a close up shot, showing the audience her final emotion.