The one permanent fixture amidst the Fall's ever-changing line-up was Mark E. Smith (1957 – 2018). Smith's lyrics are free, unboxed and unpredictable, touching on an extremely wide range of subjects and places, and caring little for being tied down to easily digestible messages.
Smith's singing could put off some people, but others find it a uniquely expressive instrument. Smith was not a conventionally great vocalist, but his keen sense of rhythm, his energy and personality more than made up for this.
The Fall's music changed depending on the line-up at a given time. Always experimental, Mark E. Smith claimed to invent several musical genres, including house music; "we were doing that years ago" and even the internet. "He told me I didn't understand, that we were from the bleak industrial wastes of North England, or something, and that we didn't understand the Internet. I told him Fall fans invented the Internet. They were on there in 1982." One thing that is for sure is that The Fall (and their fans) always pushed the boundaries, and were never afraid to experiment.
The Fall were a favorite group of DJ John Peel, recording 24 sessions for his BBC1 radio program over the years.
The Fall's back catalogue consists of 29 studio albums, and is very fragmented with a seemingly endless number of compilations and semi-official live albums.
In 2006, British music-critic Dave Simpson published an entertaining account of a journalist's attempt to track down all 43 former members of The Fall in the Guardian. Many previous members have been fired, often with little or no notice. Simpson's ongoing effort was subsequently described at greater length in his book "The Fallen" (2008). His effort to track down the final unaccounted stragglers of at least 50 previous members of The Fall - including drummer Karl Burns - continues in his blog. Having decried Simpson's book as a "hatchet job" in the pages of Pseud. Mag., a Fall fan-mag, Mark E. Smith countered in short order with his autobiography "Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith" (Viking, 2008/Penguin 2009).
Mark E. Smith died on 24 January 2018, aged 60.
Key Albums include:
# Live At the Witch Trials (debut)
# Dragnet
# Totale's Turns (It's Now Or Nevr)
# Grotesque (after the Gramme)
# Perverted By Language
# Hex Enduction Hour
# This Nation's Saving Grace
# Middle Class Revolt
# Bend Sinister
# Extricate
# The Infotainment Scan
# Country on the Click aka The Real New Fall LP
# Fall Heads Roll
# Reformation Post TLC (new)
Compilations/Singles/B-Sides:
# 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong: 39 Golden Greats
# The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004
# Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology (disc 1) and Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology (disc 2)
# 458489 A-Sides
# 458489 B-Sides
Hilary
The Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where's the sixty quid you borrowed off me for the gas?
I won't give you a kiss
Hilary
Hey Hilary
'New Faces' on Saturday at six
Brought you back to me
Hilary
I'm sure it was you in the new Audi
Outside Sainsbury's
Hilary
Remember when you needed three caps of speed
To get out of bed
And now you're on ecstasy
Hilary
With your daft African pop
And that wine you call bull's blood
Hilary
I thank the lord that you still don't live next to me
Hilary
The Fall's song "Hilary" is a fascinating character study that paints a picture of a flawed and unreliable individual, likely based on someone the lead singer Mark E. Smith knew in real life. The song begins with a confrontational tone, with Smith asking Hilary about some money she borrowed from him for gas. He then refuses to kiss her, suggesting there is some tension or conflict in their relationship. The song then veers off into a series of observations and memories about Hilary, including her love of an obscure wine called "bull's blood," her eclectic taste in music (specifically, African pop), and her supposed drug use - from needing speed to get out of bed to now being into ecstasy.
Throughout the song, Smith's lyrics are both critical and somewhat nostalgic, suggesting that he has a complex relationship with Hilary. On the one hand, he clearly has some negative feelings towards her (for example, thanking the lord that she doesn't live next to him anymore). On the other hand, he seems to be drawn to her in some way, both through memories of their past (such as watching a TV show together) and through the present-day observation of seeing her driving a new Audi outside Sainsbury's. Ultimately, the song's portrayal of Hilary is both sharp and poignant, offering a glimpse into the life of someone who has clearly been through a lot.
Line by Line Meaning
Hilary
Addressing someone named Hilary
Where's the sixty quid you borrowed off me for the gas?
Asking Hilary about the money borrowed from the singer for gas
I won't give you a kiss
Refusing to kiss Hilary
Hey Hilary
Addressing Hilary again
'New Faces' on Saturday at six
The artist watching the TV show 'New Faces' on Saturday at six, and thinking of Hilary
Brought you back to me
The show reminding the singer of Hilary, and bringing up memories of her
I'm sure it was you in the new Audi
Thinking that Hilary was driving a new Audi car
Outside Sainsbury's
Seeing Hilary outside a supermarket called Sainsbury's
Remember when you needed three caps of speed
Recalling a time when Hilary needed to take three capsules of speed to get out of bed
To get out of bed
The reason for needing the speed was to motivate herself to get out of bed in the morning
And now you're on ecstasy
Noticing that Hilary has moved on from using speed and is now using ecstasy
With your daft African pop
Dismissing Hilary's musical taste as silly and unappealing
And that wine you call bull's blood
Mocking Hilary's wine preferences for a particular brand that she calls 'bull's blood'
I thank the lord that you still don't live next to me
Feeling grateful that Hilary is not a neighbor anymore
Hilary
Ending the song by addressing Hilary one more time
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: M.E. SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind