Famously described by John Peel as being "always different, always the same… Read Full Bio ↴Famously described by John Peel as being "always different, always the same", The Fall were formed in Manchester, England in 1976 during the Punk era although their style quickly evolved into something more idiosyncratic.

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

Inevitable
The Fall Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Like everybody you see, like everybody you see
The word this world from the prams

Inevitable
I love to dance
And it's Saturday again, very logical
You can just then pretend to be many
Say goodbye to your den in sound

It's so happy on Saturday
Bounce around on Saturday

The peculiar call in the query of
In Burmese right on the calling
The calling

You have a right to say it
From the law of the planes and the prams

Inevitable
Inedible

Just pretend to be many
Pretend to be many

The radio jam said it
You have a right to say it
It's beyond capable
In Burmese
Right on the calling
The calling

Happy times on a Saturday
The airwaves
Not since the Spring

Inevitable
Inevitable

Bye bye bye baby
Today

The calling

Overall Meaning

The Fall's song "Inevitable" is a track that is hard to define, with abstract lyrics that leave it up to interpretation. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the track, with the repetition of "like everybody you see, like everybody you see, the world this world from the prams." Here, we can consider how the song speaks to the idea that everyone is born into the world without their choosing, and how certain societal structures dictate the way we live and see the world. This is reinforced in the chorus, where the singer declares "Inevitable, I love to dance", implying that even in the face of inevitable social structures and pressures, we should still find ways to enjoy our lives and express ourselves. The reference to Saturday also speaks to the universal sense of celebration and joy that comes with having time off work or school.

The second verse switches gears a bit, with lines that are more difficult to decipher. The "peculiar call" in "Burmese right on the calling" suggests that there is something specific being referenced, though it is unclear what that is. The concluding line of the verse, "You have a right to say it from the law of the planes and the prams", could be interpreted as a nod to freedom of speech and expression, even in the face of societal pressures.

Line by Line Meaning

Like everybody you see, like everybody you see
You are just like anyone else, just another face in the crowd

The word this world from the prams
We learn about the world from the moment we are born

Inevitable
Something that is bound to happen, unavoidable

I love to dance
I enjoy moving my body to music

And it's Saturday again, very logical
It's not surprising that Saturday has come around again

You can just then pretend to be many
You can imagine yourself as different people or things

Say goodbye to your den in sound
Leave behind your comfortable, familiar place and make some noise

It's so happy on Saturday
Saturday is a joyful day

Bounce around on Saturday
Jump and move energetically on this day

The peculiar call in the query of
A strange, unusual request or demand

In Burmese right on the calling
Perhaps referring to a specific cultural or linguistic context