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
Janet
The Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Refolding behind your eyelids
Cracked your mind
Cracked your mind
Janet and Johnny and James
Crash your mind
Behind your eyelids
The people behind you
With nepotism
Explodes
All that rubbish you create
In the [lock]
Suddenly [cranking]
Nepotism
Janet and Johnny and James
Janet and Johnny and James
Dearest Lord, hear me now
Janet and Johnny
Coming over the mountain
From New Guinea
They see the star
From you, our creator
A startling vision of a future that didn't happen
Ian and Eric
The stars trace
Over Janet and Judy
And James
And Susan and Johnny
The skies reflect
Dear Lord, help them in their abject search
From Guineas and the bearded man
From the hills
Never seen again
Janet and Johnny and James
Reflect on your life
The Fall's song "Janet Johnny James" is a cryptic exploration of the human mind and the impact of the world on it. The opening lines, "What if the world crashed in, Refolding behind your eyelids, Cracked your mind, Cracked your mind" suggest an apocalyptic scenario that plunges the mind into chaos. The following lines mention three names - Janet, Johnny, and James - who seem to be the embodiments of this chaos, constantly crashing into the mind and causing confusion and disarray. The repetition of their names hints at a possible connection between them, but it is not clear what that connection is.
The middle section of the song seems to be a commentary on human relationships and power dynamics. The lines "The people behind you, With nepotism, Explodes, All that rubbish you create, In the [lock], Suddenly [cranking], Nepotism" suggest that those in positions of power often use nepotism to further their own interests, leading to the creation of "rubbish" that ultimately explodes and causes chaos. The connection to Janet, Johnny, and James is not clear, but they might be the victims of this system.
The final section of the song is a prayer to the Lord to help those in need. The lines "Dearest Lord, hear me now, Janet and Johnny, Coming over the mountain, From New Guinea, They see the star, From you, our creator" suggest that the three names are seeking guidance from a higher power. The rest of the section is a series of enigmatic statements about stars, visions of the future, and people who are never seen again. The song ends with the repeated refrain "Janet and Johnny and James, Reflect on your life", which invites the listener to think about the meaning of the song and its relevance to their own life.
Line by Line Meaning
What if the world crashed in
Imagine if everything you knew or believed in suddenly fell apart
Refolding behind your eyelids
Your mind sees the collapse and begins to process it
Cracked your mind
Mental breakdown or loss of sanity due to the shock
Cracked your mind
Repeated for emphasis
Janet and Johnny and James
These names represent ordinary people trying to deal with the chaos
Crash your mind
Their own minds are overwhelmed too
Behind your eyelids
Inescapable mental imagery and hallucination
The people behind you
Those with power, manipulating events to suit their own interests
With nepotism
Using their family connections to gain more power and control
Explodes
Their plans falter and erupt into chaos
All that rubbish you create
The corruption and harm they've caused in their pursuit of power
In the [lock]
Locked away from the public's view or knowledge
Suddenly [cranking]
Unleashed and made public by some twist of fate
Nepotism
The root cause of the corruption
Dearest Lord, hear me now
A plea for help and guidance in a time of crisis
Janet and Johnny
People trying to connect and help each other
Coming over the mountain
Overcoming obstacles to reach a better place
From New Guinea
A faraway place, distant from the problems of the world
They see the star
Finding hope and inspiration in something greater than themselves
From you, our creator
Believing in a higher power that can aid them in their struggles
A startling vision of a future that didn't happen
A glimpse of a better, untainted world that could have been
Ian and Eric
More ordinary people caught up in the turmoil
The stars trace
The natural beauty and constancy of the universe that exists despite human turmoil
Over Janet and Judy
The power of human connection to offer comfort and support
And James
James, another person dealing with the chaos and searching for meaning
And Susan and Johnny
More people looking for hope and a way through the darkness
The skies reflect
Nature and the universe express sympathy and sadness for humanity's plight
Dear Lord, help them in their abject search
Continue to plead for help and guidance
From Guineas and the bearded man
More sources of wisdom and inspiration from far-off lands
From the hills
The rugged, natural beauty that offers solace and respite from human turmoil
Never seen again
Leaving the dark, chaotic world behind, but never finding true resolution
Janet and Johnny and James
Persistent symbols of the human struggle and search for hope and meaning
Reflect on your life
A final call to contemplate one's own struggles and search for meaning amidst chaos
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ben Pritchard, Mark Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind