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

Masquerade
The Fall Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And what is that branch?
What branch is it?
Account is altered
And nine year olds

Walk around
In debt record
Account is altered

The grim visage

Account is delta
All yours
The web descends
Look to your grey hairs

And back your horses
About a week
A special allowance
Ran out yesterday

The Masquerah
The Masquerade
The Masqueraderie
Like a fish dish

The grim visage
Altered again
And again
The fifty percent interest

Ran out today
Account altered
In succour
All granted

Knew your desperate comrades
Evaporated
And what is that branch?
What branch is it?

That has the pipe
Of Aluminium
Sprawling underneath it?
You rich pig

What the hell's it?
The Masquerah
The Masquerade
The Masqueraderie

The web descends
Look to your grey hairs
And back you horses
About a week

A special allowance
Ran out yesterday
The Masquerah
The Masquerade

The Masqueraderie
Like a fish dish
The grim visage
Altered again

And again
The fifty percent interest
Ran out today
In Bolton

In succour

All granted
Knew you

Overall Meaning

The Fall’s song Masquerade is a complex and intriguing piece of poetry that allows for multiple interpretations. The lyrics can be read as a commentary on the corrupt nature of capitalism and the collapse of society, or as a metaphor for the dehumanizing effects of conformity and social masking. The opening lines “And what is that branch? What branch is it?” suggest a search for identity and truth. The subsequent lines, “Account is altered, And nine year olds, Walk around, In debt record” signify a sense of confusion, corruption, and depravity.

The central theme of Masquerade seems to be the duality between appearance and reality. The lines “The Masquerade, The Masquerah, The Masqueraderie” suggests that individuals are putting up a façade to hide their true selves. The song highlights the way in which people manipulate the truth to achieve their own selfish interests. The lyrics “In succour, All granted, Knew your desperate comrades, Evaporated” provides a commentary on how the world has become a place where people are constantly seeking validation, acceptance, and comfort, which lead to the abandonment of personal connections and integrity.

Overall, Masquerade is a cryptic and thought-provoking piece of music that explores the dehumanizing nature of the modern world. It is a call to action to embrace authenticity and resist the pressure to conform.

Line by Line Meaning

And what is that branch?
What is that business or organization?

What branch is it?
What specific branch within that organization is it?

Account is altered
The financial account is changed or manipulated.

And nine year olds
Even children are affected or involved.

Walk around
Move around or exist in this environment.

In debt record
With a financial burden or negative financial history.

The grim visage
The bleak or unpleasant appearance.

Account is delta
The account is different or has undergone a change.

All yours
It belongs to you.

The web descends
The trap is set and closing in.

Look to your grey hairs
Prepare for old age and its consequences.