How Can I Fall? – Breathe | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#3) and Adult Contemporary (#1); 1988
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Early on, singer David Glasper would watch his younger schoolmates – guitarist Marcus Lillington and drummer Ian “Spike” Spice – wail away at gigs during their headbanger band days.
Ultimately, the three joined forces in a sextet called Catch 22, which eventually evolved into a quartet with Michael Delahunty on bass. They began working on their first album in June of 1985: a process that took two years to complete.
A track from those sessions-in-progress, Don’t Tell Me Lies, was released in 1986 only to be dropped from radio playlists due to a polling error. What could have been a disaster turned out to be a blessing since a much stronger single, Hands To Heaven, marked the official debut of the band (now billed as Breathe) in 1988.
It became a #4 smash in England, and peaked at #2 in the States. The follow-up single in America, How Can I Fall?, reached #3 and Don’t Tell Me Lies peaked at #10: making it three hits in less than a year for Breathe.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Bob Sargeant
Lyrics Written by:
- David Glasper
- Marcus Lillington
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).