"How Can I Fall?" by Breathe

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3643

Date:  09/10/1988

Debut:  79

Peak:  3

Weeks:  22

Genre:  Sophisti-Pop, Adult Contemporary

Pop Bits:  This British band had difficulty trying to break through, but after several single attempts in the UK and US, their song "Hands to Heaven" finally secured them a hit (#2 Pop/#2 AC). To follow it up, their label chose to release another ballad and sent out "How Can I Fall?" It would end up being another winner for them getting to #3 Pop while topping the AC chart. The second hit spurred sales of the album, which would reach a new peak of #34 and go gold.

ReduxReview:  Although they probably didn't want to get trapped as being a ballad band, this was a smart choice for a follow-up single. It was another pretty, memorable track that once again featured a lovely vocal by David Glasper. And as with "Hands to Heaven," how did the record company not hear a hit in this? It seems they were dead set on breaking the band with an uptempo tune and it wasn't working. Meanwhile, they had this song and "Hands to Heaven" just sitting there hoping to get a chance. Luckily, the label stuck with the band long enough to finally issue these out. If they hadn't, the album would have disappeared into obscurity. Instead, me and a half million other folks in the US bought the disc.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Like many artists who have made the charts, Breathe's time in the pop sunshine wouldn't last long. The band would end up splitting in 1992 and that left its members looking for new opportunities. For the band's main co-writer/guitarist/keyboardist Marcus Lillington, it seems that he chose to leave the music business behind in favor of technology. He got involved with a dot com company in the 90s and by 2002 he and a couple of his co-workers formed their own business called Headscape. Focusing on website design and strategies, the company has been highly successful and have landed high profile clients (including one close to me - the University of Michigan Law School). Lillington has also co-hosted a podcast since 2005 about website design that is associated with Headscape. However, Lillington hasn't fully given up music. As of this posting date he has been a member of a country band called Duncan Biscuit & the Rich Ts. They issued out an EP in 2020 titled Songs for Tonto.

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