Fall protection is a major concern for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which recently unveiled a National Emphasis Program focused on preventing falls from height across all industries. The latest Song of the Week features a classic Kinks track from 1979, “Catch Me Now I’m Falling,” that focuses on falls, albeit from a more existential angle.
The Kinks came up in the early 1960s as part of the British Invasion, along with contemporaries like the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Who. But despite a string of brilliant albums and hits, they were always somewhat underrated compared to those other acts. By the late 1970s, the Kinks were writing bigger, riff-driven songs better suited for the arenas they were playing, and 1979’s Low Budget album was right in that wheelhouse.
Kinks frontman Ray Davies wrote “Catch Me Now I’m Falling” about America’s declining influence in the world at the time, driving it with a riff similar to the Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Released as the album’s second single, the song didn’t chart but it got plenty of FM rock radio play and was a staple on album-oriented radio stations throughout the 1980s.