Fallin' For You

Album: Breakthrough (2009)
Charted: 12
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was the first single taken from California singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat's sophomore album, Breakthrough.
  • The song was written by Caillat with San Francisco songwriter Rick Nowels ("Heaven Is A Place on Earth," "Thank You"). Nowels also produced the track along with Colbie's father, Ken Caillat, and Grammy-winning helmsman John Shanks, whose résumé includes Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine" and Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway."
  • Caillat explained to Elle that the song is "about falling for a guy I was friends with. We went out on a date and I realized that there was no one else in the room. The room was silent, and I was on this high from it the next day and wrote this song."
  • Caillat told Elle about the song's music video: "Bobby Moynihan from SNL plays my love interest, and the whole video is about this guy who's not my type, but he does all these dorky things on our date that somehow impress me. So he picks the roses from my garden instead of buying me flowers. And then we're going to go surfing and he almost hits me over the head with the surfboard. And he also has this really funny fantasy dream where he's dressed all 'Guido' in white shoes and his chest is showing and I'm in this ridiculous bathing suit with huge hair and we're dancing at a DJ party on the beach. It's just a funny, silly video."
  • This was Nowels' 16th Hot 100 entry as a writer and 12th as a producer. He first appeared on the Hot 100 the week of Feb. 22, 1986 as co-writer/producer of Stevie Nicks' "I Can't Wait."
  • Star Pulse asked Caillat about how she gets inspired to write a song. She replied: "It's like it travels through the airwaves and I pick it up as I am passing by. Some of the songs are easier than others." She added that this song was very easy as it, "honestly came out within 10-20 minutes. It's one of those songs that's like, how is it right there all of a sudden? Others I'll start writing and I can't even finish the song and I'll have to call (fellow singer-songwriter and friend) Jason (Reeves). Each song is different."
  • Nowells told Billboard magazine how the song came together: "'Fallin' for You' was written in the first half hour of the first day of us writing together. It came very effortlessly. We both felt it sounded like it had the potential to be a hit. We were excited.

    The hit record is essentially our demo. I played all the instruments, and Colbie sang. I got together with her dad, producer/engineer Ken Caillat, and he suggested taking the tempo up a few bpm and strumming eighth notes.
    We spent an evening together replaying the acoustic guitars and made a rough mix. The record company got that mix and fell in love with it. They tried a few different versions, but the original version had the magic."

Comments: 4

  • Camille from Toronto, OhYeah, cute song, adorable video, this song shoulda been a bigger hit.
  • Brian from Boston, MaI am in love!!!
  • Uzoma from Kano, OtherShe looked so simple on the video. Nice song!
  • Lacey from Chicago, Ilsuchhhh a cute song:)
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"They're Playing My Song

When a waitress wouldn't take him home, Jack wrote what would become one of the Eagles most enduring hits.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Butch Vig

Butch VigSongwriter Interviews

The Garbage drummer/songwriter produced the Nirvana album Nevermind, and Smashing Pumpkins' Gish and Siamese Dream.

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.