Abstract: This month’s MJ Studies Today column highlights a Michael Jackson demo recording of a song called “Fall Again.” Written for Jackson by Walter Afanasieff and Robin Thicke, “Fall Again” was never finished, and was subsequently recorded by other artists. It featured in a Hollywood movie, and became a hit for Kenny G. Nevertheless, columnist Kerry Hennigan suggests that Michael’s own version, finally released still in demo form in 2004, is a reminder of the exceptional quality of his vocals.
Column by Kerry Hennigan, editor of the free monthly newsletter A Candle for Michael, administrator of the fan group “Michael Jackson’s Short Film Ghosts” on Facebook, and an MJ blogger on WordPress. Kerry is a life-long student, holds Certificates in the Archaeology of the Ancient World and the Archaeology of Ancient Britain from Cambridge University in the UK, is currently focused on the civilizations of the Bronze Age Aegean. She is also passionate about Viking longships.
REFERENCE AS:
Hennigan, Kerry. “MJ Studies Today CXI: Highlighting ‘Fall Again’ : written for Michael Jackson but a hit song for other artists.” (14-03-2025). The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies Vol 11, No. 3 (2025). https://michaeljacksonstudies.org/mj-studies-today-cxi/
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Highlighting “Fall Again” : written for Michael Jackson but a hit song for other artists. By Kerry Hennigan
Photo montage © Kerry Hennigan
The vocals recorded by Michael Jackson on his demo of the song “Fall Again” are seductive, rising, falling and rising again, wafting like the near-transparent wings of insects borne on a breeze, and just as ethereal. This recording is, in the words of Joseph Vogel, author of Man In The Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson, “one of the artist’s more distinctive later love songs.”[1] The demo was recorded by Jackson in 1999, but the track remained unfinished and in limbo – until 2004 when it appeared among a selection of rarities and outtakes on Disc 4 of Jackson’s box set Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection.
Producer, composer and songwriter Walter Afanasieff and singer Robin Thicke wrote “Fall Again” and submitted it to Jackson who “fell in love with the melody.” [2] The intention was for the song to be a contender for Michael’s next, long awaited, album. (That album, Invincible, released in 2001, would be the artist’s last studio album.) Afanasieff’s credits include producing and writing hits with Mariah Carey including the popular Christmas anthem “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” His 14 Grammy nominations include his work for Disney musicals like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. In 1999 he won Record of the Year for producing the love theme from Titanic, “My Heart Will Go On,” and in 2000 for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. [3]
Jackson recorded his vocals for “Fall Again” at The Hit Factory in New York, at which time the lyrics were incomplete. Afanasieff subsequently explained, “We worked to the point that we were three-fourths of the way finished, then the incident happened when his son (Prince) got very sick. We’re going to have to reserve a little spot to finish the song,” he said.[4] “Just getting him to come in and finish is the thing. I’m halfway through my song with him , and I’ve just got to get him back in the studio.”[5]
Despite being “just” a demo (albeit a Michael Jackson demo), the quality of Jackson’s vocals on “Fall Again” are undeniable. As when Joe Vogel wrote that the Harris and Ambrosius composition “Butterflies” (one of the tracks that did make Invincible) was a reminder of “what made Michael Jackson’s voice such a marvel in the first place,”[6] the same could be said of his recording of “Fall Again.” During this time when he was working on material for Invincible, Michael was singing “better than ever,” according to Dave Glew of Epic Records. “The ballads! The ballads are beautiful, and they’re all there,” he said.[7] Only, of course, they weren’t. Despite producing a bumper 16 track album that ran 77.01 minutes, “Fall Again” was not included on Invincible; but remained unfinished and in the vault.
By the time of its release (still unfinished) on The Ultimate Collection in 2004, the song had been heard being performed by Toronto-born R&B artist Glenn Lewis in the 2002 movie Maid in Manhattan, which starred Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes. Lewis’ version was featured on the movie soundtrack album [8] and a year later was included on a compilation album called Smooth Jazz Café 5 released by Universal Music.[9]
In 2010, Afanasieff and Thicke’s composition finally had its “hit moment” when it was recorded by jazz saxophonist Kenny G for inclusion on his sixteenth studio album Heart and Soul. On this version, the song’s co-writer Robin Thicke provided the vocals. It became the first single to be released from the Heart and Soul album and featured on four of Billboard’s charts, reaching its highest ranking at No. 5 on the “Bubbling Under R&B/HipHop” chart.[10]
Finally, in 2010, the Israeli-born Italian recording artist Sagi Rei released his version of “Fall Again” on an album titled SAGI Sings Michael Jackson [11] where it rubs shoulders with Jackson staples such as “Black or White,” “Man in the Mirror,” and “Billie Jean.”[12] Of the many, many songs recorded by Jackson that Sagi might have chosen, it is interesting that a relative rarity like “Fall Again” was selected. It is a testament to the quality of the song, its writers, and its treatment by those few who have recorded it, particularly the person for whom it was originally intended: Michael Jackson.
“It was a great pleasure and honour for me to work with Michael Jackson…
People like him – that’s one in a million.” – Walter Afanasieff.[13]
Kerry Hennigan
14 March 2025
Sources:
[1] Vogel, Joseph. (2019) Man in the Music. The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson. Vintage paperback edition, p 454.
[2] Lecocq, Richard & Allard, Francois. (2018) Michael Jackson: All the songs, the story behind every track. Cassell Illustrated. p. 573.
[3] Grammy.com. “Walter Afanasieff.” https://www.grammy.com/artists/walter-afanasieff/56
[4] Halstead, Craig; Cadman, Chris (2009). Michael Jackson: For The Record. 2nd Edition. Bedfordshire: Authors OnLine Ltd. p. 85.
[5] Michael Jackson Fan Club News Archives, February 1999 (as noted by Joseph Vogel, 2019, p 501)
[6] Vogel, Joseph. (2019) Man in the Music. The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson. Vintage paperback edition, p 367.
[7] Vogel, Joseph. (2019) Man in the Music. The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson. Vintage paperback edition, p 378.
[8] Lewis, Glenn (2002) “Fall Again” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001384T7I
[9] Smooth Café Jazz 5. (2003) Poland. https://www.discogs.com/release/831090-Various-Smooth-Jazz-Cafe-5
[10] Billboard “Fall Again, Kenny G Featuring Robin Thicke, Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop”. billboard.com/biz. as quoted by Wikipedia, Note #11. (Original link no longer active.)
[11] Rei, Sagi. (2010) Sagi sings Michael Jackson https://www.amazon.com/Sagi-Sings-Michael-Jackson-SAGI/dp/B003N7EC9C
[12] Discogs. Sagi sings Michael Jackson https://www.discogs.com/release/3544433-Sagi-Sagi-Sings-Michael-Jackson
[13] Vogel, Joseph. (2019) Man in the Music. The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson. Vintage paperback edition, p 454.
Illustration: “fall with you again” compiled by Kerry Hennigan using Photoscape X Pro and Pixlr Express software. Photograph of Michael Jackson by Albert Watson. No infringement of original photographic copyright is intended in this not for profit, educational exercise.