David Bowie Cover of the Week: Jessica Mercy performs “As the World Falls Down”

Last week, the cover I featured in this segment was Marc Lowe’s third tribute album to 1. Outside, in which he used inspiration from one of Bowie’s darkest visions and made it darker still. My selection this week is pretty much on the far other end of the spectrum, as Jessica Mercy conjures up Bowie at his most accessible, romantic and family friendly. I selected this video because I think she does a great job in the spirit of the song and because this is a real, atmospheric video. But also because as a song, “As the World Falls Down” demonstrates Bowie’s versatility. I have made the point before that Labyrinth is essentially a children’s movie. In terms of his musical contribution, Bowie’s job was to create songs suitable for that purpose. As this song reminds us, he succeeded. So even those who prefer edgier versions of Bowie should acknowledge that the man who gave us Low, 1. Outside and Blackstar was equally capable of entertaining children and coming up with, as his buddy John Lennon might have put it, silly love songs.

That said, at the end of the day, Bowie is gonna Bowie. The lyrics of “As the World Falls Down” contain subtle connections to other Bowie songs. Start, for instance, with the title itself. The premise of the song is apocalyptic. “Five Years,” “Panic in Detroit,” “Diamond Dogs,” “Sunday” and others are all about, in one way or another, worlds falling down. And beyond that, Bowie returned time and again to the idea of collapse, and not just global collapse. In “Heroes,” “we kissed, as though nothing could fall.” Bowie proposes, “Let’s Dance… for fear your grace should fall; for fear tonight is all.” Collapse is assumed to have happened in “Blackout,” as the narrator repeatedly pleads, “get me on my feet.”

The world is not all that’s falling in, “As the World Falls Down.” The narrator pledges to “be there for you” as the world falls down, but amidst images of pain sweeping through and “no fun at all,” he also begins repeating, “falling in love,” and then just, “falling.” The last part of the song is mostly repeated variations on a mantra-like, “Falling; Falling in love” and “as the world falls down.” Interestingly, “falling in love” is a detached lyric. The narrator does not specify who is falling in love. Indeed, his pledge to “be there for you” suggests that he has already fallen in love. Within the context of the movie, “falling in love” could be interpreted to be a kind of hypnosis—part of Jareth’s magical seduction of Sarah—kind of like Dracula saying, “you are getting sleeepy…” (did Dracula ever actually say that?). But if that’s the case, the accessible music hides an allusion to vampiric mind control. And if you don’t think Bowie was capable of hiding dark meaning in seemingly light and airy songs, I’d suggest you pick some from his other 80s albums and just start reading lyrics.

At the risk of being redundant, Bowie here, as in other songs, conjoins societal and personal breakdown, as if the world can only be experienced through one’s own lens. My falling is the world’s falling. Much of Bowie’s lyrics concern the individual’s struggle against the group, and here the individual is not simply king, but the whole world.

And there’s more. “As the World Falls Down” has plenty of references to sky, stars and moons, common inhabitants of Bowie songs, as well as “your eyes,” “Valentine,” “gold” and “strangers.” Almost every line of the song seems to resonate with some other Bowie song or songs. In some cases, the most resonant songs would come later. “Eyes,” sight and blindness creep up now and again but when I write the phrase, “your eyes,” in the context of Bowie, the first thing that comes to my mind is, “In the center of it all, your eyes,” from “Blackstar,” not, “I’ll place the sky, within your eyes” from “As the World Falls Down.” So, it’s likely that Bowie had certain phrases and formulations rolling around in his head that he’d repurpose when the need arose.

But I actually think the thematic threads that connect this song with Bowie’s larger output run deeper. At essence, the message of the song is not like that of Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You,” in which the narrator claims, “as mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.” Bowie references “a love that will last” as the object of a “fool’s heart’s” quest. He assiduously avoids pledging endless love. So the promise to “be there for you as the world falls down” suggests, much as the message of “Heroes,” “Let’s Dance” and actually many other Bowie songs, to simply make the best of the time remaining.

Jessica Mercy and Bowie

So, I realize I haven’t actually written much about Jessica Mercy’s cover at this point. I think it is quite good. She can carry a note, and she’s dressed for the part. I heard some very good amateur covers this past week, many of which were captured by a fixed camera focused on a man or woman with an instrument. This is a far more complex and entertaining video. Mercy doesn’t just sing in it—she acts, too. And, not surprisingly, she is a pro. From her website, which you can access HERE, she is the lead singer for three different acts—Anaria, Cities Below, and To the Ancients, and she’s also a model, costume designer and romance book author (under the name Jessica Jackson). Several of her skills are put to use in this video.

After I let her know I would be featuring her cover, Jessica was kind enough to share a few thoughts about the project. She designed and created the blue dress she wears in the video, drawing inspiration from the Labyrinth quote, “I move the stars for no one.” Her vision was to lean into the dreamy 80s fantasy vibe, both musically and visually—a reflection of her background as a “fantasy girl at heart.” The audio was recorded in her home studio, which she co-owns with her husband, Sergio, who also served as the producer, sound engineer, and videographer for the video. Mercy noted that Labyrinth was her introduction to Bowie’s music, making this tribute especially meaningful.

Whenever I write about Labyrinth, I am reminded that some people primarily know Bowie from this movie. To such fans, “As the World Falls Down” is Bowie, and songs like, “Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)” or “Station to Station” or “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)” might be completely alien. But if you listen closely, you’ll see there’s more connectivity than meets the eye, or perhaps I should say, is in your eyes.