As the World Falls Down

"As the World Falls Down"
Song by David Bowie from the album Labyrinth
Released	1986
Recorded	1986
Length	4:51 (Album Version) 3:40 (Edit)
Label	EMI
Writer	David Bowie
Labyrinth track listing
Hallucination (6) "As the World Falls Down" (7) The Goblin Battle (8)

"As the World Falls Down" is a song written by David Bowie in 1986 for the soundtrack of the film Labyrinth.

The song is the backdrop for an illusion which Jareth the Goblin King (Bowie) builds around Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) through the use of an enchanted peach. The illusion is of a masquerade ball inside a bubble. Sarah is the only character in this scene without a mask, though Jareth removes his mask earlier in the scene.

The scene coupled with the song has been interpreted many ways, some believe that the illusion is an attempt by Jareth to win Sarah's love; others believe he is trying to seduce her to distract her from the 13 hour time limit she has to rescue her brother Toby.^{[citation needed]} or the third choice that it could be a double intention, as in Jareth is trying to do both.

Yet another theory is that the crystal ball represents everything Sarah wants and what Jareth is promising her; endless parties, dancing, glamor, fame, attention from a King, beautiful friends and adoration from all. As the scene becomes more sinister and she sees things for what they really are, however, Sarah is overcome with the realization that the world of the crystal is superficial, frightening and bizarre and not what she wants after all. Jareth's professed love for Sarah may be, in fact, a trap to turn her into a goblin. It is with this realization that she smashes the crystal ball and returns to the world of the Labyrinth for Jareth's last attempt to divert Sarah from her goal of rescuing Toby before he is turned into a goblin.

A video for "As the World Falls Down" was mooted for a Christmas 1986 single release, with a 3:40 edit and a video made by Steve Barron. However, this release was cancelled, for reasons that are still largely unknown.

Other releases

• It was also released as a bonus track on the Virgin Records re-release of Tonight in 1995.

• The video has been released on the Best of David Bowie DVD 2 Disc Set on November 19, 2002

• It was covered by the American-Punk band Girl In A Coma for their third studio album.

Cover versions

• Ce Ce Zen – Spiders from Venus: Indie Women Artists and Female-Fronted Bands Cover David Bowie (2003)
• Flutter – .2 Contamination: A Tribute to David Bowie (2006)
• Girl in a Coma - "Adventures in Coverland, Vol. 2" [Vinyl] (2010)