Famously described by John Peel as being "always different, always the same", The Fall were formed in Manchester, England during the punk era, although their style quickly evolved into something more idiosyncratic.

The one permanent fixture amidst the Fall's ever-changing line-up is Mark E. Smith. Smith's lyrics are free, unboxed and unpredictable, touching on an extremely wide range of subjects and places and caring little for being tied down to easily digestible messages.

Of the group's influence, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "the Fall, like many cult bands, inspired a new generation of underground bands, ranging from waves of sound-alike indie rockers in the U.K. to acts in America and New Zealand, which is only one indication of the size and dedication of their small, devoted fan base."

The Fall have also had a profound influence over groups such as Franz Ferdinand, The Smiths, LCD Soundsystem, The Long Blondes, The Birthday Party, Nirvana, Pavement and Happy Mondays.

Sonic Youth covered three Fall songs (and "Victoria" by the Kinks, also covered by the Fall) in a 1988 Peel Session, which was released in 1990 as the "4 Tunna Brix" EP on Sonic Youth's own Goofin' label. The 1990s indie acts Pavement and Elastica (Smith contributed vocals to their final EP and album) showed an influence of The Fall, while Suede parodied the band with "Implement Yeah!", a song found on the cassette edition of their 1999 single "Electricity".

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