The Long Fall Back to Earth

The Long Fall Back to Earth
Studio album by Jars of Clay
Released	April 21, 2009
Recorded	2008–2009
Studio	Sputnik Sound, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Christian rock electronic pop pop rock synth-rock
Length	59:06
Label	Gray Matters Essential
Producer	Jars of Clay Ron Aniello
Jars of Clay chronology
Closer EP (2008) The Long Fall Back to Earth (2009) The Shelter (2010)
Singles from The Long Fall Back to Earth
"Two Hands" Released: March 10, 2009 "Heaven" Released: Late October 2009

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Christian Manifesto	[2]
Christianity Today	[3]
CM Spin	8.69/10 [4]
Cross Rhythms	[5]
Indie Vision Music	[6]
Jesus Freak Hideout	[7] [7]
Louder Than the Music	4.8/5 [8]
New Release Tuesday	[9]
Patrol magazine	6.9/10 [10]

The Long Fall Back to Earth is the ninth full-length studio album from the American Christian rock band Jars of Clay. It was released on April 21, 2009, through Gray Matters and Essential Records. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category in 2010.

Overview

The Long Fall Back to Earth is the first Jars of Clay album that doesn't include any cover songs since 2002's The Eleventh Hour .

In February 2009, the band released the first single off the album, "Two Hands", and this was followed by the second single, "Heaven", in October.

The Long Fall Back to Earth came in at number ten on Jesus Freak Hideout's most-anticipated albums of 2009. ^[11]

Reception

AllMusic said that the album "sees the quartet adopting, in varying degrees, the electronic pop stylings of David Bowie, the Flaming Lips, and MGMT, partially furloughing their live rhythm section in favor of one inspired by the '80s", ^[1] while JesusFreakHideout said that the album is a "lush collection of pop rock songs with an indie touch that proves to be a well-balanced and solid effort from start to finish", and that "The style of the album itself is — yet again, in true Jars of Clay fashion — a noticeable departure from the sound of their previous release, carrying with it a strong 80's synth-rock vibe." ^[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jars of Clay, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Long Fall"		2:19
2.	"Weapons"		3:28
3.	"Two Hands"	Jars of Clay, Jeremy Lutito, Gabe Ruschival	4:26
4.	"Heaven"	Jars of Clay, Lutito, Ruschival	3:18
5.	"Closer"		3:56
6.	"Safe to Land"		4:47
7.	"Headphones"		4:54
8.	"Don't Stop"		3:44
9.	"Boys (Lesson One)"		4:01
10.	"Hero"		4:52
11.	"Scenic Route"	Jars of Clay, Lutito, Ruschival	5:41
12.	"There Might Be a Light"		3:56
13.	"Forgive Me"		3:53
14.	"Heart"		5:50
Total length:			59:06

iTunes deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Headphones (Jeff Savage's Tomorrowland remix)"	4:48
16.	"Two Hands (JMO remix)"	5:18
17.	"Stories Behinds the Songs" (Video)	9:52

Overcuts and Remixes – EP

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Save My Soul"	3:07
2.	"Caught-Escape"	3:20
3.	"Love Won't Let Us"	3:59
4.	"Headphones (Jeff Savage's Tomorrowland remix)"	4:48
5.	"Heaven (Jeff Savage's Love of Silence remix)"	3:36
6.	"Heart (Jeff Savage's Solar Funk remix)"	5:05
Total length:		23:53

Charts

The album peaked at no. 29 on the Billboard 200 and no. 1 on Billboard's Hot Christian Albums. ^[12]

Awards

In 2010, both the regular and limited edition of the album were nominated for a Dove Award for Recorded Music Packaging of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards, with the limited edition winning the prize. The album also won the award for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year, while the song "Two Hands" was also nominated for Song of the Year. ^[13]

The Long Fall Back to Earth was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. ^[14]

Credits

Jars of Clay

• Dan Haseltine – vocals
• Charlie Lowell – acoustic piano, keyboards, synthesizers, organ, backing vocals
• Stephen Mason – guitars, backing vocals
• Matthew Odmark – guitars, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Gabe Ruschival – bass guitar, keyboard bass, percussion
• Jeremy Lutito – drums, percussion, loops, sounds
• Katie Herzig – backing vocals (7, 8)

Choir on "Weapons"

• Jars of Clay, Ben Shive, Joshua V. Smith

Production

• Jars of Clay – producers at Sputnik Sound, Nashville, Tennessee; art direction
• Ron Aniello – producer (4, 5, 6, 11, 12)
• Mitch Dane – engineer
• Vance Powell – engineer (7, 8, 10, 13, 14)
• Joshua V. Smith – assistant engineer
• Jay Ruston – mixing at TRS West, Sherman Oaks, California
• Stephen Marsh – mastering at Marsh Mastering, Los Angeles, California
• Michelle Box – A&R production
• Tim Parker – art direction
• Kharyn Hill – photography
• Brandy St. John – stylist
• Denika Bedrossian – hair, make-up

References

1. Allmusic review
2. "The Christian Manifesto review". The Christian Manifesto. April 22, 2009. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
3. "Christianity Today review". Christianity Today . Wayback Machine. April 25, 2009. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
4. "CM Spin review". CM Spin. April 18, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
5. "Cross Rhythms review". Cross Rhythms . Retrieved October 31, 2011.
6. "Indie Vision Music review". Indie Vision Music. April 27, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
7. "Jesus Freak Hideout reviews". Jesus Freak Hideout. April 21, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
8. "Louder Than the Music review". Louder Than the Music. April 23, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
9. "New Release Tuesday reviews". New Release Tuesday. April 21, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
10. "Patrol magazine review". Patrolmag.com. April 29, 2009. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
11. "Highlighting 2009 – Looking Ahead to New Music in 2009". JesusfreakHideout.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
12. The Long Fall Back to Earth at AllMusic
13. 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards nominees announced on The Tennessean (February 18, 2010)^{[ failed verification ]}
14. "Nominees". grammy.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2025.