Let’s go ahead and get all of the Labyrinth songs out of the way, shall we?

I have to discuss As the World Falls Down in conjunction with the scene in which it is heard in the movie because the two are virtually inseparable in my head.  It is difficult for me to hear this song without envisioning this scene.

In the scene, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), the girl being pursued by Jareth, the goblin king (Bowie), has just passed out after eating a poisonous fruit.  While unconscious, she dreams of being lost at a masquerade ball.  As she is trying to make her way through the mass of masked revelers, she spots Bowie staring at her.  She loses him in the crowd and begins moving around the room, searching for him.  He watches her until the packed party begins to close in on her.  Then he approaches her, takes her hand, and they begin to dance.

When As the World Falls Down begins, my immediate reaction is to begin to sway from side to side.  The song has a definite lullaby quality.  Listening to it feels like being wrapped in a pair of loving arms and gently rocked.  It is the ultimate love song.  It represents everything I’ve ever wanted from an admirer, what I imagine on some level every girl wants – someone to be obsessed with her.  Not in the scary, stalker kind of way, but in the consumed by desire, enraptured, and romantic kind of way.  The lyrics are profoundly passionate and idyllic.  Bowie croons in his tender, silky voice lines like, “I’ll place the sky within your eyes; I’ll place the moon within your heart; and I’ll paint you mornings of gold, I’ll paint you Valentine evenings.”  He promises that no matter what pain you may face, even if the world falls down around you, he’ll be there for you.  Sign me up.

When I listen to As the World Falls Down, I put myself in Sarah’s shoes, envisioning that I am the object of Bowie’s affection.  I visualize myself gliding across the dance floor, locked in his gaze, starry-eyed as Bowie moves his lips and sings this chivalrous love song to me.  When I allow myself to become lost in this daydream, slow dancing with David Bowie, being serenaded by him, it feels like I am being melted from the inside out by his power of persuasion and the sheer sultriness of his voice, effectively turned to putty in his hands.

Watch and listen

Lyrics