The version of this song on the The Collection CD (a Marks and Spencer exclusive) erroneously attaches the orchestral intro to Evil Woman at the end. "Alright, so the Beatles were the greatest masters of plagiarism but ELO take it too far on... the Harrison like feel of Waterfall..." "Also, there [are] two absolutely brilliant cosmic wonders called Waterfall and One Summer Dream. These last two prove that Lynne can still write stunningly beautiful melodies." "On happier occasions, Jeff has written lyrics to songs like Shine A Little Love, Need Her Love, Midnight Blue and Waterfall, as well as So Fine, Sweet Is The Night and Yours Truly 2095." "Track two [on the Face The Music album] is the lilting Waterfall, a welcome breather after the draining technical wizardy of Fire On High, and sees Jeff do a passable imitation of Freddie Mercury. Also notable are Kelly's ambitious solo harmonies (eh?)." "Waterfall is a bit of a favorite of mine." "Some of the 'real' intros to songs, such as Waterfall, were also recorded [at De Lane Lea Studios], with Jeff on guitar and Richard on keyboards. The string section were also playing with the orchestra." "Face the Music, released in 1975 -- featuring Evil Woman and Strange Magic as top 20 singles and non-single track such as Fire on High and Waterfall -- was the most solid release to date." "Face the Music is the album that introduced the radio-friendly version of ELO to the masses with the singles Strange Magic, Waterfall, and the ubiquitous disco-tinged Evil Woman." "\IWaterfall\I, a maudlin mid-tempo number that would have fit right in on McCartney's Red Rose Speedway, is redeemed by an instrumental bridge that showcases the strings." "Waterfall: Co-written with singer Carly Simon. Slide guitar and strings pile on the pathos." "[Evil Woman] is the highlight of an album [Face The Music] that includes several great songs (Strange Magic, Waterfall) and one outright turkey, the daft Down Home Town." "This ethereal, dreamy love song opens with strings and a plaintive George Harrison-like guitar sound, with the combination of instruments remimniscent of The Beatles' Something in parts. Gentle piano chords and vocals suggest a hint of Freddie Mercury, with a backdrop of muted choral vocal and swirling strings, and drums coming in at the first chorus. A sturdy instrumental bridge suggest a new departure into classical music-influenced horizons before a return to the song with the introduction repeated on strings and enhanced by the backing vocals until a gentle fade."Electric Light Orchestra - Waterfall [Album Version] Details
Unique to most of the world, Waterfall was released as a single in 1975 in France on Polydor (2001 653) and Australia on Polydor (2001 653)
PH (December 6, 1975 - Record Mirror)
Joel Bellman (December 1976 - Trouser Press #17)
Neil Frost (1987 - Face The Music fanzine #3)
Andrew Whiteside (Early 1989 - Face The Music fanzine #5)
Jeff Lynne (September 11 2006 - Face The Music remaster liner notes)
Rob Caiger (September 12, 2006 - Showdown mailing list)
Rock Cesario (October 16, 2006 - The Daily Sentinal (Grand Junction, Colorado))
Barry Nothstine (2006 - The Phantom Tollbooth On The Third Day, Face The Music and A New World Record remaster review)
Editor's Note: Waterfall was not a single except in France and Australia (with Strange Magic on the B-side).
Rob Horning (February 16, 2007 - On The Third Day, Face The Music and A New World Record reissue review on popmatters.com)
Mark Blake (December 2012 - Classic Rock magazine)
Editor's Note: This song was not co-written with Carly Simon. She has a song of the same name, but they are totally different songs.
Paul Elliott (December 19, 2016 - Teamrock.com)
John Van der Kiste (July, 2017 - Electric Light Orchestra: Song By Song)