Songfacts®:

• "Falling Slowly" is a very emotional song made potent by the chemistry between the singers who wrote and performed it: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. When they wrote the song at the end of 2005, they had a clear connection, but he was 35 and she was just 17. They waited another year to develop their romance, which became the basis for a low-budget movie they starred in together called Once, where they perform the song as sparks fly. The film was released in 2007 and became a sleeper hit, with the soundtrack named Best Song of 2007 by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
• Glen Hansard was the front man of the Irish rock band The Frames, and appeared in the 1991 film The Commitments. Marketa Irglova is a Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist. Their romance lasted about two years, starting in 2006 around the time they were filming Once and ending in 2009. They continued their musical partnership, releasing another Swell Season album after their split in 2009. Hansard died in a motorcycle accident in 2026 when he was 56.
• Hansard and Irglova released the first version of the song in April 2006 under the name of their newly formed musical project The Swell Season. In September, a non-duet version by Hansard's Irish rock band The Frames was released. In May 2007, the Swell Season version of the song was released on the Once soundtrack, but credited to "Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova."
• In the Winter Film and TV Music special edition published in January 2008 by the Hollywood Reporter, Hansard recalled how he got together with director John Carney, who had been the bassist for The Frames in the early 1990s, to make the Once film: "We discussed working together again for years. John came to me and asked me to go over this idea he had for a film, The script at the time was a 16-page outline for a film. He asked me to write a couple of songs. Later, John asked me to be in the film, which was amazing."
• This won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Before it was nominated, there was some question as to whether the song was eligible for the award, as it had already appeared on 2 albums, and the rules state that the song must be written specifically for the film to be considered.
  
  At the 2008 ceremony, Hansard spoke first when accepting the award, but when Irglova tried to speak the microphone was cut off and they were ushered off stage. After a commercial break, Irglova was brought back to speak. She talked about independent musicians and encouraged them in their efforts. Said Irglova: "The fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible. And fair play to those who dare to dream and don't give up. This song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are."
• In Once, Hansard played an Irish busker who has a romantic relationship with Irglova's Czech flower seller. Bob Dylan was so taken by the film that he asked Hansard and Irglova to be the opening act on his world tour.
• "Falling Slowly" stands out from most love songs because it's more about connection than attraction; taking the time to truly understand a person and being there in their time of need.
• The song rose to #61 in America in March 2008 following the Oscar win. It's far more popular in Ireland, where Once was filmed. There, it rose to #2.