Burning The Ground Exclusive
NEW 2026 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration
For today’s Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition, we are heading back to 1987 for a record that seemed to be everywhere once it caught fire.
Pretty Poison’s “Catch Me (I’m Falling)” was featured in the comedy Hiding Out and became one of the biggest dance-pop crossover hits of the late 1980s.
This is also another new 2026 transfer.
I originally posted this single way back in January 2014. More than twelve years later, I returned to the vinyl and recorded it again from scratch using my current equipment and restoration process.
This is not a remaster of the files posted in 2014. It is a completely new transfer.
Pretty Poison formed in Philadelphia in the early 1980s, with Jade Starling on lead vocals and Whey Cooler as one of the group’s principal musicians and songwriters. Their early material leaned toward new wave before they moved into the electronic dance sound that would bring them national attention.
They had already found some club success with “Nighttime,” which reached number 14 on Billboard’s Dance chart in 1984.
But “Catch Me (I’m Falling)” changed everything.
Written by Jade Starling and Whey Cooler and produced by Kae Williams Jr. and Kurt Shore, the song became a regional hit around Philadelphia, selling roughly 20,000 copies through the independent Svengali label. Its success caught the attention of Virgin Records, which gave the record a much larger platform.
Its appearance in the 1987 comedy Hiding Out helped push it even further.
Directed by Bob Giraldi, Hiding Out stars Jon Cryer as Andrew Morenski, a twenty-nine-year-old Boston stockbroker hiding from organized crime who disguises himself as a high-school student named Maxwell Hauser.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Jon Cryer is a twenty-nine-year-old stockbroker pretending to be a teenager.
Only in the ’80s.
The soundtrack was actually quite strong, with Boy George, Public Image Ltd., Hue & Cry, Scarlett & Black, and Roy Orbison with k.d. lang joining Pretty Poison. “Catch Me (I’m Falling)” appears during a roller-rink sequence, which is about as perfectly 1987 as anything could be.
The song itself is pure late-’80s dance-pop and freestyle.
Electronic drums hit hard, synthesizers sparkle, and a thick bassline drives everything forward. Over it all is Jade Starling, delivering a playful, urgent vocal that sounds as though falling in love is happening at full speed.
The chorus is ridiculously infectious. Once “Catch me, I’m falling” gets into your head, good luck getting it back out.
The timing was perfect. Freestyle was moving from the clubs into mainstream pop, and Pretty Poison fit naturally into that world while still sounding like themselves.
The club audience got there first.
“Catch Me (I’m Falling)” reached number one on Billboard’s Dance Club chart in September 1987. Pop radio soon followed, sending the single all the way to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 by December.
For a group that had recently been selling records independently around Philadelphia, reaching the national Top 10 was quite a leap.
The single had less impact in the UK, peaking at number 85 in early 1988. It later appeared on Pretty Poison’s 1988 debut album, also titled Catch Me I’m Falling.
For 12-inch collectors, however, the single is where the real fun begins.
The 12″ Mix runs approximately 6:10, while the Dub Mix runs about 5:05. Both received additional production and remixing by New York DJ Bruce Forest, with Frank Heller engineering. The Dance Mix and Radio Mix retain the original production by Kae Williams Jr. and Kurt Shore.
Bruce Forest’s 12″ Mix gives the record more room without losing what made it work. The intro stretches out, the rhythm moves forward, and the electronic details have time to breathe before Jade takes over.
The Dub Mix pushes further into the production, breaking the track apart and spotlighting the percussion, keyboards, vocal fragments, and effects.
It is easy to hear why DJs embraced this record.
Even surrounded by all that production, Jade remains the center of attention. Her voice has enough personality to cut through every drum hit and synthesizer.
That may be one reason the record has aged so well.
It is completely, unapologetically 1987.
The drums are huge.
The synthesizers are bright.
The hair was probably even bigger.
Perfect.
Pretty Poison would score another Hot 100 hit with a new version of “Nighttime,” which reached number 36, but “Catch Me (I’m Falling)” remained the song that defined them for the widest audience.
For this new 2026 transfer, I went back to the vinyl and started over. My goal was to preserve the punch of the percussion, the depth of the bass, the layers of synthesizers, and Jade’s soaring vocal while bringing out as much detail as possible.
Pretty Poison may have started with a regional Philadelphia dance record, but “Catch Me (I’m Falling)” refused to stay regional.
The clubs caught it.
Virgin caught it.
Hiding Out caught it.
Then Top 40 radio caught it.
Now, more than twelve years after I first posted it on Burning The Ground, I’m catching it one more time.
Are you ready?
Here it comes.
CLUB REMIX SIDE:
Catch Me (I’m Falling) (12″ Mix) 6:13
Engineer – Frank Heller
Producer [Additional], Remix – Bruce Forest
Catch Me (I’m Falling) (Dub Mix) 5:18
Engineer – Frank Heller
Producer [Additional], Remix – Bruce Forest
RADIO MIX SIDE:
Catch Me (I’m Falling) (Dance Mix) 5:54
Engineer – Mr. Mitch
Catch Me (I’m Falling) (Radio Mix) 4:23
Engineer – Mr. Mitch
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
| Chart (1987–1988) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 26 |
| UK Singles Chart | 85 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Virgin – 96752-0, Virgin – 0-96752
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop, Freestyle, Dance-pop
CREDITS:
- Featuring – Jade Starling, Whey Cooler
- Management – City Lights Management, Inc.
- Performer – Pretty Poison
- Producer – Kae Williams Jr., Kurt Shore
- Words By, Music By – Jade Starling, Whey Cooler
NOTES:
Recorded at Kajem/Victory Studios, Gladwyne, PA
Remixed at Sound Track Studios, NYC / Electric Lady Studios, NYC
Manufactured & distributed by WEA through arrangement with Atlantic Records
Taken from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of the DEG film “Hiding Out.”
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
PLEASE READ
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**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!
Password: burningtheground
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Hitting That Sweet Spot of Pop-Rock