Head Over Heels

The phrase endures because every human being, regardless of culture or age, understands the sensation of being upended. Whether you are a teenager with a first crush, an athlete diving for a ball, or a grandparent reminiscing about a whirlwind courtship, you know what it feels like to have your world flipped.

Beyond the band Tears for Fears, the phrase appears in:

In its early usage, the phrase was rarely about romance. It was about physical mishaps. In 1771, the Annual Register recorded a man falling "head over heels" into a pit. It was a description of clumsiness, violence, or the literal act of tumbling down a flight of stairs. It denoted a loss of footing—a theme that would soon be borrowed by poets.