Can't Help Falling in Love
"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a 1961 song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the album Blue Hawaii. It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody is based on "Plaisir d'amour", a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was initially written for a woman as "Can't Help Falling in Love with Him", which explains the first and third line ending on "in" and "sin" rather than words rhyming with "you".
"Can't Help Falling in Love" was featured in Presley's 1961 film Blue Hawaii. During the following four decades, it has been recorded by numerous other artists, including Bob Dylan on his 1973 album Dylan, Tom Smothers, Swedish pop group A-Teens, and the British reggae group UB40, whose 1993 version topped the U.S. and UK charts.
Elvis Presley version
Elvis Presley's version of the song topped the British charts in 1962, spending four weeks at no. 1. The single is certified Platinum by the RIAA, for US sales in excess of one million copies. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 2 on the USBillboard Hot 100 behind Joey Dee and the Starliters' "Peppermint Twist" and went to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks.
During Presley's late 1960s and 1970s live performances, the song was performed as the show's finale. Most notably, it was also sung in the live segment of his 1968 NBC television special, and as the closer for his 1973 Global telecast, Aloha from Hawaii. A version with a faster arrangement was the closing number in Presley's final TV special, Elvis in Concert. "Can't Help Falling in Love" was also the last song he performed live, at his concert in Indianapolis at Market Square Arena on 26 June 1977.
The recording appeared on the 1997 CD re-issue Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 as a bonus track and on the 2002 career retrospective collection .
In 2015, the song was included on the If I Can Dream album, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Presley's birth. The version uses archival voice recordings of Presley and his singers, backed by new orchestral arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Track listings
7" single- "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You"
- "Rock-A-Hula Baby"
Personnel
- Elvis Presley – lead vocals
- The Jordanaires, The Surfers – backing vocals
- Scotty Moore – electric guitar
- Tiny Timbrell – acoustic guitar
- Hank Garland – electric guitar
- Floyd Cramer – piano
- Dudley Brooks – piano or celeste
- Bob Moore – double bass
- D. J. Fontana – drums
- Hal Blaine, Bernie Mattinson – drums or percussion
- Alvino Rey – pedal steel guitar
- Boots Randolph – saxophone
- George Fields – harmonica
- Fred Tavares, Bernie Lewis – ukulele
Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
UB40 version
In 1993, British reggae band UB40 recorded the song as the first single from their 1993 album Promises and Lies. The song was released in May 1993, in the majority of countries worldwide. It eventually climbed to No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 after debuting at No. 100, and remained there for seven weeks. It was also number one in the United Kingdom, Austria, Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand.The song appears on the soundtrack of the movie Sliver, the trailer for Fools Rush In, and an episode of Hindsight. In the US, and on the Sliver soundtrack, the song title was listed as "Can't Help Falling in Love," rather than what appeared on the record sleeve. The single version of the song also has a slightly different backing rhythm and melody.
The song and band also appear in the 1997 film .
Track listings
CD single- "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" – 3:24
- "Jungle Love" – 5:09
- "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" – 3:24
- "Jungle Love" – 5:09
- "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" – 6:03
- "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" – 6:03
- "Jungle Love" – 5:09
- "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" – 3:24
- "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" – 3:24
- "Jungle Love" – 5:09
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
A-Teens version
The song was the A-Teens's first single from their third studio album, Pop 'til You Drop!, as well as for the Lilo & Stitch movie soundtrack, which was originally scheduled to include several Presley tracks, the A-Teens picking it for inclusion in the soundtrack. It was later also featured as a bonus track on their third studio album, New Arrival for the European market. The video had thus tremendous exposure on several television channels, with the A-Teens eventually including the song in their third album. As a result, the song had two music videos, one to promote the Disney movie, the other for the album. It is also shown in the teen pop compilation album, Disney Girlz Rock.The song reached No. 12 in Sweden, No. 16 in Argentina, and No. 41 in Australia.
Music video
The video was directed by Gregory Dark and filmed in Los Angeles, California. It had two different versions. The "Disney Version", as the fans named it, features scenes of the movie, and also new scenes of the A-Teens with beach costumes. The "A-Teens Version" of the video, features the A-Teens on the white background with different close-ups and choreography, and scenes with puppies and different costumes.Releases
Tracks marked + are not A-Teens tracks.European 2-track CD single
- "Can't Help Falling in Love" – 3:06
- "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" – 3:27 +
- "Can't Help Falling in Love" – 3:06
- "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" – 3:27 +
- "He Mele, No Lilo" – 2:28 +
Other versions
- The uptempo version by Andy Williams peaked at No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1970.
- The Al Martino recording was released by Capitol Records and charted in 1970, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard charts and No. 57 on the Cashbox chart.
- Bob Dylan recorded a version in 1970 for the "New Morning" sessions. The track was featured on the album 'Dylan' released in 1973 - an album which comprised fully of studio out-take covers and traditional songs.
- The Stylistics went to No. 4 in the UK with a disco version in 1976.
- Engelbert Humperdinck recorded the song in 1979 on his This Moment in Time LP. The single became an Adult Contemporary hit, reaching #44 in the U.S. and #11 in Canada.
- Slim Whitman recorded the song in 1981 and was included in his album "Mr. Songman". This version peaked at #54 on the Billboard country charts, and was his last chart entry in his career.
- Lick the Tins first released their version on a single in 1985 and included it on their 1986 album Blind Man on a Flying Horse. It peaked at no. 42 and spent nine weeks on the UK Singles Chart that year. It was also used in the movie Some Kind of Wonderful.
- Russell Watson reached no. 69 in the UK in a 2006 recording
- In 1987, Corey Hart's recording reached No. 1 in Canada and No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- In 1997, Spiritualized's original pressing of Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space had a version of the title track that incorporated the lyrics and melody of "Can't Help Falling in Love". The Presley estate initially objected to this, and a remixed version appeared on the commercial release, with new lyrics. However, Spiritualized continue to use both sets of lyrics in live performances. By 2009, they were allowed to use the version with the Presley lyrics on the reissued edition of the album, with the proviso that the song be titled "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space."
- Ingrid Michaelson released an updated version on her album Be OK in 2008, which was nominated for the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single, and Independent Music Award for Best Song – Cover.
- Twenty One Pilots released a cover of the song on their 2012 Holding On To You EP.
- Haley Reinhart's remake of the song peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and No. 31 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 4, 2019.
- In 2018, Iliana Eve's remake was a single from the album Jazz that hit #1 on the Billboard Jazz Charts. She was 15 years old when she recorded the song with Benny Reid.
- A rendition sung by Kina Grannis appears in the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians and the accompanying soundtrack. The soundtrack album peaked at No. 16 on the US Billboard Digital Albums Chart.
- Taiwanese Boyband, F4 recreated the song “Can’t Help Falling In Love” in 2002 for the movie, Lilo & Stitch.
- Filipino actor and Singer, Daniel Padilla sang the song "Can't Help Falling In Love" for the 2017 Filipino romantic comedy-drama film same title of the song, Can't Help Falling in Love.