Introduction
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the album Blue Hawaii (1961). Written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc., the melody is based on the popular French love song “Plaisir d’amour” composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. Initially penned from the perspective of a woman as “Can’t Help Falling in Love with Him,” the first and third lines ended on “in” and “sin” to maintain rhyme with “you.”
Featured in Presley’s 1961 film Blue Hawaii, the song has been covered by various artists, including the Swedish pop group A-Teens and the British reggae group UB40, whose 1993 version topped both US and UK charts. Rolling Stone recognized it as one of the greatest songs of all time, ranking it #403 in the list’s 2012 edition.
Background and Release:
Presley’s rendition topped the British charts in 1962, spending four weeks at No. 1, and earned Platinum certification by the RIAA for US sales exceeding one million copies. In the US, it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks. The song became a staple in Presley’s late 1960s and 1970s live performances, notably serving as the finale and featuring prominently in his 1968 NBC television special and the 1973 Global telecast Aloha from Hawaii. It was also the closing number in Presley’s final TV special, Elvis in Concert, and the last song he performed live at his concert in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977.
Recordings and Legacy:
The recording appeared as a bonus track on the 1997 CD re-issue of Elvis’ Golden Records Volume 3 and the 2002 career retrospective collection ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits. In 2010, a remixed version featuring Canadian singer Sherry St-Germain was included on the Viva Elvis: The Album. The song was also featured on the 2015 album If I Can Dream, using archival voice recordings of Presley and his singers, backed by new orchestral arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” serves as an anthem for several English football clubs since the 1960s and remains a popular choice for couples’ first dance at weddings, as revealed by a 2020 survey by OnBuy.
Video
Lyrics
Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can’t help falling in love with you
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can’t help falling in love with you?Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand,
Take my whole life, too
For I can’t help falling in love with youLike a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand,
Take my whole life, too
For I can’t help falling in love with you
For I can’t help falling in love with you