Most of you know that I am not a huge Elvis fan … I always thought him to be a bit pompous, a bit too much of a showman. That said, though I may not have cared for his public persona, he had a magnificent voice, and he did a handful of songs that I truly love … In the Ghetto is my #1 favourite, Suspicious Minds is another, and this one is somewhere in the lineup, maybe #3 or #4.
This was featured in the 1961 Elvis movie Blue Hawaii. It was written by the songwriter George Weiss, who claimed that neither the movie producers nor Elvis’ associates liked the song demo, but Elvis insisted on recording this song for the movie. Weiss, who died in 2010 at age 89, was a military bandleader in World War II.
This was Elvis’ most popular and famous “love song,” but it was not sung to his love interest in Blue Hawaii – It was sung to his grandmother on the occasion of her birthday. Elvis presented her with a music box, which she opened and it played the song, which Elvis then sang along with.
The melody is based on a French song called Plaisir D’Amour, which was penned in 1784 by a German with an Italian name, Jean-Paul Egide-Martini.
Hal Blaine played drums on this. He became one of the most successful session drummers of all time, playing on hits by The Beach Boys, The Association, Sam Cooke, Simon & Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, and many others. He entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. George Weiss was a prolific songwriter in the ’40s, ’50s ’60s and ’70s. Among the string of hits he penned in addition to this song were What a Wonderful World (one of my all-time favourites!) recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1967, The Stylistics 1975 UK chart-topper Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love), and The Lion Sleeps Tonight, a reworking of a South African Zulu song recorded by The Tokens in 1961.
The song hit #1 in the UK, #2 in the U.S., and #4 in Canada, and charted in a number of other countries.
Can’t Help Falling in Love
Song by Elvis Presley
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 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 you
For I can’t help falling in love with you
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: George David Weiss / Hugo E. Peretti / Luigi Creatore
Can’t Help Falling in Love lyrics © Raleigh Music Publishing