Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” is one of the most timeless love songs of all time. The King recorded the song for the film Blue Hawaii in 1961. Like many of the songs Elvis sang in his movies, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” became a staple in his live shows. Though it’s hard to pick one Elvis hit to beat out all the rest, if one was hard-pressed to pick his signature track, it would likely be this one.
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Though the song will forever be linked to Presley, he didn’t write the song himself. Meet the writers being this classic, below.
[RELATED: Study Finds Elvis Presley Has Highest Physical Singles Sales of Any U.S. Artist]
Who Wrote “Can’t Help Falling In Love?”
“Can’t Help Falling In Love” was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss.
The trio based the melody on the popular french love song, “Plaisir d’amour,” composed by Jean-Paul-´Egide Martini. The song was originally written from the perspective of a woman with the title “Can’t Help Falling in Love with Him,” which explains why the lines of the chorus end with “in” and “sin” instead of words that rhyme with “you.”
Wise men say
Only fools, only fools rush in
Oh, but I, but I, I can’t help falling in love with you
Shall I stay?
Would it be, would it be a sin?
If I can’t help falling in love with you
Presley’s version of the song has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA, denoting more than one million copies sold. The song debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 behind Joey Dee and the Starliters’ “Peppermint Twist.”
“Can’t Help Fallin in Love” was the last song Elvis performed live at a concert in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977.
Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore
Peretti got his start in music playing trumpet in upstate New York. In the ’50s, Peretti joined forces with his cousin Creatore to create the songwriting team of Hugo & Luigi.
The duo wrote songs for artists like Valerie Carr and Jimmie Rodgers, including Rodgers’ hits “Honeycomb,” “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” and “Oh-Oh, I’m Falling in Love Again.”
The cousins then began to produce songs for crooner Perry Como. They also produced for Sam Cooke, Ray Peterson and wrote the English lyrics for South African composer Solomon Linda’s “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
It was during this tenure that they met Weiss and began to work as a trio.
George David Weiss
Weiss attended the Julliard School of Music. After graduating, Weiss became an arranger for the big bands of Stan Kenton, Vincent Lopez, and Johnny Richards. Weiss made a name for himself in the ’40s as a songwriter and continued writing hits until the late ’60s.
In addition to helping write “I Can’t Help Falling In Love,” Weiss’ contributed to a number of film scores, including Murder, Inc. (1960), Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), Mediterranean Holiday (1964) and Mademoiselle (1966).
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