In June 1977, in Indianapolis, USA, tens of thousands of spectators went from extreme excitement to emotional numbness when the melodies of the classic ballad Can't help falling in love rang out. Elvis Presley, dressed in white, with a tired voice and sweat dripping from his sideburns, took the stage with all the last flashes of energy thanks to painkillers and sedatives. No one, not even Elvis, knew that was the last time he sang in front of a large audience.
Two months later, the world was shocked to hear that the greatest rock'n roll king of the century had passed away forever, ending a musical life that had a strong influence on American popular culture as well as the entire world. world.
Elvis Presley imprint
Famous and making a mark all over the world with his vibrant rock'n roll songs, but Elvis Presley's most covered song is Can't help falling in love - a slow, sad, profound ballad written by Hugo Peretti , written by Luigi Creatore and George David Weiss based on the famous 18th century French love song Plaisir d'amour by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini.
The song first appeared in Blue Hawaii, an American musical romantic comedy film (released in 1961) directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley in the male lead role. During the making of the film, Presley received the song. He quickly decided to record this song as the main song for Blue Hawaii. That was also the first time Can't Help Falling in Love was recorded in its entirety.
The male singer's decision faced opposition from many people, even the song's own group of writers because they thought that Elvis was more suitable for fast and vibrant melodies. The too slow tempo of Can't help falling in love could cause Elvis many difficulties. The strongest opposition came from his close manager - Colonel Tom Parker, who said that releasing the song as a single would greatly affect the film's revenue.
Elvis Presley created a musical revolution, becoming the biggest cultural icon of the twentieth century
Even in 1971, Alan Fortas - a music expert close to Elvis - said in the radio documentary The Elvis Presley Story: "At that time, people only liked it half. It was just an average song, people sat around, discussed it and judged it as a weird song for the film.”
However, contrary to the doubts of almost the entire crew and producer, Elvis worked seriously on Can't help falling in love. The initial rehearsals were out of tune, and even constantly out of breath between too-slow verses of the song, which did not discourage Elvis. The male singer, who was very famous at that time, did not hesitate to record the song for the 29th time to have a perfect final recording that would satisfy everyone. “He worked extremely seriously to create such a beautiful and intimate ballad. When the song was completed, everyone seemed to realize that Elvis had created a classic" - Ernst Jorgensen, Elvis's recording expert - exclaimed.
Very quickly, the song became a phenomenon when the movie was released in 1962. The image of Elvis in the movie with a wreath around his neck, sparkling eyes and curved mouth sang the melodies of Can't help falling. in love on a Hawaiian beach is full of sweetness and composure, making the audience's hearts melt.
Over the years, dozens of artists from many musical genres have covered the song, the most prominent of which is probably the recording by the band UB40 in the style of reggae fusion and synthpop (with a new title (I can't help). Falling in love with you), pop group A-Teens or a series of cover versions by famous artists such as Keely Smith, Andy Williams, Al Martino, Bob Dylan, The Stylistics, Shirley Bassey, Andrea Bocelli...
However, among those series of versions, the first version of Elvis Presley still occupies an irreplaceable position. Beyond the film version, the song's single was certified Platinum by the RIAA, with sales exceeding 1 million copies. The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the “Adult contemporary” chart for six weeks as well as topping the UK chart in 1962.
Can't help falling in love became the last melodies in Presley's life, a profound silence in the brilliant and vibrant harmony called Elvis Presley.
On October 30, 2015, a memorial album on the 80th anniversary of Presley's birth was released featuring Can't help falling in love. According to a 2020 survey conducted by Onbuy, Can't help falling in love is also the song most often chosen to appear at weddings.
In addition to Blue Hawaii, the song also appeared in many other films, such as the horror film Sliver starring Sharon Stone (1993), the romantic comedy Fools rush in (1997), Coyote Ugly (2000), Lilo & Stitch (2002). Most recently, the song was once again played emotionally in the biographical film about Elvis Presley directed by Baz Luhrmann, with a recording by American country music singer Kacey Musgraves.
A white person has the same style as a black person
In the late 1940s, famous American music producer Sam Phillips was looking for a new musical portrait: "It must be a white person with the voice and style of a black person. If I find that person, I can make a billion dollars" and Elvis Presley was found with a singing style that is both profound and delicate, yet passionate and full of freedom, the desire to express himself.
The appearance of Elvis blew into American music at the end of the 20th century new streams of energy full of charm, excitement and masculinity. The girls fell in love with every dance of Elvis. The boys wore wide-leg pants and combed the singer's famous "pompadour" hairstyle. Elvis, with his significant innovations in rock & roll, opened the door for African-American music to a mass audience.
In fact, before Elvis appeared, most American music was performed by black African artists, with elegant, polite blue jazz melodies and many reservations because of racism. Elvis broke all the previous rules. With undisguised admiration, Elvis did not hesitate to show the influence of the singing style of previous African artists such as B.B.King or Fats Domino, Nat King Cole... and Elvis's generous recordings made people We think of a black man singing in a more modern, lively and seductive version.
Elvis Presley - Can't Help Falling in Love :
From that spirit, Elvis created a beautiful and enchanting Can't Help Falling in Love that transcends time, space, and gender. The low notes are calm like a gentleman, the small notes are graceful, so that the whole ending pushes to the climax with a series of brilliant high notes to perfection. Elvis's entire performance is a masterful combination of the skillful accent singing of black African Americans with the fresh and vibrant energy of a "stage king" and more or less impact. of the market and commercial factors. Elvis made Can't Help Falling in Love into a symbol, far beyond the song's original stature and value.
Along with Can't Help Falling in Love and a series of previous famous hits, Elvis Presley created a musical revolution, becoming the biggest cultural icon of the twentieth century - someone John Lennon once was. exclaimed: "Before Elvis, everything was nothing."
