CAN’T HELP FALLING

IN LOVE • 1961

The melody of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” grew out of a French song from the 1700s. George Weiss, the American songwriter who adapted it in 1961, enjoyed another roaring success that same year with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (recorded by the Tokens), using a melody based on a song from South African artist Solomon Linda. His song for Elvis, which Presley performed in his movie Blue Hawaii, proved wildly popular, holdĶOE} Ìiji wŃŇ½Ã ÃŖÕOE`ÌÀ>Vł ĶOE Ìiji Ŗ° £ «ŖÃĶÌĶŖOE ŖOE the Billboard charts for 20 straight weeks, a record that wasn’t broken until Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours smashed it 16 years later. This song, which Presley sang to close out most of his concerts, was judged by the survey company OnBuy to be the most popular ÃiŃiVÌĶŖOE LÞ Üi``ĶOE} VŖÕ«Ńià vŖÀ ÌijiĶÀ wÀÃÌ `>OEVi°