"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a song written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. It was released by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody of the song is based on "Plaisir d'amour," a French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was first written from the perspective of a woman, titled "Can't Help Falling in Love with Him." This explains why the first and third lines end with the word "in" instead of words that rhyme with "you."

The song was recorded by Elvis Presley and included on the album Blue Hawaii (1961), which is the soundtrack to the movie Blue Hawaii. Later in the 1960s, other artists such as Perry Como, the Lennon Sisters, Doris Day, Patti Page, Andy Williams, Al Martino, and Keely Smith also recorded the song. In the 1970s, Marty Robbins, Bob Dylan, the Stylistics, Shirley Bassey, and Engelbert Humperdinck performed versions of the song.

Over the years, European artists, including the Swedish pop group A-Teens and the British reggae and pop group UB40, recorded their own versions. The grunge band Pearl Jam has also performed the song at their concerts. More recently, artists like Kacey Musgraves recorded a version in 2022 for a movie about Elvis Presley. The song was ranked as one of the greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. In 2012, it was listed at No. 403 on their list.

Background, release and use in society

Elvis Presley's version of the song reached the top of the UK Singles Chart in 1962 and stayed at number one for four weeks. The single received a Platinum certification from the RIAA for selling more than one million copies in the United States. In the U.S., the song reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, behind "Peppermint Twist" by Joey Dee and the Starliters. It also reached number one on the Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks.

During Elvis's live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s, the song was often performed as the final number of his shows. It was notably played during his 1968 NBC television special called Elvis and as the closing song of his 1973 global broadcast Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite. A faster version of the song was used as the closing number of his final television special, Elvis in Concert. "Can't Help Falling in Love" was also the last song Elvis performed live at his concert in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977.

The recording was included as a bonus track on the 1997 CD reissue Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 and on the 2002 collection ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits. In 2010, the song appeared on the album Viva Elvis: The Album, which features a remixed version with Canadian singer Sherry St-Germain. The track ends with Elvis repeating part of his 1956 song "Love Me." In 2015, the song was included on the If I Can Dream album, which celebrated the 80th anniversary of Elvis's birth. This version uses old recordings of Elvis and his singers, with new music performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The song is used as an anthem by some English football clubs, with Sunderland AFC being most closely associated. Fans of Sunderland often call the song "Wise Men Say" instead of its actual title. Their longest-running fan podcast is also named Wise Men Say, and a fanzine with the same name existed in the 1980s. It is believed that Sunderland fans first sang the song at a football game four days after Elvis's death in 1977. On that day, their opponents, Hull City, also used the chant. However, Hull City has a smaller fanbase and less public attention than Sunderland. Fans of Swansea City and Swindon Town also sing versions of the song.

According to a 2020 survey by OnBuy, the song is the most popular choice for couples to use as their first dance song at weddings.

UB40 version

In 1993, the British reggae band UB40 recorded a version of a song originally made by Elvis Presley in 1961. This version was the first single from their tenth album, Promises and Lies (1993). The song was renamed "(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You" and released on May 10, 1993, by Virgin Records. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for seven weeks, becoming UB40's fourth and final top-10 hit. The song also topped charts in 11 other countries, including Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, New Zealand (where it was the most successful single of 1993), and the United Kingdom, where it spent two weeks at number one.

The song appears on the soundtrack of the 1993 movie Sliver, the trailer for the 1997 film Fools Rush In, and an episode of the 2015 series Hindsight. In the US and on the Sliver soundtrack, the song was listed as "Can't Help Falling in Love," without the parentheses found on the record sleeve. The single version of the song also has a slightly different rhythm and melody.

In a review, Rovi Staff from AllMusic wrote that the success of "Can't Help Falling in Love" helped UB40 shift from a reggae band to a group that plays reggae-pop, which blends reggae with other music styles. Another AllMusic editor, David Jeffries, said the song shows the smooth, easy-to-listen side of the band. Larry Flick from Billboard magazine noted that UK dancehall stars revisited Elvis Presley's music for this single from the Sliver soundtrack. He described the song as having a relaxed, midtempo rhythm with island beats and radio-friendly funk, and mentioned that brassy horns added a lively but enjoyable element.

Marisa Fox from Entertainment Weekly compared the song to UB40's earlier version of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine," saying the band "revitalized" the track. She also mentioned the use of "full-blown orchestrations," which made the song more appealing. James Masterton, in his UK chart commentary, said the song became a hit even before its release. Music & Media magazine praised it as a reggae remake that feels uplifting. Alan Jones from Music Week called it a predictable cover of an Elvis Presley/Andy Williams/Stylistics classic. People magazine described it as a "Rasta-Lite" version.

A music video was made to promote the single, directed by American filmmaker Neil Abramson. It includes scenes from the movie Sliver and short clips of the band playing and dancing. The video was later posted on YouTube in 2009 and had more than 90 million views as of February 2025. An alternate version of the video shows only the band without any movie scenes.

A-Teens version

"Can't Help Falling in Love" was the first single from the Swedish pop group A-Teens' third album, Pop 'til You Drop! (2002). The song is also included in the Lilo & Stitch movie soundtrack. It has two music videos: one to promote the Disney movie and one for the album. The song appears in the 2005 teen pop compilation album Disney Girlz Rock and is added as a bonus track on the A-Teens' 2003 album New Arrival for the European market. The music video was directed by Gregory Dark and filmed in Los Angeles, California. There are two versions of the video: one with scenes from Lilo & Stitch and one without.

• "Can't Help Falling in Love" (album version) – 3:06
• "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" – 3:27
• Performed by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu and North Shore Children's Choir & Key Cygnetures
• "He Mele, No Lilo" – 2:28
• Performed by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu and North Shore Children's Choir & Key Cygnetures
• Included in only Australian and one of European releases

Other notable versions

• A faster version by Andy Williams reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1970.
• Al Martino’s recording was released by Capitol Records in 1970. It reached No. 51 on the Billboard charts and No. 57 on the Cashbox chart.
• The Stylistics’ disco version from their 1976 album Fabulous reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart.
• Engelbert Humperdinck included the song on his 1979 album This Moment in Time. The single reached No. 44 on the US Adult Contemporary chart and No. 11 in Canada.
• Slim Whitman recorded the song in 1981 for his album Mr. Songman. This version reached No. 54 on the Billboard country charts and was his final chart entry.
• Klaus Nomi included the song on his 1983 album Encore.
• Lick the Tins released their version as a single in 1985 and included it on their 1986 album Blind Man on a Flying Horse. It reached No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart and stayed on the chart for nine weeks. The version was also used in the 1987 movie Some Kind of Wonderful.
• In 1986, Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie covered the song for the movie A Fine Mess soundtrack.
• In 1987, Corey Hart’s version from his album Fields of Fire reached No. 1 in Canada and No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Celine Dion performed her version of the song at concerts during her 1993 The Colour of My Love Tour. She used strings and an electric guitar to add drama, but she never recorded it.
• The British band Spiritualized used the song’s melody for their 1997 album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. They also included some of the original lyrics.
• Russell Watson’s 2006 version from his album The Ultimate Collection reached No. 69 in the UK.
• In 2008, the neo-medieval folk rock band Blackmore’s Night included the song on their album Secret Voyage.
• In 2012, American rock duo Twenty One Pilots covered the song on their EP Holding On to You.
• A German version, Was Kann Mein Herz Dafür by Claudia Jung, was released in 2015 for her album Seitensprung.
• Haley Reinhart’s 2015 remake reached No. 17 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and No. 31 on the Billboard Adult Pop Airplay chart. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2023 and Double Platinum in Canada in 2023.
• In 2016, Perfume Genius covered the song for a Prada fragrance ad. The version later appeared in the 2023 film Red, White & Royal Blue.
• In 2017, Daniel Padilla covered the song for a film of the same name.
• In 2018, Iliana Eve’s version from her album Jazz (Deluxe) reached No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Charts. She was 15 years old when she recorded it with Benny Reid.
• Kina Grannis’ version appeared in the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians and its soundtrack. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2022.
• The Grammy-nominated Elvis soundtrack from Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film included modernized versions of the song by Kacey Musgraves, Mark Ronson, and G-Dragon.
• The song was sampled by Jvke in his 2022 song I Can’t Help It from the EP This Is What Falling Out of Love Feels Like (392 Hz).