"When I Fall in Love" is a well-known song written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was first performed in Howard Hughes' last film, One Minute to Zero, as an instrumental called "Theme from One Minute to Zero." Jeri Southern recorded the first vocal version, which was released in April 1952. Victor Young helped arrange and conduct the music for this recording. The song became a standard, meaning it is widely recognized and has been recorded by many artists. The first popular version was sung by Doris Day and released in July 1952.

Doris Day's recording was made on June 5, 1952. It was released by Columbia Records with catalog number 39786 and paired with the song "Take Me in Your Arms." The single reached number 20 on the Billboard chart. A 1993 version sung by Celine Dion and Clive Griffin for the film Sleepless in Seattle gave the song new attention worldwide and won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). In 1996, Natalie Cole recorded a version of the song, singing with her father, Nat King Cole, using vocals from his 1956 recording. This version won two awards at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s).

Notable recordings

In the 1950s, several popular versions of "When I Fall in Love" were recorded. The Miles Davis Quintet recorded the song on May 11, 1956, at the Rudy van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. The musicians included Davis on muted trumpet, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Saxophonist John Coltrane was not part of this session. The track was released in July 1961 as the final song on the album Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet. It was later included in a 1965 compilation called Miles Plays for Lovers by Prestige Records. Around the same time, Nat King Cole recorded his famous version on December 28, 1956. Capitol Records released it on the album Love Is the Thing (catalog number SW824). The song was also used as the love theme in the 1957 film Istanbul, where Cole performed it onscreen. It was released as a single in the UK in 1957 and reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. A 1987 reissue of the single reached number four. The opening of Cole's recording was later used in the 1988 song "There Is No Love Between Us Anymore" by Pop Will Eat Itself. Since 2014, the track has been used in advertisements for SSE. In 1959, Johnny Mathis included his version on the album Open Fire, Two Guitars.

During the early 1960s, the song was performed by many artists. Blues singer Etta Jones released a version in 1960 that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, reaching number 65. Jazz trumpeter Blue Mitchell recorded an instrumental version for his 1960 album Blue's Moods. In 1961, the Lettermen released a successful single that stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, reaching number seven, and topped the Billboard Easy Listening chart. Veteran drummer Earl Palmer played on this recording.

In the 1970s, Donny Osmond recorded the song for his 1973 album A Time for Us. His version appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks, reaching number 55. It was more successful internationally, reaching number four in the UK and number one in France.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the song was recorded again by many artists. In 1984, Linda Ronstadt released her version as the lead track on Lush Life and as a single, reaching number 24 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Natalie Cole recorded two versions: one in 1987 on Everlasting as a contemporary R&B/smooth jazz song, reaching number 14 on the US Adult Contemporary chart; and another in 1996 on Stardust, as a virtual duet with her father, Nat King Cole, using his 1956 vocals. This version won two awards at the 39th Grammy Awards: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s), given to arrangers Alan Broadbent and David Foster. In 1993, Van Morrison used parts of the song in his medley of "It's All in the Game" on the live album A Night in San Francisco. That same year, Anne Murray recorded her own version for the album Croonin'.

In the 21st century, the song has been included in modern recordings. Michael Bublé performed his version on his 2018 album Love, releasing it as the album's first single on September 27, 2018.

Rick Astley version

The version of "When I Fall in Love" by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley was released on November 30, 1987, at the same time as the 30th anniversary of Nat King Cole's recording of the song. The single is well known for being a close competitor for the UK Christmas number one spot. EMI, a rival company, helped the Pet Shop Boys by re-releasing Cole's version of the song as a cover of "Always on My Mind." This action reduced sales of Astley's version, allowing the Pet Shop Boys to reach number one. Despite selling over 250,000 copies and earning a silver certification from the BPI, Astley's single reached number two in the UK for two weeks. The re-release of Cole's version reached number four. The single was released as a double A-side and included "My Arms Keep Missing You," which became popular in parts of Europe.

In 2019, Astley recorded and released a "reimagined" version of the song for his album The Best of Me, arranged for piano. On November 24, 2022, the original music video was remastered in 1080p HD for a limited edition 12-inch double A-side red vinyl release of the single "Love This Christmas."

A review in the Pan-European magazine Music & Media described Astley's version as "surprisingly matching the original" and added: "With the romantic string arrangements and Astley's mature vocals, the perfect seasonal single, bound for a no. 1 in the UK." Music Week noted that Astley "stretches his vocal chords on a credible and reverent recreation" of Cole's song. In the same magazine, Jerry Smith considered it a potential hit despite "the cloying strings arrangement," adding that the cover was "not a patch" on Cole's original. Chris Heath of Smash Hits praised the track as "brilliantly effective," noting its "plinkety-plonkety orchestration" and Astley's crooning, which he felt sounded "uncannily like a 50-year-old Frank Sinatra type." In another issue, Lola Borg called the song "truly splendid," writing that Astley "ably croons a slushy lump of woefulness" and noting that the arrangement closely mirrors the original, with "the sweeping strings … exactly the same, note for note." In 2025, Thomas Edward of Smooth Radio ranked what he described as "a beautiful cover" at number six in his list of "Rick Astley's 10 greatest songs, ever."

• "When I Fall in Love" – 3:03
• "My Arms Keep Missing You" (The No L mix) – 6:48
• "My Arms Keep Missing You" (dub) – 4:58

• "My Arms Keep Missing You" ("Where's Harry?" remix) – 3:14
• "When I Fall in Love" – 3:03

• "When I Fall in Love" – 3:00
• "My Arms Keep Missing You" (dub) – 6:04
• "My Arms Keep Missing You" (The No L mix) – 6:43

Celine Dion and Clive Griffin version

The cover version of "When I Fall in Love" by Canadian singer Celine Dion and British singer Clive Griffin was used in the 1993 romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, which stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The song was released as a single in June 1993. It was recorded specifically for the movie's soundtrack and was originally planned as a duet between Dion and Stevie Wonder. However, Dion said she preferred to record it with Warren Wiebe after hearing his demo version. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1994. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), given to David Foster and Jeremy Lubbock.

The song appears on the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, which reached number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified four times platinum for selling over four million copies in the United States. It was later included on Dion's album The Colour of My Love, released in November 1993.

The song was also added to the Japanese edition of Dion's compilation The Collector's Series, Volume One, released on October 23, 2000; the greatest hits album Complete Best, released on February 27, 2008; the 3CD North American edition of My Love: Essential Collection, renamed The Essential 3.0, released on August 29, 2011; and the compilation The Best of Celine Dion & David Foster, released on October 19, 2012. The music video for the song was directed by Dominic Orlando in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that Dion's album The Colour of My Love, which includes the song, has "careful production, professional songwriting (highlighted by 'When I Fall in Love,' 'The Power of Love,' and 'Think Twice')." J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun noted that "it's no accident that Celine Dion keeps recording movie-theme duets — she's got the perfect voice for wide-screen romance, all unbridled power and telegraphed emotion." He added that "she sounds great, demonstrating the kind of vocal confidence that originally made Whitney Houston a star." Larry Flick from Billboard said Dion "is at home within an arrangement of delicate rhythms and sweeping orchestration," while also noting that Griffin's voice "is a pure thrill." Christopher Smith of Talk About Pop Music wrote that the singers "do credible justice to Nat's signature tune as she remains in subdued and romantic mood for the entire length" of the track.

"When I Fall in Love" reached the top 40 in several countries, including number 21 in Canada, number 22 in New Zealand, number 23 in the United States, and number 37 in the Netherlands. It was also successful on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks, peaking at numbers two and six, respectively.

Dion performed "When I Fall in Love" during her The Colour of My Love Tour, the Falling Into You Around the World Tour, and the Millennium Concert in Montreal in 1999. In 1998, Anne Murray performed the song with Dion live and included the duet on her DVD An Intimate Evening with Anne Murray…Live. This version was later added to Murray's 2007 album Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends.

The song was released on various formats, including Australian and European CDs, Japanese 3-inch CDs, US 7-inch and cassette singles, and European CD maxi-singles. The single versions include:

• "When I Fall in Love" (Celine Dion and Clive Griffin) – 4:20
• "If I Were You" (Celine Dion) – 5:07

European CD maxi-single:
– "When I Fall in Love" (Celine Dion and Clive Griffin) – 4:20
– "If You Asked Me To" (Celine Dion) – 3:55
– "An Affair to Remember" (instrumental) – 2:30