LEARNING SONGS

Can't Help Falling In Love — Ukulele Tutorial

Ukulenny teaches you how to play the ukulele chords for the classic song “Can't Help Falling in Love”, famously performed by Elvis Presley and many other artists. This song is sure to be a crowd pleaser at any musical gathering... and Ukulenny makes it simple for you to learn from home. Once you have learned the chords, head over to the Play Along video to practice!

HISTORY OF CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE

This beloved tune actually has its earliest roots in a French composition from the 18th Century! Written in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Egide Martini, “Plasir d’amour" is a French Classical love song based on a poem by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian in his novel Célestine. Both pieces explore love as a bittersweet concept, both passionate and fleeting. Both the poem and the song were initially written from the perspective of a woman.

The chord progression, melody and thematic core of the song were all re-imagined in a modern English adaptation by songwriters Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss in 1961. "Can't Help Falling in Love" (also referred to at times as "Fools Rush In") was officially published in 1961 by Gladys Music, Inc. The song has been covered countless times across genres in the decades since by the likes of Bob Dylan, UB40, Twenty One Pilots, and A-Teens, but no version is more iconic than that of The King.

ELVIS PRESLEY'S VERSION

Elvis Presley debuted "Can't Help Falling in Love" in 1961 for the album, and feature film, Blue Hawaii, which would help to incite a renaissance of American cultural interest in the 'ukulele. Sharing an album with other enduring hits "Aloha 'Oe" and "Blue Hawaii," "Can't Help Falling in Love" became an immediate smash hit as Blue Hawaii's lead single, certified Platinum by the RIAA and going No. 1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

The song would remain at the emotional core of Elvis' catalog for years and, to this day, stands as one of The King's most lasting and impactful recordings. "Can't Help Falling in Love" was both the closer to Elvis' final TV special, Elvis in Concert, and the last song the artist would ever perform publicly — closing his last set as a performer in Indianapolis in June of 1977.