Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)
Encyclopedia
"Falling in Love Again" is the English language
name for a 1930
German
song composed by Friedrich Hollaender
as Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt (literally: "Head to toe, I'm ready for love"). The song was originally performed in the film Der Blaue Engel
(English translation: The Blue Angel) by Marlene Dietrich
, who also recorded the most famous English version. The English lyrics were written by Sammy Lerner
, but are in no way a direct translation of the original.
in 1962, in their early Hamburg touring days. The only recording from the album The Beatles, Live at the Star Club, in Hamburg, 1962, with Paul McCartney
singing lead vocals, as well as on the album First Live Recordings
. The Beatles had updated the melody to a rock-'n'-roll style with a change of lyricshttp://lyrics.wikia.com/The_Beatles:Falling_In_Love_Again.
’ final release on Island Records
. The flip side, "Everyone Knows the Song", was an Ayers original. After the release of this single Ayers signed to Harvest Records
and both tracks became part of his 1976 album, Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)
. The single was also re-released a few months later by Harvest in parts of Europe but featuring the Ayers original "The Owl" on the B-side.
Harvest release
under the name ADX. It was including in re-released by Captain Oi! in 2002 and by SOS Records in 2006, each with bonus tracks of the 1985 third studio album Smart Alex
. In 2002, Taang! Records re-released the album and bonus tracks as The Collection, and the same Smart Alex disc with bonus tracks was released individually in 2004. All including a mix of the classic.
(in German, as "Wir sind von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt", circa 1930); Zarah Leander
(1931, in Swedish); Billie Holiday
(1940); Doris Day
(1961
); Sammy Davis, Jr.
(1962); The Beatles
(1962, at The Star Club, featured on the album First Live Recordings
); Nina Simone
(1966); Claudine Longet
(1968); The Techno Twins (1981
); Klaus Nomi
(1982
); William S. Burroughs
(1990, in German); Marianne Faithfull
(1997
); Bryan Ferry
(1999
); The Puppini Sisters
(2006
); Michael Lutzeier (2008
); and Theo Bleckmann
(2008). It featured in the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band's 40th anniversary tour of 2006; Patricia Kaas
(2008, on the album Kabaret
);
Madonna
sang a few lines of the song during The Girlie Show Tour
in 1993.
It is also sung by Lieutenant Gruber in an episode of the hit sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!
Linda Ronstadt
recorded the song with Nelson Riddle
for the album "Lush Life
" (1984)
The song lyrics are parodied in an original Star Trek
novel, How Much for Just the Planet?
(1987) by John M. Ford
.
Mel Brooks
' Blazing Saddles
contains a memorable performance by Madeline Kahn
called "I'm Tired", done as a parody of Dietrich's performance in Blue Angel.
Marlene Dietrich's version of the song was used in a 1997 Mercedes-Benz
commercial that Car and Driver
magazine rated as the number three top car commercial of all time.
Christina Aguilera
covered the song for the soundtrack of the motion picture The Spirit
, a 2008 American comic book adaptation, written and directed by Frank Miller.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
name for a 1930
1930 in music
-Events:*February 16 - al which opens to rave reviews. Of the film's song, "When The Little Red Roses Get The Blues For You", becomes a hit. Al Jolson records this song from the picture for Brunswick Records....
German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
song composed by Friedrich Hollaender
Friedrich Hollaender
Friedrich Hollaender was a German film composer.He was born in London, where his father, operetta composer Victor Hollaender, worked at the Barnum & Bailey Circus...
as Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt (literally: "Head to toe, I'm ready for love"). The song was originally performed in the film Der Blaue Engel
Der blaue Engel
The Blue Angel is a film directed by Josef von Sternberg in 1930, based on Heinrich Mann's novel Professor Unrat. The film is considered to be the first major German sound film and it brought world fame to actress Marlene Dietrich...
(English translation: The Blue Angel) by Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
, who also recorded the most famous English version. The English lyrics were written by Sammy Lerner
Sammy Lerner
Samuel "Sammy" Lerner was a Romanian-born songwriter for American and British musical theatre and film.-Career:...
, but are in no way a direct translation of the original.
The Beatles version
"Falling in Love Again" was covered live by The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in 1962, in their early Hamburg touring days. The only recording from the album The Beatles, Live at the Star Club, in Hamburg, 1962, with Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
singing lead vocals, as well as on the album First Live Recordings
First Live Recordings
1st Live Recordings is a two-volume album series released by Pickwick Records in 1979 containing a live performance by The Beatles. Liverpool singer, King Size Taylor, recorded this on a Grundig home tape recorder at 3 3/4 ips during a performance at Hamburg's Star Club on December 31, 1962...
. The Beatles had updated the melody to a rock-'n'-roll style with a change of lyricshttp://lyrics.wikia.com/The_Beatles:Falling_In_Love_Again.
Kevin Ayers version
"Falling in Love Again" was Kevin AyersKevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
’ final release on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. The flip side, "Everyone Knows the Song", was an Ayers original. After the release of this single Ayers signed to Harvest Records
Harvest Records
-References:* Harvest Records collectors guide ISBN 978-5-9622-0021-7...
and both tracks became part of his 1976 album, Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)
Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)
Yes We Have No Mañanas is the seventh studio album by Kevin Ayers, released in June 1976. This LP marked Kevin Ayers' return to the leftfield Harvest label...
. The single was also re-released a few months later by Harvest in parts of Europe but featuring the Ayers original "The Owl" on the B-side.
Track listing
Island release- "Falling in Love Again" (Hollander/Connelly)
- "Everyone Knows the Song" (Kevin Ayers)
Harvest release
- "Falling in Love Again" (Hollander/Connelly)
- "The Owl" (Kevin Ayers)
Personnel
- Kevin AyersKevin AyersKevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
/ vocals - Billy LivseyBilly LivseyBilly Livsey is an American songwriter, keyboardist, and producer from Nashville, Tennessee. He has worked for many musicians including Tina Turner, Kevin Ayers, 801, Gerry Rafferty, Five Star, and Kenny Rogers.-References:*...
/ keyboards - Charlie McCracken / bass
- Ollie HalsallOllie HalsallPeter John 'Ollie' Halsall was a left-handed guitarist and is best known for his role in The Rutles, the bands Patto, Timebox and Boxer, and for his contribution to the music of Kevin Ayers. He is also notable as one of the few players of the vibraphone in rock music...
/guitar - Rob TownsendRob TownsendRob Townsend is a British rock and blues drummer. He was influenced by jazz greats such as Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa and is best known for being the drummer for progressive rock band Family and later The Blues Band....
/ drums - Roger Saunders / guitar
- B.J. Cole / steel guitar
- Pip WilliamsPip WilliamsPip Williams, is a record producer, arranger and guitarist, best known for producing albums for Status Quo and The Moody Blues.-Career:...
(arr. A-side)
ADX version
"Falling in Love Again" is a 12-inch single by The AdictsThe Adicts
The Adicts are an English punk band from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. One of the more popular punk rock bands in the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts at that time. Their song "Viva La Revolution" was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground. It was also featured in a commercial...
under the name ADX. It was including in re-released by Captain Oi! in 2002 and by SOS Records in 2006, each with bonus tracks of the 1985 third studio album Smart Alex
Smart Alex
Smart Alex is the third studio album by The Adicts. It was re-released by Captain Oi! in 2002 and by SOS Records in 2006, each with bonus tracks including the "Falling in Love Again" EP...
. In 2002, Taang! Records re-released the album and bonus tracks as The Collection, and the same Smart Alex disc with bonus tracks was released individually in 2004. All including a mix of the classic.
The Adicts
- Keith 'Monkey' Warren - vocals
- Mel Ellis - bass
- Pete Dee Davison - guitar
- Michael 'Kid' Dee Davison - drums
- John 'Scruff' Ellis - guitar
- Dan 'Fiddle Dan' Graziani - violin, piano, mandolin
Other versions
The song has also been recorded by The Comedian HarmonistsComedian Harmonists
The Comedian Harmonists were an internationally famous, all-male German close harmony ensemble that performed between 1928 and 1934 as one of the most successful musical groups in Europe before World War II...
(in German, as "Wir sind von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt", circa 1930); Zarah Leander
Zarah Leander
Zarah Leander was a Swedish actress and singer.Leander began her career in the late 1920s, and by the mid 1930s her success in Europe, particularly in Germany and the Scandinavian countries, led to invitations to work in the United States...
(1931, in Swedish); Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
(1940); Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
(1961
1961 in music
-Events:*January 15 – Motown Records signs The Supremes.*January 20 – Francis Poulenc's Gloria receives its premiėre in Boston, USA.*February 12 – The Miracles' "Shop Around" becomes Motown's first million-selling single....
); Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
(1962); The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
(1962, at The Star Club, featured on the album First Live Recordings
First Live Recordings
1st Live Recordings is a two-volume album series released by Pickwick Records in 1979 containing a live performance by The Beatles. Liverpool singer, King Size Taylor, recorded this on a Grundig home tape recorder at 3 3/4 ips during a performance at Hamburg's Star Club on December 31, 1962...
); Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
(1966); Claudine Longet
Claudine Longet
Claudine Georgette Longet is a French singer and recording artist who was popular during the 1960s and 1970s. She is also an actress and a dancer.Born in Paris, France, Longet was married to pop singer Andy Williams from 1961 until 1975...
(1968); The Techno Twins (1981
1981 in music
See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
); Klaus Nomi
Klaus Nomi
Klaus Sperber , better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona....
(1982
1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....
); William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
(1990, in German); Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
(1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
); Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
(1999
1999 in music
-Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia....
); The Puppini Sisters
The Puppini Sisters
The Puppini Sisters are a vocal trio. Arion Berger described them as part of "Retro's futuristic vanguard" and described their sound as "swing-punk". The group has sought to be associated with a burlesque revival....
(2006
2006 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
); Michael Lutzeier (2008
2008 in music
2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such...
); and Theo Bleckmann
Theo Bleckmann
Theo Bleckmann is a vocalist and composer.-Biography:Theo Bleckmann is a jazz singer and new music composer, he was GRAMMY NOMINATED and received the ECHO award in 2010...
(2008). It featured in the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band's 40th anniversary tour of 2006; Patricia Kaas
Patricia Kaas
Patricia Kaas is a French singer and actress.Kaas is a very successful French-speaking singer, with an International following...
(2008, on the album Kabaret
Kabaret
Kabaret ist the eighth studio album by French singer Patricia Kaas. It was first released digitally on December 15, 2008. The physical release followed in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and Russia on February 6, 2009, and in a double CD edition in France on March 30, 2009.Kabaret, written with a K,...
);
Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
sang a few lines of the song during The Girlie Show Tour
The Girlie Show Tour
The Girlie Show World Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna, in support of her fifth studio album, Erotica. The tour visited the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Madonna's inspiration for the name of the tour was a painting called "Girlie Show" by Edward Hopper...
in 1993.
It is also sung by Lieutenant Gruber in an episode of the hit sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
recorded the song with Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
for the album "Lush Life
Lush Life (Linda Ronstadt album)
Lush Life is a Platinum-certified, Grammy-nominated album by American singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt, released in late 1984. It was the second in a trilogy of jazz albums with bandleader/arranger Nelson Riddle....
" (1984)
The song lyrics are parodied in an original Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
novel, How Much for Just the Planet?
How Much for Just the Planet?
How Much for Just the Planet? is a 1987 Star Trek tie-in novel by John M. Ford.-Plot:In the novel, large deposits of dilithium are detected on a colony planet, and delegations are sent by the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire to negotiate for mining rights How Much for Just the...
(1987) by John M. Ford
John M. Ford
John Milo "Mike" Ford was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, game designer, and poet.Ford was regarded as an extraordinarily intelligent, erudite and witty man. He was a popular contributor to several online discussions...
.
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
' Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles is a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, the film was written by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger, and was based on Bergman's story and draft. The movie was nominated for three...
contains a memorable performance by Madeline Kahn
Madeline Kahn
Madeline Kahn was an American actress. Kahn was known primarily for her comedic roles in films such as Paper Moon, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, What's Up, Doc?, and Clue.-Early life:...
called "I'm Tired", done as a parody of Dietrich's performance in Blue Angel.
Marlene Dietrich's version of the song was used in a 1997 Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
commercial that Car and Driver
Car and Driver
Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011...
magazine rated as the number three top car commercial of all time.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
covered the song for the soundtrack of the motion picture The Spirit
The Spirit (film)
The Spirit is a 2008 American superhero noir film, written and directed by Frank Miller and starring Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Dan Lauria, Paz Vega, Jaime King, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film is based on the newspaper comic strip The Spirit by Will Eisner...
, a 2008 American comic book adaptation, written and directed by Frank Miller.