"Can't Stop Fallin' into Love" is a song by the American rock band

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American Rock music, rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, ...

, which was released in 1990 as the lead single from their eleventh studio album '' Busted''. It was written by guitarist

Rick Nielsen Richard Alan Nielsen (born December 22, 1948) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist, primary songwriter, and leader of the rock band Cheap Trick. He is well-known for his numerous custom-made guitars from Hamer Guitars, inclu ...

, lead singer

Robin Zander Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick, but is also a solo artist. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a ...

and bassist

Tom Petersson Thomas John Peterson, better known as Tom Petersson, is an American musician who is best known for being the bass guitar player for the rock band Cheap Trick. Career Before joining Cheap Trick, Petersson played in a number of bands, including t ...

, and produced by

Richie Zito Richie Zito (born August 21, 1952) is an American songwriter, composer and record producer from Los Angeles. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Zito has experienced success as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of ...

. Following the band's commercial comeback with ''

Lap of Luxury ''Lap of Luxury'' is the tenth studio album by United States, American musical ensemble, band Cheap Trick. Released on April 12, 1988, it is the band's second-most commercially successful studio album (trailing only 1979's ''Dream Police''), reach ...

'' in 1988, "Can't Stop Fallin' into Love" and its parent album ''Busted'' attempted to capitalize on the previous album's success. The song reached No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, which was considered disappointing to Epic. It would be Cheap Trick's last single to reach the Top 40.

Background

"Can't Stop Fallin' into Love" was originally written as an instrumental track in early 1987. Once the band had added lyrics, the song was demoed in Milwaukee, with blues singer/songwriter

Harvey Scales Harvey Scales (September 27, 1940 – February 11, 2019) was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and producer. Scales had been active in the music industry since the 1960s, and composed songs for groups such as The Dells, The Dramatics ...

on vocals. Soon after, Zander presented a copy of the demo to

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

and although the singer expressed interest in recording the song for his upcoming album, Epic blocked the deal as they felt Cheap Trick should record and release their own version instead.

Music video

The song's music video was directed by

Nigel Dick Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is a British music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, England, now based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Britney Spears videos " ...Baby One More Time" and " Oops!... I Did I ...

and produced by Lisa Hollinshead.

Release

"Can't Stop Fallin' into Love" was released by Epic on 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl and CD. The 12" vinyl and a limited edition CD single were released in the UK only, with a 12" vinyl also released for the Netherlands. For its release as a single, the song had a "Radio Mix" produced. The single's B-side, "You Drive, I'll Steer", was taken from ''Busted''. The 12" vinyl released in the Netherlands featured the extra track "I Can't Understand It", also from ''Busted''. On the 12" vinyl released in the UK, the "LP Version" of the song was used, along with "You Drive, I'll Steer" and the band's 1988 US chart-topper " The Flame". The UK CD single used the same track listing but the A-side was the "Radio Mix".

Critical reception

Upon release, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' commented: "Strumming guitar rocker should easily build upon the momentum started by group's career-resuscitating project last year." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' wrote: "A grandiose ballad from the reformed rockers. Hook-heavy music full of ringing guitars and macho lyrics."Music & Media magazine - Previews: Singles - August 25, 1990 - page 11 In a review of the single,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

gave three out of five stars and wrote: ""Can't Stop Fallin' into Love" began life as an instrumental, but the worthless words make the piece shine. Zander pouts and preens in prime peacock fashion, quoting trashy Rod Stewart and grimy greats the Troggs. High on the platinum fumes of the glistening ''Lap of Luxury'', the charismatic quartet seems happy and comfortable (temporarily) back on top. Slipping love letters and suicide notes under a "Stone Free" bassline and glossy adult contemporary sheen, this track is positively Cheap Trick at their subversive best."

Track listing

;7" Single #"Can't Stop Fallin' into Love (Radio Mix)" - 3:49 #"You Drive, I'll Steer" - 4:33 ;12" Single (UK release) #"Can't Stop Fallin' into Love (LP Version)" - 3:49 #"The Flame" - 4:33 #"You Drive, I'll Steer" - 4:33 ;12" Single (Dutch release) #"Can't Stop Fallin' into Love" - 3:49 #"You Drive, I'll Steer" - 4:33 #"I Can't Understand It" - 3:29 ;CD Single (UK Limited Edition release) #"Can't Stop Fallin' into Love (Radio Mix)" - 3:49 #"The Flame" - 4:30 #"You Drive, I'll Steer" - 4:33

Charts

Personnel

;Cheap Trick *

- lead vocals, rhythm guitar *

- lead guitar, backing vocals *

- bass, backing vocals * Bun E. Carlos - drums, percussion ;Additional personnel *

- Producer *

Mike Shipley Michael Shipley (6 October 1956 – 25 July 2013) was an Australian mixing engineer, audio engineer, and record producer. Shipley's music career spanned more than 30 years – mostly working in Los Angeles. At the Grammy Awards of 2012 he ...

- mixing on "Can't Stop Fallin' into Love" * David Thoener - mixing on "You Drive, I'll Steer" *

George Marino George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

- mastering

References

{{authority control 1990 songs 1990 singles Cheap Trick songs Songs written by Rick Nielsen Songs written by Robin Zander Songs written by Tom Petersson Song recordings produced by Richie Zito Epic Records singles