"Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)" is the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

name for a 1930

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

song composed by

Friedrich Hollaender Friedrich Hollaender (in exile also Frederick Hollander; 18 October 189618 January 1976) was a German film composer and author. Life and career He was born in London to a Jewish family, where his father, operetta composer Victor Hollaend ...

as "''Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt"'' (literally: "I am, from head to toe, ready for love"). The song was originally performed in the 1930 film ''

Der Blaue Engel ''The Blue Angel'' () is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Liebmann, with uncredited ...

'' (English translation: ''The Blue Angel'') by

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

, who also recorded the more famous English version, which became her anthem. Dietrich is backed by the Friedrich Hollaender Orchestra. The English lyrics were written by Sammy Lerner, though they do not include a translation of the original version's most erotic verse; when the English version is sung, the first verse is simply repeated. The song is sometimes co-credited to

Reginald Connelly Jimmy Campbell (born James Alexander Campbell-Tyrie; 5 April 1903–19 August 1967) and Reg Connelly (born Reginald John Connelly; 22 October 1895–23 September 1963) were English songwriters and music publishers. Writing together in ...

Cover versions

The Beatles version

"Falling in Love Again" was covered live by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

while playing Hamburg in 1962. The band altered the English lyrics slightly, and delivered the song in a rock'n'roll style. Featuring Paul McCartney on lead vocals, the Beatles' live rendition of the song can be found on the double LP '' Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962'', originally released in 1977; it is the only released version of the song by the band.

Kevin Ayers version

"Falling in Love Again" was

Kevin Ayers Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely asso ...

' final release on

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

. The flip side, "Everyone Knows the Song", was an Ayers original. After the release of this single, Ayers signed to

Harvest Records Harvest Records is a British-American record label belonging to Capitol Music Group, originally created by EMI in 1969. History Harvest Records was created by EMI in 1969 to market progressive rock music, and to compete with Philips' Vertigo ...

, 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.

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

– vocals *

Billy Livsey Billy Livsey is an American songwriter, keyboardist, and producer originally from St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri and now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He has worked with many musicians including Tina Turner, Kevin Ayers, Phil Manzanera, 801 (b ...

– keyboards * Charlie McCracken – bass *

Ollie Halsall Peter John "Ollie" Halsall (14 March 1949 – 29 May 1992) was an English guitarist, songwriter, and singer, best known for his role in the Rutles, the bands Patto, Timebox (band), Timebox, and Boxer (band), Boxer, and for his contribution to t ...

– guitar * Rob Townsend – drums * Roger Saunders – guitar * B. J. Cole –

steel guitar A steel guitar () is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar i ...

Pip Williams Philip "Pip" Williams (born 7 October 1947), sometimes spelt Phillip, is an English record producer, arranger, and guitarist. He is best known for producing albums for Status Quo and The Moody Blues, but has also worked with a large number of we ...

(arr. A-side)

Adicts version

The 12-inch single "Falling in Love Again" by the Adicts was released in 1985 under the name ADX. It is often included as a bonus track on reissues of the punk band's third album, '' Smart Alex''.

Track listing

# "Falling in Love Again" # "Come Along" # "It's a Laugh" # "Saturday Night"

Personnel

* Keith "Monkey" Warren – vocals * Mel "Spider" Ellis – bass * Pete "Pete Dee" Davison – guitar * Michael "Kid Dee" Davison – drums * John "Scruff" Ellis – guitar * Dan "Fiddle Dan" Graziani – violin, piano,

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

Other versions

Dietrich re-recorded the song in a huskier voice in 1939, accompanied by

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Young was posthumously awarded the ...

and His Orchestra. As her signature song, it would also consistently be featured on Dietrich's live albums.

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

- ''

Duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...

'' with

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

(1962)

Alan Price Alan Price (born 19 April 1942) is an English musician who first found prominence as the original keyboardist of the English rock band the Animals. He left the band in 1965 to form the Alan Price Set; his hit singles with and without the group ...

, who had recently left

the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

, released a 45-rpm single on

Deram Records Deram Records was a subsidiary record label of Decca Records established in the United Kingdom in 1966. At the time, U.K. Decca was a different company from the Decca label in the United States, which was owned by MCA Inc. Deram recordings w ...

in 1969.

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...

recorded the song with

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...

and his orchestra; it appears on her 1984 pop album '' Lush Life''.

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

recorded the song for the soundtrack of '' The Spirit'', a 2008 movie adaptation of the comic book series.The Spirit (film) production notes
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John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...

covered the song with

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...

on his 2016 album of duets '' For Better, or Worse''. The song was also recorded and featured on releases by the Comedian Harmonists (in German, as "''Wir sind von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt''", circa 1930);

Zarah Leander Zarah Leander (; 15 March 1907 – 23 June 1981) was a Sweden, Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned UFA GmbH, Universum Film AG (UFA). Althou ...

(1931, in Swedish);

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

(1940);

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...

(1962);

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

(1966);

Claudine Longet Claudine Longet (born January 29, 1942) is a Franco-American singer, actress, dancer, and recording artist popular during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Paris, France, Longet was married to American singer and television entertainer Andy Williams ...

(1968); Lill Lindfors (1968, new Swedish lyrics);

Denise McCann Denise McCann (born December 16, 1948, in Clinton, Iowa) is an American-Canadians, Canadian singer-songwriter. Biography Growing up in a musical family (her grandfather Albert Hews McCann, Sr. was a professional cornet player and singer in Shre ...

(1979); Techno Twins (1981);

Klaus Nomi Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), known professionally as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona. In the 1970s, Nomi immersed himself in the East Villag ...

(1982); Family Fodder (1983);

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major Postmodern literature, postmodern author who influen ...

(1990, in German); Ute Lemper, in German and English, on her 1992 ''Illusions'' album;

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

(1997);

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...

(1999); the Puppini Sisters (2006); and

Theo Bleckmann Theodor Raoul Bleckmann (born 28 May 1966) is a German singer and composer. Biography Bleckmann was born in Dortmund, West Germany. He planned to be an ice skater before becoming a vocalist. In 1989 he moved to New York City and recorded his ...

(2008);

Patricia Kaas Patricia Noëlle Kaas (; born 5 December 1966) is a French singer. Her music is a mix of pop, cabaret, jazz, and chanson. Since the appearance of her 1988 debut album '' Mademoiselle chante...,'' Kaas won 6 Victoires de la Musique awards and ...

(2008, on the album '' Kabaret''); and by Alain Kan (in English). The 1974

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

film ''

Blazing Saddles ''Blazing Saddles'' is a 1974 American satirical postmodernist Western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, who co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg and Alan Uger, based on a story treatment by Be ...

'' features a performance by

Madeline Kahn Madeline Gail Kahn (''née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She was known for her comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc ...

of a song called "I'm Tired", a parody of Dietrich's performance of the Hollaender song in ''The Blue Angel''. The song lyrics are parodied in an original ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' novel, '' How Much for Just the Planet?'' (1987) by John M. Ford. "Falling in Love Again" was also sung by

Guy Siner Guy Domville Siner (born October 16, 1947) is an English-American actor best known for his role as Lieutenant Hubert Gruber in Allo 'Allo!'' and Dr. Mittenhand in '' Leprechaun 4: In Space''. Early life Guy Domville Siner was born in New Y ...

(as Lieutenant Gruber) in an episode of the sitcom ''

'Allo 'Allo! ''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a Frenc ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

sang a few lines of the song during The Girlie Show Tour in 1993. It also was featured on the

Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as the Bonzo Dog Band or the Bonzos) was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde ar ...

's 40th anniversary tour in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falling In Love Again (Can't Help It) 1930 songs 1976 singles Songs with music by Friedrich Hollaender Songs with lyrics by Sammy Lerner Nina Simone songs Kevin Ayers songs The Adicts songs Techno Twins songs Christina Aguilera songs 1985 singles Sire Records singles Harvest Records singles Island Records singles Song recordings produced by Muff Winwood Marlene Dietrich songs Comedian Harmonists songs