Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)
"Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)" 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: "I am, from head to toe, 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, which became her anthem. 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.
Cover versions
The Beatles version
"Falling in Love Again" was covered live by The Beatles in 1962, in their early Hamburg touring days. It is 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 lyrics.
Kevin Ayers version
| "Falling in Love Again" | |||||||
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| Single by Kevin Ayers | |||||||
| from the album Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today) | |||||||
| B-side | "Everyone Knows the Song" | ||||||
| Released | Feb, 1976 | ||||||
| Format | 7" 45 rpm | ||||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||||
| Label | Island WIP6271 & Harvest | ||||||
| Producer(s) | Muff Winwood | ||||||
| Kevin Ayers singles chronology | |||||||
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"Falling in Love Again" was Kevin Ayers’ 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.
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 Ayers / vocals
- Billy Livsey / keyboards
- Charlie McCracken / bass
- Ollie Halsall / guitar
- Rob Townsend / drums
- Roger Saunders / guitar
- B.J. Cole / steel guitar
- Pip Williams (arr. A-side)
Adicts version
| "Falling in Love Again" | ||||
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| Single by The Adicts | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Format | 12" | |||
| Genre | Punk rock, new wave | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| The Adicts singles chronology | ||||
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"Falling in Love Again" is a 12-inch single by The Adicts, released under the name ADX. It is often included as bonus tracks on re-issues of the 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 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 Harmonists (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); Ute Lemper, in German and English, on her 1992 "Illusions" album; 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.
The Mel Brooks' film Blazing Saddles contains a performance by Madeline Kahn called "I'm Tired", done as a parody of Dietrich's performance in Blue Angel.
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.[1]