One for all times….. For the one…..

It all started with a post on one of the music lover’s groups that I am part of. A great rendition on a Cello of a truly timeless classic that brought back memories dating back half a century. The guy was really good with the instrument. Check it out…   https://youtu.be/bdGgD35OW6s

This guy is so expressive on the Cello with his facial expressions to match.

Stjepan Hauser , known professionally as HAUSER, is a Croatian cellist. He is a member of 2CELLOS, along with Luka Šulić.

Hauser was born in Pula, Croatia, into a musical family, where he began his musical education. His mother is a percussionist. His sister is a journalist in Pula.

Hauser finished secondary school in Rijeka. He studied in Zagreb but completed his undergraduate studies with Natalia Pavlutskaya at Trinity College of Music (now Trinity Laban) London. He completed his postgraduate studies with Ralph Kirshbaum as a Dorothy Stone Scholar at RNCM in Manchester and with Bernard Greenhouse in USA. The results of these varied influences are clearly evident in his rendition. His YouTube channel has had nearly three quarters of a billion visitors and I am not in the least surprised.

The song, written by George Weiss, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore has very simple lyrics that are so easy to understand.

I can’t help falling in love with you..

… Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can’t help falling in love with you
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can’t help falling in love with you?

… Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be

… Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can’t help falling in love with you

… Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be

… Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can’t help falling in love with you
For I can’t help falling in love with you

I first heard the King Sing it in his inimitable style. When Elvis Presley gets into this mood, he is truly unmatched. Persuasive and seductive at the same time, it is impossible to even imagine anyone ever saying no to him. Listen to just this one rendition where the instrumentalists are from the famous London Philharmonic Orchestra. The effect, expectedly is just divine. https://youtu.be/DJ8z7V8iGaE

This song was first recorded by Elvis Presley for the movie album Blue Hawaii

The melody is actually based on “Plaisir d’amour”, a popular French love song composed, believe it or not, in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was initially actually written from the perspective of a woman as “Can’t Help Falling in Love with Him”, which explains the first and third line ending on “in” and “sin” rather than words rhyming with “you”. Elvis Presley at the time had the Midas Touch. The song reached #1 on the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, unsurprisingly. The song was covered by many bands. UB40 gave it a reggae flavour to it and hit the top of the charts, too. https://youtu.be/vUdloUqZa7w

Of all the cover versions, my favourite one is by an amazing singer, who is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist.

He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting from a football accident.

After performing evenings in piano bars and competing in local singing contests, he rose to fame in 1994, winning the newcomer’s section of the 44th San Remo Music Festival performing “Il mare calmo della sera”. He has had success as a crossover performer, bringing classical music to the top of international pop charts, selling more than 75 million copies of his songs. Friends, this is the version by the one and only Andrea Bocelli. https://youtu.be/SPizIaBPhSg

That’s the song for the day, dedicated by me, just four flavours of the many available to the one for today. Here’s to you, now you know the reason.

Stay happy and healthy, folks as 14th February winds down. Stay safe, love and be loved. Believe me, it feels great…

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