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Plaisir d'Amour / Can't Help Falling in Love With You:

Episode 2 of 5

Marianne Faithfull recalls the French love song that went on to inspire Elvis's 60s hit. From November 2014.

Marianne Faithfull recalls the classical French Love song which went on to inspire a 1960s hit record by Elvis Presley.

'Plaisir d'Amour' somehow found its way through 18th century orchestration (Hector Berlioz) and 1960's folk revival, to an unexpected re-invention as Elvis鈥檚 'I Can't' Help Falling in Love with You'.

Written in 1784 by Jean-Paul-脡gide Martini, the song muses on the pleasures and pains of love and was inspired by a poem in Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian's novel 'C茅lestine'.

For 17 year old Marianne Faithfull it was a song of innocence, recorded in a tiny booth in London鈥檚 old Decca studios whilst happily pregnant with her first child.

Meanwhile, author Julia Donaldson and husband Malcolm busked it on the streets of Paris. This was in the summer of 1969 and police hid in alleyways, still fearful of students following the 1968 riots.

Inspired by Elvis, West Point Military Academy Freshman Andrew Scott learnt to pick the tune on guitar 鈥 helping him win the heart of his wife. For Henry and Christine Wallace, it summed everything up "It was what I was looking for, someone to share my life and the words 'take my whole life too was in tune with what I wanted'.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

Producer: Nicola Humphries

First broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 4 in November 2014.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Wed 2 Feb 2022 00:30

Music Played

  • Victoria de los 脕ngeles

    Plaisir D'Amour

  • Andr茅 Baug茅

    Plaisir D'Amour

  • Marianne Faithfull

    Plaisir D'Amour

  • Elvis Presley

    Can't Help Falling In Love

  • The Fron Male Voice Choir

    Can't Help Falling in Love

Broadcasts

  • Tue 18 Nov 2014 11:30
  • Sat 22 Nov 2014 15:30
  • Fri 25 Aug 2017 18:30
  • Sat 26 Aug 2017 00:30
  • Tue 1 Feb 2022 18:30
  • Wed 2 Feb 2022 00:30

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