Hongell 1

Danielle K. Hongell

Jamie Dunham

ENG 1102

20 February 2021

Can’t Help Falling in Love with You

Elvis Presley, The King of Rock and Roll, sings “Can’t Help Falling in Love'', to his

significant other in the music video. The singer Tyler Joseph from the band Twenty One Pilots

made his own cover of the song where he is singing to his fans while playing his ukulele. The

first video was produced in 1961. TOP’s was posted to youtube in 2012. Both videos express a

man singing to someone about falling in love, although the theme is not the same. Twenty-One

Pilots cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love”, gives the song a more modern sound and revamps

the love song for younger generations who weren’t around to see Elvis.

In Elvis’s video the scene is set on the island of Hawaii. The video is from the movie

“Loving You”, where Elvis is the lead role. He is singing to the mother of the women he is

falling in love with. At the beginning of the video he hands the mother a music box. The girl he

loves is across from him on the other side of her mother. They begin to hold hands while Elvis

serenades her and her mother. The purpose of this is to impress the mother and express how

falling in love might make him a fool but he simply cannot help it.

The video for Twenty One Pilots cover is a lot different than the first version. It is live

and the only instrument is the ukulele and Tyler Joseph’s voice. He goes to a man on the curb of

the street and plays to him. The video then cuts to him singing with fans that are waiting in line

for his concert. After that scene it is him in the venue and the crowd helps him sing the song. The
 Hongell 2

last clip is him in a van with the drummer of the band, Josh Dun. This version is more modern

and less serious.

Elvis specialized in the rock and blues genre of music. Whereas Twenty One Pilots are

more of a pop duo in the music world. They appeal to two different audiences. Older generations

would listen to the Elvis version. Younger adults and teenagers would listen to the cover of it.

Fans of Elvis adore him, his persona, and sound. The first video is familiar to them. Music

cover’s are all over the internet, where people make renditions of songs they love and add their

own style to it.

Both versions of the song are adored by different people. The videos show different

stories but still send the same message. Love is what it is. Whether it’s towards a significant

other, or the people who support you. The song is a great representation of how people express

their feelings through music.

 Hongell 3

Works Cited

“Elvis Presley - Can’t Help Falling In Love 1961 (High Quality).” YouTube, uploaded by

NoMadU55555, 2 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXhKWWCCdk8.

“Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis Cover).” YouTube, uploaded by twenty one pilots, 21

Aug. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ThQkrXHdh4&feature=youtu.be.