"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written byVictor Young (music) andEdward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced inHoward Hughes' last filmOne Minute to Zero as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero".Jeri Southern sang on the first vocal recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung byDoris Day released in July 1952.
Day's recording was made on June 5, 1952. It was released byColumbia Records as catalog number 39786 and issued with the flip side "Take Me in Your Arms". The song reached number 20 on theBillboard chart.[1]
TheMiles Davis Quintet recorded the song on May 11, 1956 at the Rudy van Gelder Studio inHackensack, New Jersey, withMiles Davis on muted trumpet,Red Garland on piano,Paul Chambers on bass, andPhilly Joe Jones on drums. Quintet saxophonistJohn Coltrane sat out on the cut. In July 1961,Prestige Records released the recording as the last track on the album, Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet. Prestige re-packaged and reissued the track in 1965 on the compilation album, "Miles Plays for Lovers."
A version was recorded byNat King Cole on December 28, 1956. It was issued byCapitol Records on the album titledLove Is the Thing, catalog number SW824. The song was also used as the recurrent love theme in the 1957 filmIstanbul, in which Cole sang the song onscreen. The single was released in the UK in 1957 and reached No. 2 on theUK Singles Chart. This recording was rereleased in 1987 and reached number 4. The start of Cole's version was sampled inPop Will Eat Itself's 1988 single "There Is No Love Between Us Anymore".[2] Since 2014, Cole's version of the song has been featured in adverts forSSE.
Natalie Cole recorded two different versions of the song: a contemporary R&B/smooth jazz version for her 1987 albumEverlasting (No. 14 U.S. AC) and a more traditional version for her 1996Stardust album as a virtual duet with her father Nat King Cole, including recordings of his vocals from his 1956 version. This version won two awards at the39th Grammy Awards: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s) for arrangersAlan Broadbent andDavid Foster.
Blues singerEtta Jones released a version of the song in 1960, which spent eight weeks on theBillboard Hot 100, reaching No. 65.[3]
A version bythe Lettermen was released as a single in 1961 and spent 14 weeks on theBillboard Hot 100, reaching No. 7,[4] while reaching No. 1 on theBillboard'sEasy Listening chart.[5] Veteran drummerEarl Palmer played on this version.[6]
Donny Osmond recorded the song in 1973 for his albumA Time for Us. It spent 13 weeks on theBillboard Hot 100, reaching No. 55,[7] while reaching No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart[8] and No. 1 in France.[9]
The version of "When I Fall in Love" by English singer-songwriterRick Astley was released on November 30, 1987, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the release ofNat King Cole's version of the song. This single is mainly remembered for a closely fought contest for UKChristmas number one. RivalsEMI, hoping to see their act,Pet Shop Boys, reach number one with "Always on My Mind", re-released the version by Nat King Cole.[11][12] This led to a slow down of purchases of Astley's version, allowing Pet Shop Boys to reach the coveted top spot. Despite selling over 250,000 copies and gaining a Silver certification from the BPI,[13] it peaked in the UK at number 2 for two weeks. The re-release by Nat King Cole reached number 4. Since the single was released as adouble A-side, the other half of the single was "My Arms Keep Missing You", which was successful in its own right in Europe. In 2019, Astley recorded and released a "reimagined" version of the song for his albumThe Best of Me, which features a new piano arrangement.[14] On November 24, 2022, the original music video was remastered to 1080p HD for a limited edition 12" double A-side red vinyl issue of the "Love This Christmas" single.[15][16]
A review in Pan-European magazineMusic & Media considered that Astley's cover version as "surprisingly matching the original" and added: "With the romantic string arrangements and Astley's mature vocals, the perfect seasonal single, bound for a no. 1 in the UK".[17] When reviewing the parent album, British magazineMusic Week underlined the track, adding that Astley "stretches his vocal chords on a credible and reverent recreation" of Cole's song.[18] In the same magazine, Jerry Smith deemed it a potential hit in spite of "the cloying strings arrangement", and added that this cover was "not a patch" on Cole's original version.[19] Chris Heath ofSmash Hits praised the song as "brilliantly effective" with a "plinkety-plonkety orchestration and Rick crooning away, sounding uncannily like a 50 year oldFrank Sinatra type".[20] In another issue of the same magazine, Lola Borg considered it as "truly splendid" and added that Astley "ably croons a slushy lump of woefulness" and that this version is similar to the original since "the sweeping strings areexactly the same, note for note".[21]
AllMusic senior editorStephen Thomas Erlewine remarked that Dion's album,The Colour of My Love, which featured the song, had "careful production, professional songwriting (highlighted by "When I Fall in Love", "The Power of Love", and "Think Twice").[41]J.D. Considine fromThe Baltimore Sun wrote that "it's no accident that Celine Dion keeps recording all those movie-theme duets -- she's got the perfect voice for wide-screen romance, all unbridled power and telegraphed emotion." He added that "she sounds great, demonstrating the kind of vocal confidence that originally madeWhitney Houston a star."[42]Larry Flick fromBillboard felt that Dion "is at home within an arrangement of delicate rhythms and sweeping orchestration", while also noting that Griffin's voice "is a pure thrill."[43] Christopher Smith of Talk About Pop Music said that the singers "do credible justice toNat’s signature tune as she remains in subdued and romantic mood for the entire length" of the song.[44]
"When I Fall in Love" reached top forty in several countries, including number 21 in Canada, number 22 in New Zealand, number 23 in the United States, and number 37 in the Netherlands. It was popular on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and the USHot Adult Contemporary Tracks, peaking at numbers two and six, respectively.
^L., D. (November 28, 1987)."LP Reviews"(PDF).Music Week. p. 26. RetrievedSeptember 11, 2023 – via World Radio History.
^Smith, Jerry (December 5, 1987)."Singles"(PDF).Music Week. p. 23. RetrievedSeptember 11, 2023 – via World Radio History.
^Heath, Chris (November 18 – December 1, 1987)."Albums"(PDF).Smash Hits. Vol. 9, no. 22. p. 86.ISSN0260-3004. RetrievedNovember 21, 2023 – via World Radio History.
^"New Release Summary – Product Available from : 12/07/93: Singles".The ARIA Report. No. 180. July 18, 1993. p. 19.Misprinted as the previous week, July 12.
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