Two songs from Presley's (then) latest film 'Blue Hawaii', 'Rock-a-Hula Baby' is a dervish of a tune that burns up an awful lot of calories through running on the spot and getting precisely nowhere. 'Rock-a-hula, rock rock-a-hula' moans Elvis over ever ascending bars of music garnished with steel guitar flourishes to confirm we're not in Kansas anymore and are holidaying by a lagoon, but no amount of embellishment or that ludicrously showboating finale can create anything of substance out of the flim flam of a song its moulded around.Undoubtedly the big brother of the two, 'Can't Help Falling In Love' is a return to the slow solemnity of 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?', only this time the furrowed brow intensity applies itself less well to a song about falling in love than it does to one about falling out of it. "Take my hand, take my whole life too" - Elvis doesn't sound too enthused at the prospect and his deadpanning on the tag line "For I can't help falling in love with you" makes it sound more like a chore than a pleasure. There's a better song here than is evidenced on this; for example, the 1986 folked up version by Lick The Tins nicely captured the wide eyed wonder of irresistible attraction. I'm afraid Presley's half speed, somnambulistic take falls flat in comparison.
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