Fallin' in Love (Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds song)
"Fallin' In Love" is a song recorded and released by the trio of Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. The song was written by band member Dan Hamilton. Released in the summer of 1975, the song became the group's second Top 10 hit on the BillboardHot 100 chart in the U.S., and it was their only song to reach the #1 position on this chart. It was also the only pop #1 hit for the Playboy Records label. "Fallin' in Love" was also a #1 hit on the adult contemporary chart in the U.S. for one week in 1975. In addition, the song reached number twenty-four on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart. The song was covered by La Bouche in 1995 on their debut album Sweet Dreams, and sampled by Canadian rapper/singer Drake for his single "Best I Ever Had". The song was featured in the 2007 film The Hitcher.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Lawsuit
In a lawsuit filed June 24, 2010, Playboy Enterprises sued Drake for copyright infringement by over allegations that his breakout smash "Best I Ever Had" sampled "Fallin' in Love", without attribution or permission. The suit names Drake, as well as Cash Money Records and Universal Music Group, and asserts that Playboy "has suffered, and will continue to suffer irreparable injury" from the alleged infringement. The lawsuit demands that "all infringing works be recalled and destroyed." As part of its claim, Playboy also alleges that "each defendant either knew, or should have reasonably known, that the sound recording was protected by copyright."
La Bouche version
"Fallin' in Love" was covered in 1995 by the band La Bouche. It was the third single of their album, Sweet Dreams and was released in June 1995, although the song did not gain popularity in the United States until the following year following the success of the first two singles, "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams". Though it did well in several countries, it achieved a minor success in comparison with previous releases. It reached number 4 in Finland and Hungary, and was a top 20 hit in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Fallin' in Love" peaked at number 20 in September 1995. This song has had remix versions. The album version is a midtempo pop-soul number that is faithful to the original Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds version with some additional lyrics; however, the version that was released late in 1996 to U.S. Top 40 radio, was a dance remix.
Critical reception
from Billboard wrote that the German duo "gives a 1975 pop hit by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds a springy pop/dance spin that will fit top 40 and crossover formats like a comfy glove. Front womanMelanie Thornton has an appropriately flashy delivery that shines atop the track's shuffling rhythms, while partner Lane McCray's rap interludes are pleasant—if not gratefully unobtrusive." Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report noted that Thornton and McCray "make this new version sparkle. Already bolstered by a substantial amount of airplay, this production has everything in place to be hit number three for this twosome."
