Busking Chase

Shayne Ko / Evan Goh - Dhoby Ghaut MRT station - 26 Apr 2025

First double feature, both featuring a classic song performed by almost every busker.

WJ Teng

16 Dec 2025 — 4 min read

Shayne (right) wrapping up his busking performance, Evan setting up his at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station on 26 April 2025.

OK, this is going to be fun, as I'm doing a double feature featuring two solo buskers - the first a young keyboardist/drummer, and the second a well-known ballad guitarist.

Since this is one of the first times Shayne and Evan are in back-to-back busking sessions, I thought I'd come down to check out their interactions between busking sessions, as well as any common songs they can perform. Shayne performed in the morning session, while Evan performed in the afternoon.

The song I have picked from both busking sessions is a classic song originally performed by Elvis Presley, Can't Help Falling in Love. This is a timeless classic, performed by almost every busker (I don't recall a busker who can't sing this song). This song, initially released in 1961 as part of his album and film of the same name, Blue Hawaii, is basically a must-have for all buskers, due to its simple and beginner-friendly chord progressions. (Fun fact: Angela Lansbury, who would later be known for Murder, She Wrote and Beauty and the Beast, appeared in the film as the mother of Elvis's character.)

The melody of the song is based on Plaisir d'amour, a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, and is a romantic song initially written from the perspective of a woman, about the irresistible nature of falling deeply in love. The song was subsequently covered by multiple singers through the years, and is also featured in the Disney animated film Lilo & Stitch (2002), a film revolving around a loveable blue alien, set in Hawaii, and with cultural elements of Elvis. If you have to ask me which cover is the best, it has to be F4's version (those who watched the Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden should be familiar with them), a very energetic Mandarin cover which, I feel, no other cover could match.

[Side note: "Can't Help Falling in Love" now replaces "The Young Ones" (a song performed by Cliff Richard & The Shadows) as the oldest song ever to be covered in the Busking Chase. "The Young Ones" was the record holder back in Season 1.]

The other two songs I've picked from these busking sessions (one each) are:

Shayne: Just The Way You Are (originally performed by Bruno Mars)
- This is the debut solo single by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, as well as the lead single from his debut studio album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. This song is about a male singer complimenting a woman's beauty and telling her she doesn't need to change a thing to be perfect.
Evan: 年少有为 [originally performed by Li Ronghao (李荣浩)]
- This is the second lead single for Li Ronghao's album Ear (耳朵). It tells the story of a young love story and failed, contrasting the present with the past and expresses the theme that "some moments cannot be replicated".

Can't Help Falling in Love (originally performed by Elvis Presley) - Shayne