Can't Take My Eyes Off You

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
Gold record (for the sale of one million copies) for "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", 1967
Single by Frankie Valli
from the album The 4 Seasons Present Frankie Valli Solo
B-side	"The Trouble With Me"
Released	May 1967
Format	7" 45 rpm vinyl
Recorded	April 1967
Genre	Pop rock
Label	Philips
Writer(s)	Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio
Producer	Bob Crewe
Certification	RIAA gold record
Frankie Valli singles chronology
"The Proud One" (1966) "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (1967) "I Make a Fool of Myself" (1967)

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 single by Frankie Valli. The song was among Valli's biggest hits, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold record. It was Valli's biggest "solo" hit until he hit #1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You". The song has had a major cultural impact, with hundreds of cover versions, many of which have been on the charts themselves in different countries. The song is a staple of television and film soundtracks, even being featured as part of the plot of some films, such as when the lead characters sing or arrange their own version of the song. The Valli version was also used by NASA as a wake-up song for a mission of the Space Shuttle, on the anniversary of astronaut Christopher Ferguson.

Credits

The song was written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. Arrangement was done by Artie Schroeck and Gaudio.

Notable cover versions

The song has been covered by some 200 artists over the years, in many countries, being released sometimes under its original title "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and sometimes with an expanded title, "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You". A few notable examples of cover versions which appeared on the charts:

• In 1990 Gloria Gaynor recorded a version and was included in her album Gloria Gaynor '90.
• A version by Jay and the Americans.
• The Lettermen (#7 in 1967, in a medley with "Goin' Out Of My Head")
• A version by Andy Williams made it to #5 on the UK singles chart in 1968. This version is included in the soundtrack of the 2001 film Bridget Jones's Diary. In 2002 he recorded a new version of the song, as a duet with British actress and singer Denise van Outen, which reached #23 in the UK singles charts.
• In 1968, Engelbert Humperdinck recorded the song in his album A Man Without Love.
• In 1969, Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations recorded the song in their album Together.
• Nancy Wilson (#52 in 1969)
• In 1975, Julio Iglesias sings the song on his TV show.
• Maureen McGovern (#27 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1979)
• In 1982, San Francisco based disco band Boys Town Gang performed a disco version of the song which reached #1 in Holland. This version was also successful in Japan, receiving a gold digital certification by the RIAJ in 2011.
• In 1991, the Pet Shop Boys used part of the song on their double A-side single "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)/How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?", which reached #4 in the U.K. (In the U.S., both sides of the single were released as separate singles and both charted, with "How Can You Expect to be Taken Seriously?" at #93 and the "Where The Streets Have No Name/I Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" medley at #72.)
• In 1993, the song was recorded by a-ha singer Morten Harket for the soundtrack of the movie Coneheads.
• In 1996, Manic Street Preachers recorded a version of the song and used it as the third b-side on their single Australia - the fourth to be taken from the hit album Everything Must Go.
• In 1998, Lauryn Hill (#35 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and #2 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart in 1998). This version was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1999.
• In 1999, Jatin-Lalit included a Hindi version, "Haan Haan Yeh Pyar Hai," in the film Dillagi.
• In 2000, Hong Kong singer Leon Lai did a Cantonese version in his album, Beijing Station.
• 2001, Pop Icon Sheena Easton recorded her version for her album Fabulous.
• 2001, British group Muse, for the album, "Dead Star/In Your World"
• In 2004, Jennifer Peña recorded a Latin version of the song, "No Hay Nadie Igual Como Tu", which reached #33 on the Latin charts.
• In 2006, Barry Manilow including this song on his album The Greatest Songs of the Sixties, which reached #2 on the Billboard 200, and #56 in the UK.
• The Killers performed this song as an intro to Shadowplay while on their Sam's Town Tour.
• In 2011, Japanese R&B singer Misia, included a cover of the song as a B-side to her single "Kioku". The song was later included on her cover album, Misia no Mori: Forest Covers.
• 2011, Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones sang an acoustic version of the song in tribute to former Wales national football team manager Gary Speed. The song has been an adopted anthem for Welsh football fans during Speed's playing career with Wales after being used in a BBC Wales promo for the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign.

In popular culture

The song is a staple of film and television soundtracks, such as being used in the soundtrack of Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), and Coneheads (1993). Some films incorporate it as a significant part of the plot, such as in The Deer Hunter (1978), with a famous bar scene where many characters begin to sing along with the jukebox. It is also used in the plot in Son of the Mask (2005), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), and in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, where the performance by Heath Ledger was nominated for Best Musical Sequence in the 2000 MTV Movie Awards. In the 1997 film Conspiracy Theory, Julia Roberts sings along to the song while she is being watched through binoculars by Mel Gibson, who is singing the song at the same time. Also in 2002 was featured in a deleted scene of Scooby Doo sung by Linda Cardellini (Velma).

The song is featured prominently in the Broadway musical Jersey Boys (2005–). It has also been adopted as the song of Derwent College, University of York, in the United Kingdom. In 2008, Valli's version of the song was played by NASA as the morning wake-up call for astronaut Christopher Ferguson, in honor of his anniversary while he was on the STS-126 Space Shuttle mission (WAV MP3).

In the show HBO Entourage, Vincent Chase (portrayed by Adrian Grenier) and his brother Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) sing the song at a Sweet Sixteen in a season 5 episode.

The song has been adopted by fans of the Welsh national football team and is regularly sung at games. The supporters band, known as The Barry Horns, play a brass band arrangement of the song.

External links

• "Official Frankie Valli Site". Retrieved 2010-2-16.
• http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database