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Connie Francis

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Connie Francis

Connie Francis (born December 12, 1938 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American pop singer best known for international hit songs such as "Who's Sorry Now?," "Where The Boys Are", and "Everybody's Somebody's Fool".

Biography

Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero in Newark's Italian Down Neck or Ironbound section of Newark, New Jersey neighborhood, she is considered the most prolific female rock 'n' roll hit-maker of the early rock era -- the late 1950s to the early 1960s. After an appearance on Startime, Francis was advised to change her name from Franconero to something more easily pronounceable, as well as to quit the accordion and focus on singing.

Francis' first single "Freddy" (1955) met with little success. Her next nine singles were also failures, and she began considering a career in medicine. However, "Who's Sorry Now" (a cover version of a 1923 song) launched her into super-stardom worldwide. Francis recorded the song at what was to have been her final recording session for MGM, as the label was about to drop her since her previous singles had generated little activity. She has said (paraphrased from The Billboard Book of Number One Singles by Fred Bronson) that she recorded it at the suggestion of her father, who convinced her it stood a chance of becoming a hit because it was a song adults already knew and that teenagers would dance to if it were released with a more contemporary arrangement.

The gamble paid off. In April 1958, "Who's Sorry Now" reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart (number four in the USA) and in 2000, was named one of the Songs of the Century. On January 1, 1958, she debuted it on Dick Clark's American Bandstand television show; by mid-year over a million copies were sold. This was followed by a slew of other hits over the next decade, as Connie Francis became one of the most popular vocalists in the world.

Francis specialized in downbeat ballads delivered in her trademark "sobbing" style, such as "My Happiness," "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry," "Among My Souvenirs," "Together," "Breakin' In a Brand New Broken Heart," and the Italian song "Mama," many of which were remakes of old standards. However, she also had success with a handful of more upbeat, rock-and-roll-oriented compositions, such as "Stupid Cupid," "Lipstick On Your Collar," and "Vacation." Among her other notable performances were "In the Summer of His Years" (a tribute to slain U.S. President John F. Kennedy) and Bert Kaempfert's "Strangers In The Night" (although the latter song is more identified with Frank Sinatra). Both "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" and "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" went to No.1 on the Billboard music charts in 1960. In 1962 she had another No.1 hit with "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You."

File:Connie Francis record.jpg
Connie Francis MGM LP record, 1961

Francis recorded in nine languages during her career, including English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, and even Japanese, and remade many of her hits in foreign languages, including "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" and her signature song, "Where the Boys Are". In fact, her biggest hit album in the U.S. was 1960's Italian Favorites, and she followed it with several more albums of Italian songs over the years, as well as collections of Spanish-language and Jewish songs, among others.

"Where The Boys Are," one of many Neil Sedaka/Howard Greenfield compositions Francis recorded during her career (others included "Stupid Cupid" and "Everybody's Somebody's Fool"), gained wide exposure through its inclusion in the 1960 motion picture with the same title. Francis had a role in the film and sang the title song. During the first half of the 1960s she starred in three additional films -- Follow the Boys (1963) (the title song of which became a No. 17 Billboard single for Francis), Looking for Love (1964) and When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965).

In 1960 Francis became the youngest headliner to sing in Las Vegas, where she played 28 days a year for nine years. In 1961 she was successful in starring in her own television special on ABC television sponsored by Brylcreem titled Kicking Sound Around, singing and acting along-side Tab Hunter, Eddie Foy Jr. and Art Carney. She appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on July 1, 1962 with French singing star, Johnny Hallyday in a show that was taped at the famous Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris, France. On July 3, 1963 she played a Command performance before Queen Elizabeth II at the Alhambra Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. By 1967, she had 35 U.S. Top 40 hits, and three number ones.

Connie Francis has always been a great fan of country music and recorded several albums of country standards during her pop career. In 1969 she had a modest country hit with "The Wedding Cake" and made the country charts again in 1982 with "There's Still a Few Good Love Songs Left in Me". Several country singers found chart success remaking Francis' pop hits for the country market, including Marie Osmond ("Who's Sorry Now" in 1975), Susan Raye ("My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" in 1972), Margo Smith ("Don't Break The Heart That Loves You" in 1978), and Debby Boone.

During the height of the Vietnam War in 1967, Connie Francis performed for U.S. troops.

Francis ended her recording career in 1969, returning in 1973 with "The Answer", a song written just for her, and soon began performing again. Her son Joey was born in 1974. Tragedies followed soon after. In 1974 she was sexually assaulted in a hotel following a performance in Westbury, New York. Nasal surgery to correct a sensitivity to air conditioning deprived her of her ability to sing professionally for four years. Her brother was murdered in 1981.

Francis' autobiography, Who's Sorry Now? was published in 1984. Francis was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental disease which includes severe depressions and manic highs. She uses the drug Lithium to balance out the emotional highs and lows caused by the disease. Connie Francis resumed her career in 1989 after discovering the drug and has continued singing and recording since then. Francis still holds a world-wide appeal shown through continued music sales and sold-out appearances which reveal the star is in as fine voice as she ever was.

Her latest CD The American Tour contains performances from recent shows. In late December 2004, Francis headlined in Las Vegas for the first time since 1989. She and singer Connie Francis are often mistaken for each other. Both are female Italian-American singers from the greater New York City area who Anglicized their Italian birth name of Concetta into "Connie" and their last names into common English names.

Bio-pic

The screenplay for a movie based on Francis' life, titled Who's Sorry Now? is done, and filming is anticipated in 2007, Latin music star Gloria Estefan said in a news conference. Estefan wrote the screenplay and will produce and play the lead. Estefan said, "She [Francis] isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and yet she was the first pop star worldwide, and has recorded in nine languages. She has done a lot of things for victims' rights since her rape in the '70s . . . There's a major story there."

Trivia

  • The ending song in the animated series Futurama episode "Jurassic Bark" is 'I Will Wait for You' sung by Connie Francis.
  • Billboard chart historian Joel Whitburn ranks Connie Francis as the top female vocalist on the Adult Contemporary chart during the 1960s. In 1961, Francis was the first female artist to score a No. 1 Billboard AC single, with "Together," and she topped the AC chart again the following year with "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You."
  • "Connie Francis" is also a character in the anime series Victory Gundam, one of the five (of the six) original members of the "Shrike Team" who are named in homage to 20th century female singers.
  • Her recording of 'Siboney' appears in Wong Kar-Wai's 2046.
  • According to 1963's Movie Life Yearbook, at the time she was 5'1, 110 lbs, 35-23-35 1/2.
  • In the 1999 film, Jawbreaker (film), her song "Lollipop Lips" is heard during a sex scene. Francis, who found the content of the film objectionable, [filed a lawsuit]
  • In the 1996 movie "The Craft," when Nancy and her mother collect insurance from her step-father Ray's fatal heartattack, her mother buys a jukebox that plays nothing but Connie Francis songs.

Albums

(US = Billboard Hot 200 LPs Chart, C= Cashbox LPS chart, CM = Cashbox Mono LPS chart, CS = Cashbox Stereo LPS chart)

  • Who's Sorry Now? (1958)
  • The Exciting Connie Francis (1959)
  • My Thanks To You (1959)
  • Christmas In My Heart (1959)
  • Rock 'n' Roll with Connie Francis (1959) CM # 47
  • Rock 'n' Roll Million Sellers (1960) UK #12
  • Italian Favorites (1960) US #4, CM # 5, CS # 7
  • Connie's Greatest Hits (1960) US #17 / UK #16, CM # 19
  • Country And Western Golden Hits (1960)
  • More Italian Favorites (1960) US #9, CM # 39
  • Spanish And Latin American Favorites (1960) CM # 23, CS #25
  • Connie At The Copa (1961) US #65
  • Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites (1961) US #69, CM #33
  • More Greatest Hits (1961) US #39, CM # 16, CS # 24
  • Never On Sunday (1961) US #11, CM # 10, CS # 18
  • Songs To A Swingin' Band (1961)
  • Folk Song Favorites (1961)
  • Do The Twist (1962) US #47 CM # 48
  • Second Hand Love And Other Hits (1962)
  • Connie Francis Sings (1962) US #111
  • Country Music Connie Style (1962) US #22 CM # 23
  • Modern Italian Hits (1963) US #103, CM # 43
  • Follow The Boys (1963) US #66 CS # 32 CM # 29
  • Award Winning Motion Picture Hits (1963) US #108, CS #22, CM #33
  • Great American Waltzes (1963) US #94 CS #42, CM # 72
  • Big Hits From Italy (1963) US #70
  • The Very Best Of Connie Francis (1963) US #68, CM # 73
  • Mala Feminmena (1963) CS # 44, CM # 73
  • In The Summer Of His Years (1964) US #126 CS # 47
  • Looking For Love (1964) US #122 CM # 43
  • A New Kind Of Connie (1964) US #149, CM # 73
  • Connie Francis Sings For Mama (1965) US #78, C #89
  • When The Boys Meet The Girls (1966) US #61
  • Movie Greats Of The Sixties (1966)
  • Live At The Sahara, Las Vegas (1966)
  • Happiness (1967)
  • Love Italian Style (1967)
  • My Heart Cries For You (1967)
  • Connie And Clyde (1968)
  • Connie Sings Bacharach & David (1968)
  • Hawaii Connie (1968)
  • The Wedding Cake (1969)
  • Connie Francis Sings Great Country Hits, Volume II (1973)
  • 20 All Time Greats (1977) UK #1
  • Connie Sings The Big Band Hits (1977)
  • I'm Me Again: The Silver Anniversary Album (1981)
  • The Singles Collection (1993) UK #12
  • Souvenirs (CD box set) (1996)
  • Kissin', Twistin' And Going Where The Boys Are (1997)

Charted Singles

(Key to US Charts: US - Billboard Hot 100 / CB - Cash Box Singles Chart / AC - US Adult Contemporary Chart / C&W - US Country Chart)

  • The Majesty Of Love (with Marvin Rainwater) (1957) US #93
  • Who's Sorry Now? (1958) US #4, CB #3 (Gold) / UK #1
  • I'm Sorry I Made You Cry (1958) US #36, CB #31 / UK #11
  • Stupid Cupid (1958) US #17, CB #16 / UK #1
  • Carolina Moon (1958) flip side of Stupid Cupid; single charted as double A-side in the UK
  • Fallin' (1958) US #30, CB #39 / UK #20
  • I'll Get By (1958) UK #19
  • My Happiness (1959) US #2, CB #2 (Gold) / UK #4
  • You Always Hurt The One You Love (1959) UK #13
  • If I Didn't Care (1959) US #22, CB #15
  • Lipstick On Your Collar (1959) US #5, CB #3 / UK #3
  • Frankie (1959) US #9, CB #9 (flip side of Lipstick On Your Collar)
  • You're Gonna Miss Me (1959) US #34, CB #32
  • Plenty Good Lovin' (1959) US #69 / UK #18 (flip side of You're Gonna Miss Me)
  • Among My Souvenirs (1959) US #7, CB #5 (Gold) / UK #11
  • God Bless America (1959) US #36, CB #36 (flip side of Among My Souvenirs)
  • Mama (1960) US #8, CB #7 (Gold) / UK #2
  • Teddy (1960) US #17, CB #31 (flip side of Mama)
  • Robot Man (1960) UK flip side of Mama; single charted as double A-side in the UK
  • Everybody's Somebody's Fool (1960) US #1, CB #1, C&W #24 (Gold) / UK #5
  • Jealous Of You (Tango Della Gelosia) (1960) US #19, CB #27 (flip side of Everybody's Somebody's Fool)
  • My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own (1960) US #1, CB #1 / UK #3
  • Malaguena (1960) US #42, CB #67 (flip side of My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own)
  • Many Tears Ago (1960) US #7 (Gold) / UK #12
  • Senza Mamma (With No One) (1960) US #87 (flip side of Many Tears Ago)
  • Where The Boys Are (1961) US #4, CB #4 (Gold) / UK #5
  • No One (1961) US #34, CB #63 (flip side of Where The Boys Are)
  • Breakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart (1961) US #7, CB #5 / UK #12
  • Together (1961) US #6, CB #7 (Gold) / US AC #1 / UK #6
  • Too Many Rules (1961) US #72, CB #64 (flip side of Together)
  • (He's My) Dreamboat (1961) US #14, CB #22
  • Hollywood (1961) US #42, CB #26 (flip side of Dreamboat)
  • When The Boy In Your Arms (Is The Boy In Your Heart) (1961) US #10, CB #8, AC #2
  • Baby's First Christmas (1961) US #26, CB #52, AC #7 / UK #30 (flip side of When The Boy In Your Arms)
  • Don't Break the Heart That Loves You (1962) US #1, CB #2, AC #1 / UK #39
  • Second Hand Love (1962) US #7, CB #7, AC #3
  • Vacation (1962) US #9, CB #10 / UK #10
  • The Biggest Sin Of All (1962) US #116, CB #89 (flip side of Vacation)
  • I Was Such a Fool (To Fall In Love With You) (1962) US #24, CB #18, AC #8
  • He Thinks I Still Care (1962) US #57, CB #51, AC #18 (flip side of I Was Such A Fool)
  • I'm Gonna' Be Warm This Winter (1962) US #18, CB #18, AC #19 / UK #48
  • Al Di La (1962) US #90, CB #87 (flip side of I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter)
  • Follow The Boys (1963) US #17, CB #11, AC #7
  • If My Pillow Could Talk (1963) US #23, CB #16
  • Drownin' My Sorrows (1963)
  • Your Other Love (1963) US #28, CB #22, AC #10
  • In The Summer Of His Years (1963) US #46, CB #31
  • Blue Winter (1964) US #24, CB #16, AC #8
  • Be Anything (But Be Mine) (1964) US #25, CB #23, AC #9 #9
  • Looking For Love (1964) US #45, CB #34
  • Don't Ever Leave Me (1964) US #42, CB #37
  • Whose Heart Are You Breaking Tonight (1965) US #43, CB #42, AC #7
  • For Mama (La Mamma) (1965) US #48, CB #35, AC #12 (NOTE: The Cash Box chart listed Francis' version together with the version by Jerry Vale.)
  • Wishing It Was You (1965) US #57, CB #49, AC #14
  • My Child (1965) UK #26
  • Forget Domani (1965) US #79, CB #58, AC #16 (NOTE: The Cash Box chart listed Francis' version together with the version by Frank Sinatra.)
  • Roundabout (1965) US #80, CB #83, AC #10
  • Jealous Heart (1965) US #47, CB #29, AC #10 / UK #44
  • Love Is Me, Love Is You (1966) US #66, CB #68, AC #28
  • So Nice (Summer Samba) (1966) US AC #17
  • Spanish Nights And You (1966) US #99, CB #81, AC #15
  • Time Alone Will Tell (1967) US #94, AC #14
  • My Heart Cries For You (1967) US CB #96, AC #12
  • Lonely Again (1967) US AC #22
  • My World Is Slipping Away (1968) US AC #35
  • Why Say Goodbye (A Comme Amour) (1968) US AC #27
  • I Don't Wanna Play House (1968) US AC #40
  • The Wedding Cake (1969) US #91, CB #97, AC #19, C&W #33
  • I'm Me Again (1981) US AC #40
  • There's Still a Few Good Love Songs Left in Me (1982) US C&W #60

NOTES:

  • My Heart Cries For You and Why Say Goodbye both peaked below US #100, on the "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" list (at #118 and #132 respectively).
  • The flip sides of three other singles also appeared on the "Bubbling Under" chart. These included: The Biggest Sin Of All (#116, flip of Vacation); Waiting For Billy (#127, flip of Follow The Boys); and We Have Something More (Than A Summer Love) (#128, flip of Don't Ever Leave Me).

Selected Other Songs

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