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| 1937-2025 |
[The hit singles] were the least-artistic endeavor of my career. They were bubblegum songs. They were teenybopper songs. But I enjoy seeing the reaction of people when I do them.
--Connie Francis
(Currently an internet sensation 63 years after it was released--Kirk)
She had a beautiful voice and a tragic life. RIP
ReplyDeleteI agree, Debra.
DeleteFor those unfamiliar with the tragic part, in 1974 Connie Francis was raped at knife point at a Howard Johnson's Lodge in Jericho, New York, where she was staying while in town for a concert. A few years later her brother, who had testified against the Mob but refused to enter the Witness Protection Program, was murdered. Not surprisingly, both of these things sent her into a long depression. Nevertheless, she somehow bounced back and toured regularly in the decades since.
Our brother friends, one who died and the other living the high life in Thailand, used to mention Connie Francis at times. I was just a bit too young to 'get' her, but I guess she was the Kylie of the time for gay men.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, do you 'get' her now?
DeleteMemorable music.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Mitchell, and by the way, bubblegum may be how SHE described her music but I certainly wouldn't. I consider her a major vocal talent of her era.
DeleteMay her memory be a blessing for those who loved her.
ReplyDeleteWhich should be anyone who ever heard her sing, David.
DeleteHi, Kirk!
ReplyDeleteYou got me again, good buddy. Your SOAD blog is the first to notify me that one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century, Connie Francis, went on a blind date with The Reaper, never to return. I am shocked and saddened by the news, because Connie was a big part of my youth.
Connie and her handlers kept pushing her weepy romantic ballads and foreign language recordings, but I and millions of other fans favored her late 1950s rock & roll hits: Neil Sedaka's "Stupid Cupid" and another Brill Building concoction "Lipstick On Your Collar." Decades later, I discovered two more up tempo gems on her compilation album Rocksides (1957-64), namely "My Best Friend Barbara" and "Don't Ever Leave Me."
What a wonderful parting gift to Connie that her forgotten pop ditty "Pretty Little Baby" went viral (a term totally unfamiliar to her) and became known to new generations in the U.S. and around the world in 2025 during the final weeks of her life.
Thank you for breaking the news announcing the death of this talented 20th century icon, a very important part of the boomer generation, the great Connie Francis. Have a nice weekend, good buddy Kirk.
Shady, apparently Connie herself didn't remember recording the song after it went viral. It wasn't released as a single in 1962, being just filler on some album of hers released at the time. It was only this past May that it was finally released as a single (after being included on a compilation album.) Despite the video, it seems unlikely she ever sang the song on TV. Watch carefully and you'll notice once or twice that her mouth opens but nothing comes out, as well as once or twice her mouth remains closed and something DOES come out. Nevertheless, I decided to use the video anyway as everything else about it nicely evokes the era.
ReplyDeleteRIP Connie.
ReplyDeleteKirk do you know Sparks? I am a huge fan of them. Saw them live last night - amazing gig. For 2 guys in their late 70s they did so well. I was blown away, what a great gig :-D
Ananka, I've heard of Sparks and that's about it. I'll have to familiarize myself with them.
DeleteI couldn't tell by watching the video, but almost all the songs on video were lip-synced back then.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Mike, but I think in that video Connie is lip synching a whole different song and someone with the last year or so switched it with "Pretty Little Baby". I could be wrong.
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