Although they were one of the very biggest rock & roll groups of the 1960s, the Four Seasons -- unlike, say, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, or the Byrds -- don't excite virtually automatic respect from listeners and critics. A big factor is their most distinguishing trademark, the shrill falsetto vocals of their lead singer, Frankie Valli. Many also find their material -- gently moralistic, romantic tunes with tightly arranged group harmonies that updated doo wop ethos into the 1960s -- too cornball and clean-cut.
Whatever your feelings about the group, though, there's no denying their considerable importance. No other white American group of the time save the Beach Boys boasted such intricate harmonies, though the Four Seasons were much more firmly in the Italian-American doo wop tradition. Their uptown production values were contemporary and, in certain respects, innovative. The R&B influence in their music was large, and some of their early singles enjoyed success with the R&B audience; in fact, some listeners thought that the Four Seasons were black when the group landed their first hits. And they were immensely successful, making the Top Ten thirteen times between 1962 and 1967 with hits like "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Dawn," "Rag Doll," and "Let's Hang On."(AMG)
"December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" was written by original Four Seasons keyboard player Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's 1975 album Who Loves You.
This single was released in December 1975 and hit number one on the UK singles chart on February 21, 1976. It repeated the feat on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on March 13, remaining in the top spot for three weeks and one week on
According to the co-writer and longtime band member Bob Gaudio, the song was originally set in 1933 with the title "December 5th, 1933," and celebrated the repeal of Prohibition. Neither lead singer Frankie Valli nor co-writer (and Gaudio's wife) Judy Parker were thrilled about the lyrics - and Valli objected to parts of the melody - so Gaudio redid the words and Parker redid the melody until all were content with the finished product. It ended up being a nostalgic love song.
The Four Seasons had a series of hits from 1962-1968. In 1975, they returned to the charts with "Who Loves You," which hit #3 in the US. This was the follow-up to that song.
The lead singer on the first verse was not Frankie Valli (he comes in on the second verse): drummer Gerri Polci shared the lead in "December 1963" and provided all of the lead vocal in the group's third hit from the She Loves You LP, "Silver Star," which hit #38 in the US.
This was used in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump, and the song was re-released as part of the soundtrack. It once again entered the charts, and became the longest-running single in the Billboard US chart's history, with over 50 weeks total.
Read also:
- Winter - The Rolling Stones
- Ottis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
- Soft Rock
- Abbey Road Cover Art - The Beatles
