Bob Gaudio has got nothing on me when it comes to taking a while to finish a song. The story is told of how he came to write Rag Doll, the megahit by his group The Four Seasons: he was stopped at a traffic light in New York, and a little girl in hand-me-down clothes cleaned his windshield. Having no singles in his wallet, he gave her a five-dollar bill (inflation has raised the amount over the years; nowadays he says it was a double-sawbuck) and drove away looking at her awe-struck face in his rear-view mirror. The image wouldnt leave his head, and he soon started to put down on paper what turned into Rag Doll. The only problem was, after a couple of weeks, he found that he couldnt finish the song. He finally turned to his main writing partner, Bob Crewe, and together they completed the tale that made music history.
The song you are listening to has been 44 years in the making. In 1965, when I was in my teen years, I had been exposed by Top 40 radio to the June-moon-spoon school of song writing and felt that maybe I could do that. So, like Brian Wilson, In My Room I began to jot down song lyrics and come up with accompanying melodies in my head. Most of them are long forgotten, but one always stayed with me and, like Gaudio with Rag Doll, I couldnt finish it.
The Four Seasons were my favorite group, and Frankie Valli was (and is) my favorite singer. As each new single from the group (or from Frankie doing his solo thing) was released, the sense of anticipation for the next one grew exponentially. You never quite knew what to expect from them: the beautiful Candy Girl and Rag Doll, the exuberant, driving Lets Hang On!, a melancholy Toy Soldier, or Girl Come Running, with its stratospherically high falsetto notes by Frankie. Album cuts contained still more styles, more hidden gems: remakes of early rock classics, like Since I Dont Have You and Little Darlin. Originals such as Dody, Huggin My Pillow, Betrayed, and even folk-oriented tunes like Born To Wander and New Town that moved away from the hits formula and featured the blended voices of Frankie and the group. With so much variety, there was a constant desire, no, a NEED to know what was coming next.
Even through the wilderness years of the early 70s, as the lineups changed and the singles and albums were few and far between, I, like many others, kept the faith, went to the shows when the tour came through my area and persistently waited for the next record release. Would it be a Seasonized, revamped oldie? A new Gaudio composition that would take Frankie back to the top? I had to know! Because, over the years, I discovered that life really is much more worth living when there are new Frankie Valli songs.
Eventually, it did happen, and 1974 through 1978 was a good time for the faithful fans. The next couple of decades gave us albums of new material, like Streetfighter in the 80s and Hope + Glory in the 90s, but not a lot of success on the airwaves. Early in the new millennium, rumors surfaced that there was a stage musical about the group in the works. A tidbit here, a piece of gossip there, and then, suddenly, the whole world exploded. Jersey Boys had conquered La Jolla and was the darling of Broadway, winning four Tony Awards in 2006. Our secret love was now being shared by packed-house audiences who rose mid-act to give standing ovations to those who were portraying the artists we attached ourselves to so long ago.
While we used to be confined to sitting around and playing the 45s and albums in our homes, the ever-advancing audio technology today gives us the ability to go anywhere with virtually the entire Valli catalog on a tiny music player. If we wish, we can choose the order of the songs. Myself, I much prefer to let the tunes play randomly and, before each one starts, I still wonder: Will it have a driving beat or contain a mellow, tender Valli vocal? A newer song from Romancing the 60s, or maybe the one that started it all, Sherry, from 1962? I just gotta know!
All these elements have now converged and allowed me to finish what seemed to be my forever quest. Over the years, I have lost the ability that I once had to hit the high notes clearly. The intent here is not to represent this as a professional vocal (that would be a GROSS misrepresentation!), but to record for posterity the intent of what the tune is supposed to sound like. If I make a fool of myself, so be it. But if by chance some portion of it gets stuck in your head, and you feel the need to express yourself, I would love to hear it done by someone who really can sing and/or play.
Loading...
3:57
To Make My Father Proud - Frankie Valliby pewmanfustudios3,470 views
Hello and ditto on your passion and exurberance for the sound of Valli and the Seasons. I could write a book on my own experience and enjoyment promoting and listening to their very unique music. I'll be at the upcoming Valli/Seasons concert in Clearwater. I saw them last year and I was yet again really impressed and moved by the original "Wall of Sound" experts. Stay in touch campcastellucio because I too want to stay active in the field of "Seasonology".
manfromcheyenne 2 years ago
Hello back to you. Thanks for the comment. As for keeping up with all things FV4S, I would invite you to join one or both of the Yahoo groups I mentioned in an earlier note to Jules. And visit the Genuine-Imitation-Life-Gazette website.
campcastellucio 2 years ago
who is this??
jpoe141 2 years ago
I'm just a lifelong fan looking for an outlet for my admiration of Frankie and the Seasons.
campcastellucio 2 years ago
I share your obvious enthusiasm for FV and the Seasons. When my schoolmates were insisting that the Beatles,Stones etc were the best,I refused to bow to peer pressure. like you I have continued to be a fan,seeing Frankie live in Birmingham until the mid-90s. I go to JB in London every three weeks.... it's brilliant!! I feel the same about "Our secret love ... being shared by packed houses",and I feel vindicated for my 47 year insistence that the 4 seasons are the best!!
julessaney 2 years ago
Hello. Thanks for the comment. I've always known there were fans like me out there, but it wasn't until I posted this video that I was able to see just how widespread we are. There have been viewers from 29 countries and at least 24 states here in America. If you're not already in one of them, you should join one or both of the Yahoo groups, "ValliSeasons" or "FrankieValliandthe FourSeasons." We have some very knowledgable folks, including Joe Long and other former Seasons. Best regards.
campcastellucio 2 years ago