Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Last updated

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
Can't Take My Eyes Off You.jpg
Cover of the 1967 US single
Single by Frankie Valli
from the album Frankie Valli: Solo [1]
B-side "The Trouble with Me"
ReleasedApril 1967 (1967-04) [2]
RecordedApril 1967
Studio A & R (New York City)
Genre
Length3:24
Label Philips
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Bob Crewe
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 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, and first recorded and released as a single by Gaudio's Four Seasons bandmate Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week, [6] making it Valli's biggest solo hit until he hit No. 1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You". [7]

Contents

Gaudio describes the song as "the one that almost got away" until Windsor, Ontario, radio station CKLW (a station also serving the Detroit metro on the American side of the border) intervened. In 1967, the record's producers urged Paul Drew, program director at the legendary station, to consider the tune for rotation. For much of the 1960s and 1970s, CKLW was credited with launching hit records via its powerful signal, blanketing the Great Lakes region. Drew did not warm to the song at first, but accepted an invitation to hear it live at the Roostertail, where Valli was performing a weeklong stint with the Four Seasons. Drew liked what he heard and added the song to his station's playlist. "The switchboards lit up, and the rest, as they say, is history", Gaudio recalled. [8]

Valli recalled in 2014 that "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" was the first step in the fulfillment of his goal to sing music that did not require him to use falsetto: "I didn't want to sing like that my whole life. Once we established the sound, the plan was that eventually I would do solo [records] and some things I really wanted to do. I was very lucky to make the transition to 'My Eyes Adored You' and 'Swearin' to God,' which had none of that." Valli also recalled that the record had been mothballed by The Four Seasons' record company for a year because of their fear that The Four Seasons (who had already lost Nick Massi in 1965) were breaking up, to which Valli insisted that he had no intentions of ever leaving The Four Seasons. [9]

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" has been recorded in many other arrangements, many of which have charted in different countries.

Credits

The song was written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. Melodic elements bear a similarity to passages from the Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia section of the 1956 ballet Spartacus (Suite No. 2) by Aram Khachaturian. [10]

The original recording, from an arrangement by Gaudio and Artie Schroeck, was made at A & R Studio 2 (formerly Columbia Studio A), at 799 7th Avenue in New York City, with Crewe producing and Phil Ramone engineering.

Reception

Billboard described the single as "strong rhythm ballad material from the pen of Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio with an exceptional Valli vocal combined with an exciting Artie Schroeck arrangement." [11] Cash Box called the single a "smooth, gentle, softly spoken romancer". [12]

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] Silver200,000
United States (RIAA) [21] Gold1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Boys Town Gang version

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
Single by Boys Town Gang
from the album Disc Charge
ReleasedJuly 29, 1982
Genre Post-disco
Length
3:28 - 7” version
9:47 - Album version
Label Moby Dick
Songwriter(s) Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio
Producer(s) Bill Motley
Boys Town Gang singles chronology
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
(1982)
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
(1982)
"Brand New Me"
(1984)

In 1982, San Francisco-based post-disco band Boys Town Gang released a dance version of the song which reached the top spot in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain and number four in the United Kingdom. [22] [23] This version was also successful in Japan, receiving a gold digital certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in 2011.

Track listings

7-inch single

  1. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" – 3:28
  2. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (reprise) – 4:42

7-inch single

  1. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" – 3:40
  2. "Disco Kicks" – 4:04

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1982–1983)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [24] 21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [25] 1
Ireland (IRMA)5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [26] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [27] 1
UK Singles (OCC) [28] 4
West Germany (Official German Charts) [29] 43

Year-end charts

Chart (1983)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [24] 71

Lauryn Hill version

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
Song by Lauryn Hill
from the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
ReleasedAugust 25, 1998
Genre Pop
Length3:41
Label Ruffhouse, Columbia
Songwriter(s) Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio
Producer(s) Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill's version of the song was recorded in 1997, while Hill was eight months pregnant with her first child. [30] It was first featured in the movie Conspiracy Theory (1997). While the song wasn't featured on the soundtrack, a radio jockey at KMEL in San Francisco put the song on a CD and began playing the song; [31] more radio stations followed suit, causing a domino effect around the U.S., [32] [33] ultimately leading the song to peak at number two on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, despite Hill's label's not releasing the song as a single. [34] [35] Due to the popularity of the song it was added as a hidden track on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill . [36]

This version was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1999, becoming the first hidden track to ever receive a Grammy nomination. [37] [38] Consequence of Sound named it the best hidden track of all time. [39] In 2014, VH1 also named it the best hidden track of all time. [40] Academy Award–winning actor Forest Whitaker was inspired to name his daughter True, after hearing Hill's version of the song. [41]

Charts

Chart (1998–1999)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [42] 8
US Rhythmic (Billboard) [43] 2
US Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs) [44] 35

Other cover versions

The song has been recorded by many artists. Among the most notable examples are the following:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Four Seasons (band)</span> American rock band

The Four Seasons is an American vocal quartet formed in 1960 in Newark, New Jersey. Since 1970, they have also been known at times as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The band evolved out of a previous band called The Four Lovers, with Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals. On nearly all of their 1960s hits, they were credited as The 4 Seasons. The band had two distinct lineups that achieved widespread success: the original featuring Valli, Gaudio, DeVito, and Massi that recorded hits throughout the 1960s, and a 1970s quintet consisting of Valli, Lee Shapiro, Gerry Polci, Don Ciccone and John Paiva, with Gaudio and Long providing studio support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Valli</span> American singer (born 1934)

Francesco Stephen Castelluccio, better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, best known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Gaudio</span> American songwriter and musician

Robert John Gaudio is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote and produced the vast majority of the band's music, including hits like "Sherry" and "December, 1963 ", as well as "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" for Valli. Though he no longer performs with the group, Gaudio and lead singer Frankie Valli remain co-owners of the Four Seasons brand.

"Candy Girl" is the title of a hit single recorded in 1963 by the Four Seasons. Written by Larry Santos, it is the first original Four Seasons single composed by neither Bob Gaudio nor Bob Crewe. The writer, Larry Santos, would become a chart artist in his own right with 1976's "We Can't Hide It Anymore". A stereo version was released in 1975, on The Four Seasons Story album.

<i>Together</i> (The Supremes and the Temptations album) 1969 studio album by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations

Together, released by Motown in 1969, was the second and final duets studio album combining Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations into an eight-person Motown act. Like the first duets LP, Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations, it is composed almost entirely of covers, including versions of The Band's "The Weight", Sly & the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song", Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and Motown songs like "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "Uptight ". "The Weight" was the only single in the US, and failed to make it into the American Top 40. "Why ", a UK exclusive single, was a Top 40 hit on the UK singles charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)</span> 1975 single by the Four Seasons

"December, 1963 " is a song originally performed by the Four Seasons, written by original Four Seasons keyboard player Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's album Who Loves You (1975).

Robert Stanley Crewe was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. Crewe co-wrote and produced a string of Top 10 singles with Bob Gaudio for the Four Seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherry (song)</span> 1962 single by The Four Seasons

"Sherry" is a song written by Bob Gaudio and recorded by The Four Seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rag Doll (The Four Seasons song)</span> 1964 single by The Four Seasons

"Rag Doll" is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded by the Four Seasons and released as a single in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Eyes Adored You</span> 1974 single by Frankie Valli

"My Eyes Adored You" is a 1974 song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the Motown label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli for $4000. After rejections by Capitol and Atlantic Records, Valli succeeded in getting the recording released on Private Stock Records, but the owner/founder of the label, Larry Uttal, wanted only Valli's name on the label. It is from the album Closeup. The single was released in the US in November 1974 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975. "My Eyes Adored You" also went to number 2 on the Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1975.

The Four Lovers was a band formed in 1956 that was the result of vocalist Frankie Valli joining The Variatones in 1954. The Four Lovers achieved minor success before a name change to The Four Seasons in 1960. During those five years, group members also included Nicolas DeVito, Hugh Garrity, Charles Calello (bass), Nick Massi, Bob Gaudio, and Philip Mongiovi (drums).

The Wonder Who? was a nom de disque of The Four Seasons for four single records released from 1965 to 1967. It was one of a handful of names used by the group at that time, including Frankie Valli and The Valli Boys. Wonder Who? recordings generally feature the falsetto singing by Valli, but with a softer falsetto than on "typical" Four Seasons recordings.

This is a list of singles and some albums recorded and released by Frankie Valli and/or The Four Seasons in their various guises since 1953. This list includes only commercially released singles on which Valli or some configuration of the group was credited with performing or producing. Promotional-only releases and extended play records (EPs) are omitted from this list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who Loves You (song)</span> 1975 single by The Four Seasons

"Who Loves You" is the title song of a 1975 album by The Four Seasons. It was composed by Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker and produced by Gaudio. It reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beggin'</span> 1967 single by the Four Seasons

"Beggin'" is a song composed by Bob Gaudio and Peggy Farina and first released as a single by American band the Four Seasons in 1967. Initially charting at number 16 in the US Billboard Chart, the song became popular in the Northern soul scene in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. It has been covered multiple times, with versions by Norwegian hip-hop duo Madcon and Italian rock band Måneskin topping music charts in Europe and beyond. The Four Seasons' version was remixed in 2007 by French DJ Pilooski and re-released as a single, reaching number 32 in the UK Singles Chart, commercially outperforming the band's original release in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C'mon Marianne</span> 1967 single by The Four Seasons

"C'mon Marianne" is a song composed by L. Russell Brown and Raymond Bloodworth and popularized by The Four Seasons in 1967. Produced by Bob Crewe, the single was the last Four Seasons single to reach the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s, and their last Top Ten hit until "Who Loves You" in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)</span> 1991 single by Pet Shop Boys

"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. The song is a medley of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", a 1967 song by Frankie Valli, though in an arrangement informed by the 1982 disco version of the song by the Boys Town Gang rather than the original. The song accompanied "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?", the third single from their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990), as a double A-side in the United Kingdom (both singles were released separately in the United States). Released in March 1991 by Parlophone, the song became the duo's 15th consecutive top-20 entry in the UK, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Proud One</span> 1975 single by The Osmonds

"The Proud One" is a 1966 single written by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe and originally performed by Frankie Valli as part of his debut solo album, The 4 Seasons Present Frankie Valli Solo. Valli's version, which featured the Seasons on instrumental backing but not vocals, peaked at #68 in the U.S. and #64 in Canada. Billboard claimed that "the electric sound of Valli is used to perfection in this powerful ballad, stating that the "easy-go dance beat [is] effective." Cash Box said that it is a "powerhouse" and that "the Valli sound holds the moving, teen-oriented tale of love together and the sweeping arrangement adds a must spin again quality to it."

<i>Love, Andy</i> 1967 studio album by Andy Williams

Love, Andy is the twenty-first studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released on October 16, 1967, by Columbia Records to coincide with the NBC special of the same name, which aired on November 6. The LP had a mix of covers of old and recent hits that included two songs from the 1940s that also had chart success in 1966 via Chris Montez: "The More I See You" and "There Will Never Be Another You".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artie Schroeck</span> American musician and composer

Arthur Bruce Schroeck is an American musician, best known for arranging and composing popular songs and jingles. He has won multiple Clio Awards, such as when he composed the music for the 1981 ABC-TV promo "Now is the time, ABC is the place". He also composed the 1982 promo "Come on along with ABC". He arranged the classic "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" in 1967 for Frankie Valli and has written or arranged music for multiple other artists including Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra. In the 1990s, he was a regular performer at Harrah's in Atlantic City with his wife, singer Linda November, and in 1997, he wrote, arranged, and produced a tribute to bandleader Spike Jones. As of 2011, he continues to perform in Las Vegas.

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