Who Loves You (song)

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"Who Loves You"
Who Loves You - The Four Seasons.jpg
Single by The Four Seasons
from the album Who Loves You
B-side "Who Loves You" (Disco version)
Released2 August 1975
RecordedJuly 1975
Genre Disco [1]
Length4:04 (single version)
4:22 (album version)
Label Warner Bros./Curb
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Bob Gaudio
The Four Seasons singles chronology
"Hickory"
(1974)
"Who Loves You"
(1975)
"December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)"
(1975)
Vinyl 45
45rpm of "Who Loves You" by "Four Seasons" - WhoLovesYou.jpg

(* - Canadian RPM chart data incomplete for late 1975)

Other versions

There were three versions of "Who Loves You" released in the United States: the one on the Who Loves You album is four minutes, 20 seconds long and begins with a short percussion section before the start of the vocals. [23] The A-side of the single has a 4-minute 4 second version which starts with an unusual "fade-in" beginning, starting with the first word of the lyrics; the B-side (labeled "Who Loves You (disco version)") extends the running time to 5:28 by featuring the instrumental break twice. [24]

Although the Four Seasons' trademark falsetto is present on "Who Loves You", Valli's vocal performance on the recording is limited to singing lead on the verses. [3]

"Who Loves You" was a tremendous success, a notable feat from a group which had not had a major hit for many years. Released in August 1975, the single spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100 (longer than any Four Seasons single before) and managed to stay on the chart until the beginning of 1976. [25]

This song was edited heavily and included as the closing number for the musical Jersey Boys . The second verse and instrumental break is completely omitted, and instead of the fade out, a loud, high-pitched ending chord is sung by the full company. However, the Original Broadway Cast Recording includes the instrumental break.

Pop-culture references

The song was often used as bumper music by late night radio talk show host Art Bell when he hosted Coast to Coast AM in the 1990s.

Christopher Knowles references the song-title and Valli/Four Seasons in a section of the libretto of Einstein on the Beach . [26]

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">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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)</span> 1965 song by The Four Seasons

"Bye, Bye, Baby " is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. The Four Seasons' version of the song made it to No. 1 in Canada and No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. On the original issue of the single, the title was "Bye Bye Baby". However, on the album, The 4 Seasons Entertain You, and on later issues of the song, the name was changed to the longer, more familiar one. The song is about saying goodbye, not because the person is unloved but rather because the relationship is adulterous.

<i>Who Loves You</i> 1975 studio album by The Four Seasons

Who Loves You is an album by The Four Seasons. It was released in 1975 on Warner/Curb Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Girls Don't Cry (The Four Seasons song)</span> 1962 single by The Four Seasons

"Big Girls Don't Cry" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio and originally recorded by the Four Seasons. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 17, 1962, and, like its predecessor "Sherry", spent five weeks in the top position but never ranked in the Billboard year-end charts of 1962 or 1963. The song also made it to number one, for three weeks, on Billboard's Rhythm and Blues survey. It was also the quartet's second single to make it to number one on the US R&B charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Take My Eyes Off You</span> 1967 song recorded by Frankie Valli

"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, making it Valli's biggest solo hit until he hit No. 1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk Like a Man (The Four Seasons song)</span> 1963 single by The Four Seasons

"Walk Like a Man" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio and originally 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">Silver Star (The Four Seasons song)</span> 1976 single by The Four Seasons

"Silver Star" is the lead song on the Four Seasons album Who Loves You. As was the case of all the songs on the LP, it was written by Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker and produced by Gaudio. Drummer Gerry Polci sang lead. Frankie Valli's contribution was limited to harmony vocals, since he was gradually losing his hearing in the 1970s due to otosclerosis. An operation restored most of Valli's hearing in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Hang On!</span> 1965 song performed by The Four Seasons

"Let's Hang On!" is a song composed by Bob Crewe, Sandy Linzer, and Denny Randell that was popularized by the Four Seasons in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)</span> 1966 single by The Four Seasons

"Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)" is a song composed by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell and recorded by The Four Seasons in 1966 for their album Working My Way Back to You.

<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">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."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swearin' to God</span> 1975 single by Frankie Valli

"Swearin' to God" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Denny Randell. It was recorded by Frankie Valli and released in May 1975 as a single from his album Closeup. It is a love song whose lyrical hook is a more literal use of the expression "I swear to God" :

<i>Closeup</i> (Frankie Valli album) 1975 studio album by Frankie Valli

Closeup is an album by Frankie Valli, released in February 1975 on the Private Stock label. It had been seven years since his prior album, and afforded Valli his first of two number-one solo hits in the US. The LP reached number 51 on the U.S. Billboard albums chart.

"Hangin' On" is a song by the Gosdin Brothers, released in August 1967. It has been recorded by numerous artists, including Joe Simon, Ann Peebles, Cher, Cliff Richard and Ann-Margret & Lee Hazlewood.

References

  1. Burke, Ken (January 1, 1998). "Frankie Valli/Four Seasons". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 465–466.
  2. Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (5th edition), Billboard Books 1992 ISBN   0-8230-8280-6
  3. 1 2 3 Fred Bronson, The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (3rd edition), Billboard Books 1992 ISBN   0-8230-8298-9
  4. Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush . Algora. pp.  285. ISBN   0-87586-207-1.
  5. "How I met the famous Joe Long !".
  6. "Joe Long dishes on 'Jersey Boys,' time with the Four Seasons". 21 February 2019.
  7. James, Gary. "Gary James' Interview With Don Ciccone Of The Four Seasons". classicbands.com. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  8. December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) The Story Behind The Song. Top 2000 a gogo . Netherlands Public Broadcasting. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  9. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 2, 1975. p. 20. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  10. "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. August 2, 1975. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  11. "How I met the famous Joe Long !".
  12. "Joe Long dishes on 'Jersey Boys,' time with the Four Seasons". 21 February 2019.
  13. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada" . Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  14. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Who Loves You". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  16. Flavour of New Zealand, 19 December 1975
  17. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989" . Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  18. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  19. http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19751101.html Adult Contemporary Music Chart, November 1, 1975]
  20. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 1, 1975
  21. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  22. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN   0-89820-142-X.
  23. Four Seasons, Who Loves You LP (Warner Bros. Records 1975)
  24. Four Seasons, "Who Loves You" single, Warner Bros. 8122, 1975
  25. Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1993, Billboard Books 1994 ISBN   0-89820-105-5
  26. Christopher Knowles' transcription of and relationship with Top-40, AM radio station WABC in the early 1970s, and specifically the juncture of the charting of Valli's "Swearin' to God" and "Who Loves You" in late-1975/early-1976, is something documented and analyzed in detail by Robert Fink in "Einstein on the Radio", in Jelena Novak and John Richardson, eds., Einstein on the Beach: Opera beyond Drama (London: Routledge, 2019). ISBN   1317145380