I would say, and did comment recently, that “To Give” has all the hallmarks of a standard, except the popularity that somehow escaped it.

“Silence Is Golden” as performed by the Four Seasons has a standard quality to it. I think that the standard lost its brilliance in the faster, truncated version by the Tremeloes. I would still rather hear the Tremeloes version than 99% or more of what’s popular today, though.

Conversely, Frankie would do, and do so legitimately unlike the comical treatment given to it in Jersey Boys, “My Mother’s Eyes” and other standards from his first “Solo” album: “My Funny Valentine” and “Secret Love.” This would make Frankie and the 4 Seasons more acceptable to parents and even get some of them to go to the shows.

To your list, both recording wise as well as performance wise, I would add “To Give.” Breathtaking when done live in concert.

Would “Silence is Golden” fall into this category? Frankie still does this song to this day in his show.

I would think that the songs from “Romancing the 60s” would also qualify today as “standards.” Prior to “Romancing” Frankie would usually throw in a contemporary song or two into the show.

The Four Seasons did this with not only “With A Little Bit Of Luck”, but the original standard “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”, and such others as Gene Austin covers of “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” and “The Lonesome Road” and other covers on their early LPs, and of course, the best ever version “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” later on.

In all fairness, the Beatles also used this strategy with “Till There Was You” from “The Music Man” and the original standard “Yesterday”. I’m sure there were others, but we didn’t pay as much attention to the Bugs of Britain, David.

I do remember that persons in the older generation appreciated these covers and new standards.

Of course, “Jersey Boys” now extends that appeal to younger generations.

I only thought of this recently as for my son’s high school play they did “My Fair Lady” – there is an original 4 Seasons connection to the music of “My Fair Lady” – On the Hullabaloo appearance that is in “Jersey Beat” and recently posted on the Blog the 4 Seasons perform a hits medley but they also came back at the end of the show where all the stars appear to perform other hits of the day and album cuts and on this occasion Broadway show tunes. The 4 Seasons sang Bobby Freeman’s “Do You Wanna Dance” from the “Dawn” album and soloed on “With a Little Bit of Luck” from “My Fair Lady” which closed the show and where everybody else later all joined in where they all marched around in a circle and Frankie’s voice could be heard over everyone. Trini Lopez was the host and also appearing were “Herman” (aka Peter Noone) and Freddy of Freddy & the Dreamers and Vicki Carr.

George Bernard Shaw wrote the play “Pygmalion”, on which “My Fair Lady” was based.

He also came up with the saying “youth is wasted on the young”, alluded to in the “Frankie Valli and the Four Tops” review of “Jersey Boys Rocks West End”!