March 13, 2016

Forty Years Ago Today, December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) by The Four Seasons Topped the Billboard Hot 100! @frankievalli #OWAN40

March 13th, 2016

Today marks 40 years since The Four Seasons were back at Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 after an eight-year absence with December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)! The song, written by Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker remained in the top spot for three consecutive weeks!

7 Comments »

  1. My favorite song of all time????????

    Comment by Michele Smith — March 14, 2016 @ 3:36 am

  2. Went to see Jersey Boys on Broadway yesterday for the third time.
    OH WHAT A NIGHT. The show was great. Frankie Valli lead was also excellent… as were the others I have seen previously.

    I didn’t realize it was the 40th Anniversary of One of my favorite songs reaching number one!

    Thanks Jersey Boys and Thanks Frankie for so many great hours of musical enjoyment in my life.

    Comment by Audrey G — March 14, 2016 @ 12:10 pm

  3. What a Night!! What a great song!!!!!! Yes…could be my favourite song of all time!! Wish Jersey Boys was playing in Southern Ontario!! I need a fix!! Come back soon!!!!!!!

    Comment by Maureen Shragie — March 18, 2016 @ 7:20 am

  4. Wow!!!! Seems like only yesterday for me when that song topped the charts. I remember playing the hell out that album as it was and still is one of my favorites. I would play that album for family members and recalled some of them saying that sure doesn’t sound like the 4 seasons due to them being about 10 years older then me. I was in Jr. high at the time.

    Comment by George — March 18, 2016 @ 10:45 am

  5. Thanks to your posting here, I got interested and learned that Lee Shapiro and Gerry Polci, in this clip are performing these days as part of ‘The Hit Men’. Also in the clip: John Paiva moved to Munich and Don Ciccone has had a solid musical career. (Do I have those names right, Seasons’ fans?)

    Since Frankie has spoken about his very serious ear/ hearing problem beginning in late 1960s that was not successfully treated till 10 years later, I suspect the head phone held up to his ear might be connected to that. It’s been said that he needed the volume during this time, at a level that would be unmanageable for the rest of us.

    Comment by Audrey Rockman — March 19, 2016 @ 11:38 pm

  6. I saw The Hit Men a couple of weeks ago at The Macomb Center. They are great! Lee Shapiro and Gerry Polci were there. Don Ciccone has left The Hit Men. Gerry Polci plays the drums like Bob Gaudio plays the piano!

    Jimmy Ryan, who was in The Critters with Don Ciccone, was there. He played and conducted for Carly Simon for 21 years, after working together in a music store. He played the famous guitar solo break in “You’re So Vain”. They had interesting stories to tell. “Electric Stories”, perhaps?

    Don Ciccone had been drafted and didn’t sing on “Don’t Let The Rain Fall Down On Me”, which reached #39 in 1967. Jimmy Ryan wrote the song and performed on it, though, the last Top 40 song for The Critters. It has an almost eerie foreshadowing vocal chorus similarity to “Who Loves You” seven years later. Great song. Give it a listen.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=reZzptq9IlM

    They didn’t sing it at the concert, but mentioned it. Of course, they played “December, 1963 (Oh What A Night)”.

    Comment by Ted — March 20, 2016 @ 11:06 am

  7. Today is another Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Anniversary. Forty-one years ago, on March 22, 1975, “My Eyes Adored You” by Frankie Valli (as listed on the label, but both old and new Four Seasons were on the recording) reached #1 on the Hot 100.

    Comment by Ted — March 22, 2016 @ 7:42 am

RSS feed for comments on this post. | TrackBack URI

Please leave a comment