Frankie Valli: King of Pop Falsetto!
January 11th, 2009
We all already knew that Frankie Valli has the absolute greatest falsetto of all time, right? Well, blogger Mike Brooks has posted his list of Top Ten Falsettos in Pop and Rock History and Frankie tops his list, too!
1. Frankie Valli – Yes, Valli sometimes comes across a bit screechy, but no singer legitimized the falsetto to generations of male pop singers than Frankie. He showed that you could hit the high notes and still maintain your masculinity, especially in defiant songs like “Walk Like a Man,” sometimes misunderstood as a sort of sexual double entendre. Songs like “Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry ’bout Me)” and “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” still move me despite hearing them thousands of times.
Others on Brooks’ list include Lou Christie, Del Shannon, and Roy Orbison. Visit the historymike blog for the full list and his commentary.
After reading this review and honor, I thought that Frankie is the “hands down” king of falsetto singing by creating a sound that no group has been able to duplicate with the sucess of The Four Seasons.
I did find the most ironic part of the review was the songs the reviewer chose as examples of Frankie’s falsetto. They are some of the best songs Frankie ever sang with some of the most riveting lyrics. In fact, “Opus 17″ is my favorite song because of those hammering lyrics.
If any Four Seasons fan out there is familiar with “Opus 17″ and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”, you might strain quite hard to find falsetto in them. They’re quite wonderful songs but Frankie actually produces his baratone voice in “Opus 17″. Listen to that “OOOOOHHH BA—BY”. Only the last “I’ll be strong” hits a high note. I’ve always said Frankie put his signature at the end of that song. The Jersey Boys version of “Opus 17″ sang it high. It sounded totally different.
Comment by Tom — September 17, 2009 @ 10:39 pm