Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero in Newark's Italian Down Neck or Ironbound section of Newark, New Jersey neighbourhood, she is considered the most prolific and popular female rock 'n' roll hit-maker of the early rock era -- the late 1950s to the early 1960s. After an appearance on Startime, Francis was advised to change her name from Franconero to something more easily pronounceable, as well as to quit the accordion and focus on singing.
Francis' first single "Freddy" (1955) met with little success. Her next nine singles were also failures, and she began considering a career in medicine; however, "Who's Sorry Now" (a cover version of a 1923 song) launched her into super-stardom worldwide. Francis recorded the song at what was to have been her final recording session for MGM, as the label was about to drop her since her previous singles had generated little activity. She has said (paraphrased from The Billboard Book of Number One Singles by Fred Bronson) that she recorded it at the suggestion of her father, who convinced her it stood a chance of becoming a hit because it was a song adults already knew and that teenagers would dance to if it were released with a more contemporary arrangement.
The gamble paid off. In April 1958, "Who's Sorry Now" reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart (number four in the USA); in 2000, it was named one of the Songs of the Century. On January 1, 1958, she debuted it on Dick Clark's American Bandstand television show; by mid-year over a million copies were sold. This was followed by many other hits over the next decade, as Connie Francis became one of the most popular vocalists in the world.
Francis specialized in downbeat ballads delivered in her trademark "sobbing" style -- such as "My Happiness," "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry," "Among My Souvenirs," "Together," "Breakin' In a Brand New Broken Heart," and the Italian song "Mama," many of which were remakes of old standards. However, she also had success with a handful of more upbeat, rock-and-roll-oriented compositions, such as "Stupid Cupid," "Lipstick On Your Collar," and "Vacation." Among her other notable performances were "In the Summer of His Years" (a tribute to slain U.S. President John F. Kennedy) and Bert Kaempfert's "Strangers In The Night" (although the latter song is more identified with Frank Sinatra). Both "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" and "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" went to No.1 on the Billboard music charts in 1960. In 1962 she had another No.1 hit with "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You."
Francis recorded in nine languages during her career, including English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, and even Japanese, and remade many of her hits in foreign languages, including "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" and her signature song, "Where the Boys Are." In fact, her biggest hit album in the U.S. was 1960's Italian Favorites, and she followed it with several more albums of Italian songs over the years, as well as collections of Spanish-language and Jewish songs, among others.
"Where The Boys Are," one of many Neil Sedaka/Howard Greenfield compositions Francis recorded during her career (others included "Stupid Cupid" and "Everybody's Somebody's Fool"), gained wide exposure through its inclusion in the 1960 motion picture with the same title. Francis had a role in the film and sang the title song. During the first half of the 1960s she starred in three additional films -- Follow the Boys (1963) (the title song of which became a No. 17 Billboard single for Francis), Looking for Love (1964) and When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965).
In 1960 Francis became the youngest headliner to sing in Las Vegas, where she played 28 days a year for nine years. In 1961 she was successful in starring in her own television special on ABC television sponsored by Brylcreem titled Kicking Sound Around, singing and acting along-side Tab Hunter, Eddie Foy Jr. and Art Carney. She appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on July 1, 1962 with French singing star Johnny Hallyday in a show that was taped at the famous Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris, France. On July 3, 1963 she played a Command performance before Queen Elizabeth II at the Alhambra Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. By 1967, she had 35 U.S. Top 40 hits, and three number ones.
Connie Francis has always been a great fan of country music and recorded several albums of country standards during her pop career. In 1969 she had a modest country hit with "The Wedding Cake" and made the country charts again in 1982 with "There's Still a Few Good Love Songs Left in Me." Several country singers found chart success remaking Francis' pop hits for the country market, including Marie Osmond ("Who's Sorry Now" in 1975), Susan Raye ("My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" in 1972), Margo Smith ("Don't Break The Heart That Loves You" in 1978), and Debby Boone.
During the height of the Vietnam War in 1967, Connie Francis performed for U.S. troops.
Francis ended her recording career in 1969. She returned in 1973 with "The Answer," a song written just for her, and soon began performing again. Her son Joey was born in 1974. Tragedies followed soon after. In 1974 she was sexually assaulted in a hotel following a performance in Westbury, New York. Nasal surgery to correct a sensitivity to air conditioning deprived her of her ability to sing professionally for four years. Her brother was murdered in 1981.
Francis' autobiography, Who's Sorry Now? was published in 1984. Francis was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental disease which includes severe depressions and manic highs. She uses the drug Lithium to balance out the emotional highs and lows caused by the disease. Connie Francis resumed her career in 1989 after discovering the drug and has continued singing and recording since then. Francis still holds a world-wide appeal shown through continued music sales and sold-out appearances.
Her latest CD The American Tour contains performances from recent shows. In late December 2004, Francis headlined in Las Vegas for the first time since 1989.
In March of 2007, Francis performed to a sold-out crowd -- composed of gay urbanites and conservative suburbanites -- in San Francisco. The "little diva" belted out versions of her "woebegone ballads . . . in full force," according to the San Franciso Chronicle's music critic.
Connie's fan club: www.conniefrancis.com
Beautiful Brown Eyes
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
I'll never love blue eyes again
Willie, I love you, my Darlin'
I love you with all my heart
Tomorrow we might have been married
Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
I'll never love blue eyes again
Down through the barroom he staggered
And fell down by the door
The very last words that he uttered
"I'll never see brown eyes no more"
Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
I'll never love blue eyes again
The song "Beautiful Brown Eyes," originally written in 1947, tells a story of a woman's heartbreak over a lost love who has decided to leave her for a life of wandering. The woman, who is deeply in love with her partner Willie, expresses her love for him with feelings of sadness and longing. The first verse of the song repeats the phrase "Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes" three times, as if in a state of desperation to hold onto the love she has for Willie. The second verse reveals that the couple had plans to get married, yet the wandering nature of Willie's life has caused their separation. The pain is evident in the line, "ramblin' has kept us apart."
In the third verse, the scene shifts from the woman's perspective to that of a drunk man in a bar. The man, stumbling and falling, whispers his final words, "I'll never see brown eyes no more." This line suggests that perhaps the root of the man's drunkenness was a lost love, similar to the woman in the beginning of the song. The song's repeated refrain of "I'll never love blue eyes again" is a symbol for the loss and heartbreak the characters in the song have experienced.
Line by Line Meaning
Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
The singer praises the beauty of the person's brown eyes
I'll never love blue eyes again
The singer expresses that they won't love someone with blue eyes anymore, as they are currently in love with someone with brown eyes named Willie
Willie, I love you, my Darlin'
The singer declares her love for Willie
I love you with all my heart
The singer emphasizes the depth of her love for Willie
Tomorrow we might have been married
The singer regrets not being able to marry Willie due to their separate paths and life choices
But ramblin' has kept us apart
The singer recognizes that their individual travels and wanderings have prevented them from being together
Down through the barroom he staggered
The singer describes Willie's drunken state in a bar
And fell down by the door
The singer reveals that Willie fell by the door due to his drunkenness
The very last words that he uttered
The singer recounts Willie's final words
"I'll never see brown eyes no more"
The singer reports that Willie's final words were about his sadness in not being able to see her beautiful brown eyes anymore
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, JOHNNY BOND PUBLICATIONS, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alton Delmore, Arthur Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rockinAyu
Nice song
@coffeedup3822
I'll never love blue eyes again! (And my W does have beautiful brown eyes!) π₯°π
@paulschumacher6296
Very beautifully sung. Never to hear such a beautiful voice ever.
@1234549084
Happy you liked it Paul
@royzee28
This song was buzzing around my head today, I could hear it but couldn't think who I remembered singing it! SOLVED! Beautiful
@JP-he6rq
remember this song as a kid
@conniefrancis4743
Hi dearπΉπΉπΉπΉπΉπΉ
Thanks for your love and support that has brought me this far, it has been a hard time for me going through this but your love and support keeps me going and standing strong in this difficult times. I do read your heartwarming comments and I truly appreciate all youβve done for me throughout the years.
Itβs a season of loveπβ€οΈβ€οΈ for me and so I decided to put a smile on the faces of my fans by going through my YouTube channel am checking out on my fans, so I can get to communicate with my fans better through discussion of depth and humor listening to o and criticism of my career.πππππ
@maduilangarathne564
I'm here after watching "cutting off the heart" k drama.. wow. It took my heart. Soooooooooo beautiful.. it gives me warm feelings..
@1234549084
happy you liked it Madu
@conniefrancis4743
Hi dearπΉπΉπΉπΉπΉπΉ
Thanks for your love and support that has brought me this far, it has been a hard time for me going through this but your love and support keeps me going and standing strong in this difficult times. I do read your heartwarming comments and I truly appreciate all youβve done for me throughout the years.
Itβs a season of loveπβ€οΈβ€οΈ for me and so I decided to put a smile on the faces of my fans by going through my YouTube channel am checking out on my fans, so I can get to communicate with my fans better through discussion of depth and humor listening to o and criticism of my career.πππππ