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
Drop It Joe
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He dreamed of her night and day
She had a crush on a record machine
And when he tried to kiss her she'd say.
Drop it Joe (drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Drop it Joe( drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Come on and play this tune for me so I can twist all night.
He bought her a big box of caramel
And a dozen roses too
But when it comes to soda Joe he heard her yet
Hey Joe, I been lookin' for you.
Drop it Joe (drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Drop it Joe( drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Come on and play this tune for me so I can twist all
night.
The poor guy was caught in the middle
It made him feel mighty low
'Cause he was playing second fiddle
To a hi-fi stereo.
But Joe wouldn't quit and he finally won
At least that's the way it seemed
He married the chick and it really was fun
Till she made him buy a record machine.
Drop it Joe (drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Drop it Joe( drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Come on and play this tune for me so I can twist all night.
Joe wouldn't quit and he finally won
At least that's the way it seemed
He married the chick and it really was fun
Till she made him buy a record machine.
Drop it Joe (drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Drop it Joe( drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Come on and play this tune for me so I can twist all night...
Connie Francis's song "Drop It Joe" depicts the story of a man named Joe who falls in love with a woman who is only interested in music. Joe is deeply in love with her, but the woman is indifferent to his affection. She is only interested in listening to music and dancing to it all night long. The canvas queen in the lyrics symbolizes the woman who Joe fell in love with. Joe tried everything to impress her with gifts of caramel, roses, and soda, but nothing worked. She was content with listening to music and dancing to it all night long. She did not want anything else, even when Joe tried to kiss her.
The song highlights the emotions and feelings of Joe who is caught up between his love for the woman and his desire to fulfill her wishes. He is in love with her and will do everything to win her over, even if it means buying a record machine. It is easy to empathize with Joe's situation, as he is only trying to please the woman he loves. The canvas queen, on the other hand, is only interested in music, highlighting the importance of music in people's lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Joe fell in love with a canvas queen
Joe fell in love with a girl who was admired like a work of art
He dreamed of her night and day
Joe fantasized about her all the time
She had a crush on a record machine
The girl was in love with the music
And when he tried to kiss her she'd say.
Whenever Joe tried to initiate intimacy, she refused him
Drop it Joe (drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Play a song on the jukebox by inserting a coin
Come on and play this tune for me so I can twist all night.
Please play a song for me so I can dance all night.
He bought her a big box of caramel
Joe gave her candy as a gift
And a dozen roses too
Joe also gave her flowers
But when it comes to soda Joe he heard her yet
When it came to buying drinks, she still ignored him
Hey Joe, I been lookin' for you.
She wanted Joe to play a song on the jukebox
The poor guy was caught in the middle
Joe was caught in a difficult situation
It made him feel mighty low
This made him feel very bad
'Cause he was playing second fiddle
He felt like he was not important
To a hi-fi stereo.
She preferred to listen to recorded music
But Joe wouldn't quit and he finally won
Joe didn't give up and he eventually succeeded
At least that's the way it seemed
This is what it looked like to others
He married the chick and it really was fun
Joe married the girl and they had a good time
Till she made him buy a record machine.
But then she made him buy a device to play recorded music
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: EDDIE CURTIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@garryut
Always loved this song...the entire Twist Lp is a bit much for me to listen to in one shot, but every cut is really good...and many always made it onto my Connie mixed tapes I would take in the car...Connie did some excellent B sides...Carolina Moon, No One, Someone Else's Boy, Too Many Rules and The Biggest Sin of All were among my favs.
@Zeesboy
Joe fell in love with the campus queen
He dreamed of her night and day
But she had a crush on a record machine
And when he tried to kiss her she'd say.
Drop it Joe (drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Drop it Joe( drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Come on and play this tune for me so I can twist all
Night.
He bought her a big box of caramel
And a dozen posies too
But when passed the soda shop he heard her yell
Hey Joe, I been lookin' for you.
Drop it Joe (drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Drop it Joe( drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Come on and play this tune for me so I can twist all
Night.
The poor guy was caught in the middle
It made him feel mighty low
'Cause he was playing second fiddle
To a hi-fi stereo.
But Joe wouldn't quit and he finally won
At least that's the way it seemed
He married the chick and it really was fun
Till she made him buy a record machine.
Drop it Joe (drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Drop it Joe( drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Come on and play this tune for me so I can twist all
Night.
--- Instrumental ---
Joe wouldn't quit and he finally won
At least that's the way it seemed
He married the chick and it really was fun
Till she made him buy a record machine.
Drop it Joe (drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Drop it Joe( drop a dime in the jukebox Joe)
Come on and play this tune for me so I can dance all night,
So I can twist all Night... So I can hear a song....
@jimkreider9997
This of course was on the B side of Don't Break The Heart That Loves You. My two favorites are My Real Happiness and I won't be Home To You. I did hear her say on some interview that she regretted doing this album and the "children's songs". I never understood "The Kids Next Store". What did that title mean
@gladysbetancourt5125
😘