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
Drowin' My Sorrows
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was happy when you were my true love
Now I find that I'm losing my mind
Cause they told me that you found a new love
Now I know that the fates are unkind
That's why I'm drowning my sorrows
Drowning my sorrows
In an ocean of tears
My broken heart keeps recalling
As my teardrops keep falling
That I'm drowning my sorrows over you
Now I know that my bridges are burning
Cause there'll never be no one else for me
So I pray, darling, soon you'll be returning
And you'll break these chains of love
And set me free
Till then I'm drowning my sorrows
Facing lonely tomorrows
Drowning my sorrows
In an ocean of tears
My broken heart keeps recalling
As my teardrops keep falling
That I'm drowning my sorrows over you
Yes, I'm drowning my sorrows over you
The lyrics of Connie Francis's song "Drowning My Sorrows" express heartbreak and sadness over a lost love. The song opens by acknowledging the singer's past happiness when the subject of the song was their true love. The song then takes a turn when the singer discovers that their love interest has found someone new, leading them to feel like the fates are unkind. The rest of the song mourns this loss of love and the loneliness that the singer feels.
The line "Now I know that my bridges are burning" conveys a sense of finality in the loss of this love. The singer knows that things cannot be undone, and they will be left with a broken heart. Yet, the hope remains that their love will return and break the chains that hold them, potentially leading to a happy ending. Overall, the song speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on from a past love.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll be drowning my sorrows over you
I will be consuming my time moping about my lost love.
I was happy when you were my true love
I was over the moon when we were in a relationship because your love was all that mattered to me.
Now I find that I'm losing my mind
After finding out you have moved on to someone else, I am becoming irrational and deranged.
Cause they told me that you found a new love
I got to know through others that you have now fallen in love with a new person.
Now I know that the fates are unkind
I believe that destiny is unjust because extreme heartbreak has occurred to me.
That's why I'm drowning my sorrows
This is the reason that I am endlessly depressed.
Facing lonely tomorrows
Henceforth, I am going to experience solitary, depressing days.
Drowning my sorrows
I am trying to cope with my grief by drinking excessively.
In an ocean of tears
My eyes are leaking tears that resemble the depth of an endless, sorrowful sea.
My broken heart keeps recalling
My emotions continuously grasp the memories of the loving moments we shared.
As my teardrops keep falling
At the same time, my tears do not stop dropping down my cheeks.
That I'm drowning my sorrows over you
Again and again, the only thing that can heal my heart is holding onto the regret of our separation.
Now I know that my bridges are burning
I am very confident that every chance I ever had with you has been lost because of my tendency to reminisce about what we once had together.
Cause there'll never be no one else for me
I strongly believe that there is no other person out there that could replace you in my heart.
So I pray, darling, soon you'll be returning
I am desperately hoping that you return to me soon and salvage the love we had for each other.
And you'll break these chains of love
With your return, I hope you will free me from the pain of my undying love for you.
And set me free
Thereby, making me feel liberated from the agony after your departure from my life.
Yes, I'm drowning my sorrows over you
There is no doubt in my mind that I will continue to lament my lost love for you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HANK HUNTER, STAN VINCENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jim Hilliker
Not crazy about this one. Couldn't they come up with a better song idea for her to record?
Richard Dixon
Such a talent. Connie could even make this song sound as good as possible.
Todd Thomas
C❤nnie Francis