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
Everything I Have Is Yours
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're a part of me.
Everything I have is yours,
My destiny.
I would gladly give the sun to you,
If the sun were only mine.
I would gladly give the earth to you,
And the stars that shine.
Everything that I possess I offer you,
let my dream of happiness come true.
I'd be happy just to spend my life
Waiting at your beck and call;
Everything I have is yours,
My life, my all!
The more I'm with you, the more I can see
My love is yours alone.
You came and captured a heart that was free,
Now I've nothing left I call my own!
Everything I have is yours,
For you're a part of me.
Everything I have is yours,
My destiny.
I would gladly give the sun to you,
If the sun were only mine.
I would gladly give the earth to you,
And the stars that shine.
Everything that I possess I offer you,
let my dream of happiness come true.
I'd be happy just to spend my life
Waiting at your beck and call;
Everything I have is yours,
My life, my all!
The lyrics of Everything I Have Is Yours, sung by Connie Francis, express a selfless devotion and love towards the person being addressed. The singer declares that everything she has, including the intangible and priceless things like her destiny and life, belongs to the person she loves, who is a part of her. She is willing to offer the entire universe to her beloved, claiming that she would gladly give the sun and the earth if they were hers to give. By saying this, she is trying to convey that nothing material is more valuable than the love she has for her partner.
As the song progresses, the singer states that her life has been transformed by her love for the person she addresses. She joyfully declares that she is willing to wait on her beloved hand and foot for the rest of her life. She is content to give everything she has and does not want anything in return. In simple words, the lyrics portray a picture of unselfish and unconditional love.
The song ends with the reiteration that everything the singer has is the property of her beloved. She pledges to offer anything and everything she has to fulfill her partner's dreams and desires. The overall meaning of the song is that true love is about giving oneself completely to the person one loves, without expecting anything in return.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything I have is yours,
I am willing to give you all that I have because you are the most important thing to me.
You're a part of me.
You are an essential part of my life and I cannot live without you.
My destiny.
Being with you is my fate and I am willing to do anything to make it happen.
I would gladly give the sun to you,
I am willing to sacrifice anything to make you happy, even if it is something as grand as the sun.
If the sun were only mine.
My love for you is so great that I wish I could control the sun and give it to you if it were in my power to do so.
I would gladly give the earth to you,
I am willing to give you everything that I have, even if it is as big as the earth itself.
And the stars that shine.
I would not hesitate to give you the most beautiful and special things in the sky, even if they are as precious as the stars.
Everything that I possess I offer you,
I want to give you everything that I have because I love you so much.
let my dream of happiness come true.
I hope that by giving you everything, I can make you happy and fulfill my own dream of happiness.
I'd be happy just to spend my life
All I want is to be with you and make you happy, even if it means sacrificing my own desires and wishes.
Waiting at your beck and call;
I am willing to do anything for you and respond to your every call because I love you that much.
My life, my all!
You are the most important thing to me and I am willing to give you everything, including my life.
The more I'm with you, the more I can see
Being with you has made me realize how much I love you and how important you are to me.
My love is yours alone.
You are the only one that I love and my heart belongs to you completely.
You came and captured a heart that was free,
You have won my heart and I am now completely devoted to you.
Now I've nothing left I call my own!
I have given you everything and nothing is left that is solely mine because you are now the most important thing in my life.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BURTON LANE, HAROLD ADAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William Dane
Excellent recording from an album full of great vocals!
Rosa Angela
So beauty. Thanks.
Dylan Monroe
how does this only have 30 likes???