Connie Francis (born 12 December 1937 in Newark, New Jersey, USA) is an Ame… Read Full Bio ↴Connie Francis (born 12 December 1937 in Newark, New Jersey, USA) is an American pop singer best known for international hit songs such as "Who's Sorry Now?," "Where The Boys Are", and "Everybody's Somebody's Fool".

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

I Really Don't Want to Know
Connie Francis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How many arms have held you
And hated to let you go
How many, how many, i wonder
But i really don't want

And how many lips have kissed you
And set, set your soul aglow
How many, how many, i wonder

But i really don't want to know

So always make me wonder
And always make me guess
Even if i ask you
Oh darling don't confess

Just let remain your secret
Oh for darling, darling i love you so
No wonder, no wonder, i wonder
'cause i really don't want,

How many, how many i wonder
But i really don't want to know

Overall Meaning

Connie Francis's song "I Really Don't Want to Know" consists of two verses with repeated questions. The lyrics are about a relationship in which the singer wonders about the number of arms and the number of lips that her lover has experienced before they met. She admits that she doesn't want an answer to her questions but prefers to be left in the dark about her lover's past.

The repeated questions about the number of arms and lips create a sense of jealousy and insecurity. The singer's request to keep her love's past secret is an example of unconditional love that does not depend on any external circumstances. The singer's desire to remain in the dark about her lover's past could be interpreted as a willingness to overlook any faults or mistakes that her lover may have made. The lyrics also suggest that the singer values the present moment and wants to focus on the love that they share now, rather than dwelling on the past.

Line by Line Meaning

How many arms have held you
How many people have embraced you with intense feelings, and were devastated once you left their arms

And hated to let you go
They didn't just simply let you leave, they felt a strong desire to hold on to you and never let you go

How many, how many, i wonder
The singer is curious about the amount of people who have held the person they love

But i really don't want
Despite being curious, the artist does not desire to know the answer to the question

And how many lips have kissed you
The number of people who have expressed their love to you by kissing your lips are unknown to the artist

And set, set your soul aglow
The singer assumes that the kisses that the person they love received, kindled a deep passion and heartfelt emotions within them

So always make me wonder
Leaving things unsaid and unknown keeps the singer wondering about the love they share with the person and wanting more

And always make me guess
By not giving a direct answer, the artist is regularly forced to make assumptions and guesses

Even if i ask you
Despite the fact that the artist may want to know the amount of people the person they love has been with, they would rather not ask

Oh darling don't confess
The artist pleads with the person they love not to admit to the number of people they have been with

Just let remain your secret
The singer wants to keep the secret safe as they love the person who holds the secret so much that they feel that knowing the truth may change their perception of them

Oh for darling, darling i love you so
The artist is deeply in love with the person, and what they have shared is more important than stale knowledge of the person's past

No wonder, no wonder, i wonder
The singer still wonders about the person's relationship past, but chooses to remain clueless because it doesn't matter to their current relationship

'cause i really don't want,
Again, reiterating that knowing the truth is not important and that being in love and happy in the moment is more important than knowing past relationships

How many, how many i wonder
The repeated line reinforces in the singer's mind the question of how many people the person has been with but rejects the answer to it

But i really don't want to know
The song's main message, that the artist is comfortably ignorant of the person's relationships past and would rather not know

Contributed by Nora F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

frankie hunter

4y↑6

Wonderful interpretation of Les Paul & Mary Ford's classic (No. 11 in 1954). Connie could sing as good as the best c&w artists.

mrsimian100

3y↑2

As distinctly beautiful as her heart filled voice. The image and grace of lady surely defined

connie francis

Hi dear🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
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 you’ve done for me throughout the years.
It’s a season of love😍❤️❤️ 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.💞💞🙏💖💕