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
It's Not Unusual
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not unusual to have fun with anyone,
But when I see you hanging about with anyone
It's not unusual to see me cry, I want to die
It's not unusual to go out at any time,
But when I see you out and about it's just a crime,
If you should ever want to be loved by anyone,
No matter what you say
You'll find it happens all the time
Love will never do, what you want it to
Why can't this crazy love be mine.
It's not unusual to be mad with anyone,
It's not unusual to be sad with anyone
But if I ever find that you've changed at any time
It's not unusual, to find that I'm in love with you
Woh, woh, woh, who
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The lyrics of this song revolve around unrequited love, meaning the feeling of love is not mutual between two people. The opening line emphasizes the very nature of love which is that it is not unusual to be loved by anyone. The song is a juxtaposition of the commonality of love while showcasing the singer's personal pain of unrequited love. She's feeling devastated each time she sees him with someone who she perceives he's closer to rather than her. She feels that it's just a norm for him to be with anyone, make any random decision or go out at any time. However, seeing him with anyone else except her prompts an adverse emotional reaction from her. It's not usual to see her cry and feel like she wants to die, which conveys a sense of extreme emotional turmoil that she is going through.
The song also touches on the theme of possession, where she wants him all to herself, but he is not bound to her. The verse "Love will never do, what you want it to, Why can't this crazy love be mine" depicts this, where she is frustrated that love is not following her script, and she cannot seem to help but want him for herself. The song ends with a hopeful note where she admits that if she ever finds out that he has changed his mind about his feelings for her, then it's not unusual that she'll fall in love with him.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not unusual to be loved by anyone,
It's common for anyone to receive love from someone.
It's not unusual to have fun with anyone,
It's ordinary to have fun with someone.
But when I see you hanging about with anyone,
But when I see you spending time with just anyone,
It's not unusual to see me cry, I want to die
It's typical to see me cry and feel miserable.
It's not unusual to go out at any time,
It's not strange to go out at any time.
But when I see you out and about it's just a crime,
But when I see you out with others, it's as if you're breaking some rule.
If you should ever want to be loved by anyone,
If ever you wish to be loved by somebody,
It's not unusual, it happens every day,
It's a common occurrence that happens every day.
No matter what you say
Regardless of what you say,
You'll find it happens all the time
You'll encounter it happening frequently.
Love will never do, what you want it to
Love can't always be manipulated to fit your expectations.
Why can't this crazy love be mine.
I wish this irrational love were mine.
It's not unusual to be mad with anyone,
It's okay to be frustrated with someone.
It's not unusual to be sad with anyone
It's normal to be sad with someone.
But if I ever find that you've changed at any time
But if I notice you've ever changed,
It's not unusual, to find that I'm in love with you
It's common for me to admit that I'm in love with you.
Woh, woh, woh, who
Ad-libs
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ad-libs
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: GORDON MILLS, LES (GB) REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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