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
Just a Dream
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All our plans and our all schemes
How could I think you'd be mine
Those lies I'd tell myself each time
I know that we could never last
We just can't seem to in the past
Just a dream I dreamed in vain
Your picture is always with me
I can still hear that same mournful song
And now I sit here crying
Please leave me alone
Oh why, oh why do I love you?
How can I live in misery?
I know that I won't forget you
But now I know it's too late for me
Your picture is always with me
I can still hear that same mournful song
And now I sit here crying
Please leave me alone
Oh why, oh why do I love you?
How can I live in misery?
I know that I won't forget you
But now I know it's too late for me
The lyrics of Connie Francis's song "Just a Dream" pour out the feelings of a broken-hearted lover who couldn't sustain the relationship with their partner. The first two lines of the song are an admission of the failure of their plans and dreams, and how naive were they to have thought that they would last. The singer then goes on to blame themselves for believing their own lies each time. Here, the lies connote the false promises of being together forever, which the singer kept telling themselves despite the lack of reciprocation from their partner.
In the second verse, the singer acknowledges how they couldn't reconcile with their past and how their dreams were futile. They dreamed in vain of having a life with their lover and can't do anything but endure the pain of separation. The third verse is the most poignant, where the singer describes the constant reminder of their lover, as their picture and the mournful song haunts them. Even after the breakup, the singer can't help but cry and wish for their lover to leave them alone, but they can't let go of their feelings for them. The concluding lines where the singer asks themselves why they love someone who caused them so much pain and misery, and yet, they can't forget them.
In conclusion, "Just a Dream" showcases the struggles of a broken heart, and how people sometimes find themselves trapped in an emotional situation where they can't help but reminisce all the good and bad times with their ex-lover.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a dream, just a dream
Everything you and I wanted to do together, all our aspirations and intentions were nothing but a figment of my imagination.
All our plans and our all schemes
The schemes and plans we made for our future are now useless since they were never going to happen.
How could I think you'd be mine
I can't comprehend why I believed you would always be mine, when I knew that was never true.
Those lies I'd tell myself each time
The deceitful thoughts I used to convince myself that we had a future together.
I know that we could never last
I am aware that what we had could never stand the test of time.
We just can't seem to in the past
Despite our history and everything we shared, we just couldn't make it work.
Just a dream I dreamed in vain
The dream I had where we were together was never going to happen no matter how much I wanted it.
With you I'd always live in pain
Being with you was always going to be a painful experience for me no matter how much I tried to change that.
Your picture is always with me
I always carry around a picture of you, no matter where I go.
I can still hear that same mournful song
Every time I think of you, a melancholic tune plays in my head, and I can't seem to get rid of it.
And now I sit here crying
As I write and think of you, tears well up in my eyes.
Please leave me alone
I need some time to think and be by myself, away from the memories of us together.
Oh why, oh why do I love you?
I question myself why I still love you even after all we've been through.
How can I live in misery?
The pain of not having you in my life has enveloped me, and I don't know how to cope with it.
I know that I won't forget you
Even though we are no longer together, I won't forget you, and memories of us will linger in my heart forever.
But now I know it's too late for me
As much as I want to be with you, what we had is over, and I have to accept that it's too late for me.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Jimmy Clanton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
frankie hunter
Great version of Jimmy Clanton's Nr. 4 song from 1958. Connie is unbeatable at this type of song.
Walt Eb
Hi frankie hunter, thanks for listening and commenting.
Ben P
What a fucking incredible voice , smooth as silk
Kathleen Larkin
Love Connie from I was 14 and still do at 70
Footsteps 11
Hi Kathleen, you are welcome. Connie always guarantees a lot of clicks.
Curiously, people find her slower songs best. Thanks for listening and commenting. Walt