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
Robot Man
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One that I can count on every si-ingle night
He wouldn't run around like other guys
I wouldn't have to listen to his alibis
A little robot man to call my own
I'd never have to worry that he wou-ouldn't phone
He'd never dance with anyone but me
I'd have a steady da-ate (yay-yay-yay-yay)
Seven nights a wee-eek (yay-yay-yay-yay)
And we would never fi-ight (yay-yay-yay-yay)
'Cause it would be impossible for him to speak
Don't want a real live boy, they give me grief
Always make me cry into my ha-andkerchief
So it's a robot man I'm dreamin' of
Because I can depend upon a robot love, yeah
Mmm, we'd have a steady da-ate (yay-yay-yay-yay)
Seven nights a wee-eek (yay-yay-yay-yay)
And we would never fi-ight (yay-yay-yay-yay)
'Cause it would be impossible for him to speak
Don't want a real live boy, they give me grief
Always make me cry into a ha-andkerchief
So it's a robot man I'm dreamin' of
Because I can depend upon a robot love
Yeah, just hope I can depend upon a robot love
I mean, because I can depend upon a robot love
Do-oo, because I can depend upon a robot love
Oh-oh, just hope I can depend upon a robot love
I mean, because I can depend upon a robot love [fade]
The lyrics to "Robot Man" by Connie Francis express a longing for a reliable and obedient partner. The singer desires a robot man to hold her tightly every night without worrying about him cheating or making up excuses. She dreams of having a little robot man to call her own, who would never let her down and always be there for her. The singer yearns for a steady date all seven nights of the week with someone who wouldn't cause her any grief or make her cry into her handkerchief.
The lyrics reflect a desire for a relationship without any complexities, where the singer has complete control over the other person. Casting aside the idea of a real live boy who might have his own feelings, opinions, and flaws, the singer hopes for a partner who can be entirely programmed to meet her needs. The song suggests a certain emptiness in this kind of relationship, which is based on convenience and functionality rather than genuine emotional connection.
Overall, "Robot Man" conveys a sense of disillusionment with human relationships and a desire for something more straightforward, less complicated, and more easily controllable.
Line by Line Meaning
I want a robot man to hold me tight
I desire a machine-made man to cuddle me firmly
One that I can count on every si-ingle night
A dependable companion that I can rely on every night
He wouldn't run around like other guys
He would never roam like other regular men
I wouldn't have to listen to his alibis
I would not hear any of his lame excuses
A little robot man to call my own
A small robotic boy that I can claim as mine
I'd never have to worry that he wou-ouldn't phone
I would never fret if he would not call me
He'd never dance with anyone but me
He will only dance exclusively with me
I'd just have to wind him with a robot key
I only have to twist a robot key to make him function
I'd have a steady da-ate (yay-yay-yay-yay)
I will have a consistent partner (hurray-hurray-hurray-hurray)
Seven nights a wee-eek (yay-yay-yay-yay)
All seven evenings (hurray-hurray-hurray-hurray)
And we would never fi-ight (yay-yay-yay-yay)
We will never dispute (hurray-hurray-hurray-hurray)
'Cause it would be impossible for him to speak
It's unlikely to argue since he's incapable of speaking
Don't want a real live boy, they give me grief
I don't want an actual boy, they cause me heartache
Always make me cry into my ha-andkerchief
They often make me weep into my hanky
So it's a robot man I'm dreamin' of
That's why I'm fantasizing of a robotic man
Because I can depend upon a robot love, yeah
I can count on robotic love (yeah)
Mmm, we'd have a steady da-ate (yay-yay-yay-yay)
Hmm, we will have an unwavering partner (hurray-hurray-hurray-hurray)
Seven nights a wee-eek (yay-yay-yay-yay)
All seven evenings (hurray-hurray-hurray-hurray)
And we would never fi-ight (yay-yay-yay-yay)
We will never dispute (hurray-hurray-hurray-hurray)
'Cause it would be impossible for him to speak
It's unlikely to argue since he's incapable of speaking
Don't want a real live boy, they give me grief
I don't want an actual boy, they cause me heartache
Always make me cry into a ha-andkerchief
They often make me weep into my hanky
So it's a robot man I'm dreamin' of
That's why I'm fantasizing of a robotic man
Because I can depend upon a robot love
I can count on robotic love
Yeah, just hope I can depend upon a robot love
Yeah, I hope I can count on robotic love
I mean because I can depend upon a robot love
I say that because I can depend on robotic love
Do-oo, because I can depend upon a robot love
Because I can rely on robotic love (doo)
Oh-oh, just hope I can depend upon a robot love
Oh-oh, I hope I can count on robotic love
I mean because I can depend upon a robot love [fade]
I say that because I can depend on robotic love [fade]
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SYLVIA DEE, GEORGE GOEHRING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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