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
Souvenir D'Italie
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Paese d′amore
E porto con me questo piccolo3
Tuo souvenir
È solo una bianca conchiglia
Con l'eco del mare
E sogno la notte d′amore
Dimme tu, addò stà, dimme tu
Souvenir d'Italie
Ch'aggi′ ′a fa, p' ′o truvà, dimme tu
Souvenir d'Italie
Even though we are so far apart
Still, my heart speaks to me
And a voice that is yours
Calls me back to your shores
Voice of love, souvenir d′Italie
Se n'è gghiuto accussì
E me lassa partì
Souvenir
Souvenir d′Italie
The lyrics of Connie Francis's song Souvenir D'Italie is a wistful goodbye to a place filled with dreams and love, Italy. The singer expresses her deepest feeling of longing to her homeland as she takes with her a small souvenir, a white conch shell with the sound of the sea, which became a reminder of a love that will never come back. The words "Ti lascio, paese di sogni, paese d'amore," which translates to "I leave you, land of dreams, land of love," evoke a sense of melancholy that encapsulates the idea of letting go of a beautiful past.
The chorus of the song functions like a question, asking herself where to find the cherished souvenir of Italy. She wants to find it but also recognizes that it's not something you can physically look for, rather it's a feeling that exists in her heart. The lyrics "Even though we are so far apart still, my heart speaks to me, and a voice that is yours calls me back to your shores" illustrates the depth of the singer's feeling of homesickness as well as her nostalgia for the beautiful memories she had in Italy.
The last two lines of the song, "Se n'è gghiuto accussì E me lassa partì Souvenir, Souvenir d′Italie," are in a Calabrian dialect and translate to "It has gone like this And leaves me leaving, Souvenir, Souvenir of Italy." These lines further emphasize the singer's feeling of heartbreak and longing for a place that is far away.
Line by Line Meaning
Ti lascio, paese di sogni
I am leaving you, my beloved country of dreams
Paese d'amore
You are a country of love
E porto con me questo piccolo tuo souvenir
I am taking with me this little souvenir of yours
È solo una bianca conchiglia
It is only a white seashell
Con l'eco del mare
That echoes the sound of the sea
E sogno la notte d'amore
And I dream of the night of love
Che non tornerà
That will not return
Dimme tu, addò stà, dimme tu
Tell me, where is it, tell me
Souvenir d'Italie
This souvenir from Italy
Ch'aggi' 'a fa, p' 'o truvà, dimme tu
What do I have to do to find it, tell me
Souvenir d'Italie
This souvenir from Italy
Even though we are so far apart
Even though we are separated by distance
Still, my heart speaks to me
My heart still communicates with me
And a voice that is yours
And a voice that reminds me of you
Calls me back to your shores
Calls me back to return to you
Voice of love, souvenir d'Italie
The voice of love and this souvenir from Italy
Se n'è gghiuto accussì
It has gone like this
E me lassa partì
And it lets me go
Souvenir
This souvenir
Souvenir d'Italie
This souvenir from Italy
Writer(s): Renzo Tarabusi, Carl Sigman, Giulio Scarnicci, Lelio Luttazzi
Contributed by Brooklyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@51gary51
The track "Souvenir Of Italy" is one of Connie's most mellow and romantic of all her Italian albums.
@kph1955
I think her best Italian album recorded in Milan.
@gladysbetancourt5125
BRAVISSIMA CONNIE😘
@jimkreider9997
I liked this song from the beginning. But the "A" side "Another Page" should definitely been a big hit for Connie
@kph1955
I don't think "Another Page" charted at all. It didn't get any airplay. If it was promoted, I too, think it would have been a hit.
@tellekohtala5913
@Kevin Harkin
Hi Kevin❗
Thanks again❗🎼🎙
I think that Connie had very strong talent/instinct for music 🎼🎙 SHE always sang inside of music.
The words lived in her power of expression even then she sang in "pianissimo"..🎙
I really like that very much 🎼❤
It means that CONNNIE has been so totally "musicale"❗🎼❤
@kph1955
@Telle Kohtala Hi Telle. Yes, Connie was an amazing interpreter of a song. Very raw emotions. She had perfect pitch and was known to get a song down in one take.
@tellekohtala5913
@Kevin Harkin
Kevin, You are so RIGHT, perfettamente📌👸
@charlespuppi4289
Thanks Kevin
@kph1955
You're welcome, Charles!