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
Stupid Cupid
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly
I'm in love and it's a crying shame
And I know that you're the one to blame
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
I can't do my homework and I can't think straight
I'm acting like a lovesick fool
You've even got me carrying your books to school
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
You mixed me up for good right from the very start
Hey now, go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what you're putting down
Well since I kissed her loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what you're putting down
Well since I kissed his loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
Connie Francis's song "Stupid Cupid" is a song about how the Greek god, Cupid, who is famous for striking people with his arrow and making them fall in love, is causing the singer of the song to be lovesick and unable to focus on anything else. The song has a catchy, upbeat melody and humorous lyrics, which make it a classic pop song.
The lyrics begin with the singer accusing Cupid of being a "real mean guy" and wishing to "clip his wings so he can't fly." The singer then laments that she is "in love and it's a crying shame" and that she knows Cupid is to blame. The chorus expresses the singer's frustration and plea for release from Cupid's grip: "Hey, hey, set me free/Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me."
The next verse describes how the singer is so lovesick that she cannot focus on her schoolwork or think straight. She meets her lover every morning at half-past eight, and she is acting like a "lovesick fool." Cupid's influence has even made her carry her lover's books to school. The chorus repeats, with the plea for relief, "Hey, hey, set me free/Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me."
The final verse speaks of how Cupid has "mixed [the singer] up for good right from the very start," and encourages him to "go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart." Even so, the singer admits that she likes the feeling of being lovesick and kissing her lover's "loving lips of wine." The song ends with the chorus one last time, "Hey, hey, set me free/Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me."
Line by Line Meaning
Stupid Cupid you're a real mean guy
The singer is attributing their pain and suffering to Cupid as his actions have caused narrator's emotional turmoil
I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly
The singer wants to stop Cupid from making any more people fall in love as it's an agonizing and vulnerable feeling
I'm in love and it's a crying shame
The singer acknowledges that being in love is a shameful experience as it makes one powerless and vulnerable
And I know that you're the one to blame
The artist blames Cupid for putting them in such a vulnerable, heartbroken state of mind
Hey hey, set me free
The artist appeals to Cupid, pleading with him to release them from the pain of love and heartbreak
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
The singer implores Cupid to stop targeting them with his arrow, causing them to fall in love and get hurt
You mixed me up for good right from the very start
The singer is stating that Cupid's actions have got them tangled up and confused from the moment they felt love
Hey now, go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart
The artist urges Cupid to focus his attention elsewhere, to stop causing heartbreak, and instead help different people find love
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
The artist is in such an agitated state that they feel like they're going crazy
And I don't feature what you're putting down
The artist disapproves of Cupid's actions and doesn't want to fall in love anymore
Well since I kissed her loving lips of wine
The singer remembers how magical and exhilarating kissing their love made them feel
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
The artist is admitting their weakness that despite knowing the dangers of love and heartbreak, they still want to be in love with their partner
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Howard Greenfield, Neil Sedaka
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dylana9884
Stupid Cupid you're a real mean guy
I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly
I'm in love and it's a crying shame
And I know that you're the one to blame
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
I can't do my homework and I can't think straight
I meet her every morning 'bout half past eight
I'm acting like a lovesick fool
You've even got me carrying your books to school
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
You mixed me up for good right from the very start
Hey now, go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what you're putting down
Well since I kissed her loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what you're putting down
Well since I kissed his loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
@AskmlaZaman
Ringtone
"Stupid Cupid"
Stupid Cupid you're a real mean guy
I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly
I'm in love and it's a crying shame
And I know that you're the one to blame
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
I can't do my homework and I can't think straight
I meet her every morning 'bout half past eight
I'm acting like a lovesick fool
You've even got me carrying your books to school
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
You mixed me up for good right from the very start
Hey now, go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what you're putting down
Well since I kissed her loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what you're putting down
Well since I kissed his loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
@butterwake7635
Stupid COVID you're a real mean threat
I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly
I'm in vain and it's a crying shame
And I know that you're the one to blame
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid COVID stop picking on me
I can't do my homework and I can't think straight
I met you every hour 'bout half human die
I'm acting like a zombiesick fool
You've even got me carrying your disease so cruel
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid COVID stop picking on me
You mixed me up for good right from the very start
Hey now, go play Robin Hood with some alien-else's body
You got me jumping like a crazy frown
And I don't feature what you're putting down
Well since I kill that roaring flip of swine
The thing that bothers me is like a fine blind
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid COVID stop picking on me
You got me jumping like a crazy frown
And I don't feature what you're putting down
Well since I kill that roaring flip of swine
The thing that bothers me is like a fine blind
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid COVID stop picking on me
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid COVID stop picking on me
@Darkmijana
I used to listen to this song when i was really young everytime me and my deceased father where out on the roads 😭🥰
@SuperDino2222
I’m old but happy and fortunate to have had Connie Francis’s singing voice to listen to most of my life, Thank you Connie
@MyGeeoo
This woman was and still is the absolute meaning of the word beautiful! And that voice......
@marcelnolet1190
Crystal clear voice takes me back to my early years it was wonderful
@lisasmith3657
Yeah- I'm with ya! She was very popular among Italian Americans in the 1960's & I swear I can still smell the marinara sauce cooking every time I hear her voice. Namaste
@maryrawson4324
I always sang this at parties etc...this is my trademark song..although I cannot sing like Connie..I done my best hehe
@susahg3lis4h
mary rawson If only I could watch you sing it.
@maryrawson4324
Well my friends did way back then..they used to laugh so much, but when I was young I was always up for a laugh (still am many years on)...
@cutieboy468
mary rawson lol
@kirkburrows5116
good on ya love