Connie Francis (born 12 December 1937 in Newark, New Jersey, USA) is an Ame… Read Full Bio ↴Connie Francis (born 12 December 1937 in Newark, New Jersey, USA) is an American pop singer best known for international hit songs such as "Who's Sorry Now?," "Where The Boys Are", and "Everybody's Somebody's Fool".

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

Telephone Lover
Connie Francis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hello oh hello darling have you missed me you have
Are you telling me true oh that's nice
Well why don't you come to my house
And talk me more of that sweet talk uh darling hello
Hello hello

Oh he's a telephone lover a long distance Romeo
He's a telephone lover a long distance Romeo

But when I say come over baby he says I gotta go

I dig his warm conversation when he's talking on the
Phone
I dig his warm conversation when he's talking on the
Phone
But he gets cool mighty cool when I say come on home

Oh well his voice gets me so excited I get goose pimples
Everywhere
But when I tell him that he's invited all of a sudden
That man ain't there

He's a telephone lover a long distance Romeo
He's a telephone lover a long distance Romeo
But it's my dream to have him and somehow I'll make it so
(Now talk me some of that sweet talk honey)

Well well well he's a telephone lover a long distance
Romeo...

Overall Meaning

The song "Telephone Lover" by Connie Francis is about a woman who is in a long-distance relationship with a man who is only available to her through the telephone. The man is an expert in sweet-talking, and he keeps the woman on the line with his warm words, despite their inability to be together physically. The woman longs for him to come to her house so that they can be together, but he always has an excuse to leave. Despite her intense attraction to his voice and the way he speaks to her, the woman is deeply frustrated that he cannot make himself available to her. Although she dreams of a future where they can be together in person, she does not know how to make that happen.

The song highlights the limitations of long-distance relationships and the isolation and frustration that comes with them. The woman desires a deeper connection with her lover, who is only available to her through technology. She longs for a more meaningful and tangible relationship with the man she loves but can only experience through a receiver. The song is a testament to the limits of technology and the human need for physical closeness and connection.

Line by Line Meaning

Hello oh hello darling have you missed me you have
The singer is answering the phone talking to her lover about whether he has missed her or not.

Are you telling me true oh that's nice
The singer is responding to her lover's affirmation about his feelings for her and finds it nice.

Well why don't you come to my house
The singer is inviting her lover to her house to have a conversation face to face.

And talk me more of that sweet talk uh darling hello
The singer wants her lover to continue talking sweetly with her over the phone and is excited to hear his voice.

Oh he's a telephone lover a long distance Romeo
The singer is describing her lover as someone who is only good at talking over the phone but not when it comes to actual physical presence.

But when I say come over baby he says I gotta go
The singer is frustrated because every time she asks her lover to come over, he makes an excuse to leave.

I dig his warm conversation when he's talking on the Phone
The singer likes her lover's warm conversations over the phone.

But he gets cool mighty cool when I say come on home
However, when the singer urges her lover to come home to her, he becomes unresponsive and indifferent.

Oh well his voice gets me so excited I get goose pimples Everywhere
The singer is admitting that her lover's voice makes her excited even if he is only talking over the phone.

But when I tell him that he's invited all of a sudden That man ain't there
The singer is disappointed because every time she invites her lover to her place, he never shows up.

But it's my dream to have him and somehow I'll make it so
Despite the singer's lover's frequent absence, she is hopeful and determined to make her dreams of being together a reality.

(Now talk me some of that sweet talk honey)
The singer is asking her lover to continue talking sweetly to her.

Well well well he's a telephone lover a long distance Romeo...
The song repeats the chorus line again to emphasize her lover's inability to commit in anything beyond telephone conversations.

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