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
What Now My Love
Connie Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now that you left me
How can I live through another day
Watching my dreams turn into ashes
And all my hopes into bits of clay
Once I could see, once I could feel
Now I am numb
I've become unreal
I walk the night, oh, without a goal
Stripped of my heart, my soul
What now my love
Now that it's over
I feel the world closing in on me
Here come the stars
Tumbling around me
And there's the sky where the sea should be
What now my love
Now that you're gone
I'd be a fool to go on and on
No one would care, no one would cry
If I should live or die
What now my love
Now there is nothing
Only my last goodbye
Only my last goodbye
In the lyrics of Connie Francis's song "What Now My Love," the singer expresses profound feelings of loss, heartache, and confusion following a breakup. The phrase "What now my love" repeatedly posed as a rhetorical question encapsulates the overwhelming sense of uncertainty and despair that the singer is experiencing. The opening lines, "Now that you left me / How can I live through another day," lay bare the emotional devastation of being abandoned by a loved one. The imagery of watching dreams disintegrate into ashes and hopes crumble into bits of clay conveys a sense of hopelessness and helplessness, as if everything the singer once cherished has been destroyed.
The lyrics further delve into the internal turmoil and numbness the singer feels, as indicated by the lines "Once I could see, once I could feel / Now I am numb / I've become unreal." This introspective reflection on the loss of emotional connection and vitality underscores the profound impact of the breakup on the singer's sense of self and perception of the world. The mention of walking aimlessly through the night, stripped of heart and soul, paints a poignant picture of desolation and emptiness that envelops the singer's existence.
As the song progresses, the singer grapples with the harsh reality of life post-relationship, questioning the purpose and meaning of continuing on without their former partner. The lyrics touch upon the feeling of the world closing in, symbolizing the suffocating weight of loneliness and isolation that accompanies the absence of a significant other. The imagery of stars tumbling around and the sky devoid of the sea evokes a sense of disorientation and disarray, mirroring the upheaval in the singer's inner world.
The song culminates in a poignant acknowledgment of the futility of persevering in the face of such profound loss, with the lines "What now my love / Now that you're gone / I'd be a fool to go on and on." The singer contemplates the indifference of the world to their suffering, questioning the significance of their continued existence without the love that once sustained them. The final lines, "Now there is nothing / Only my last goodbye," encapsulate a sense of finality and resignation, as the singer grapples with the harsh reality of bidding farewell to both the relationship and a part of themselves. Through poignant imagery and introspective reflection, the lyrics of "What Now My Love" poignantly capture the raw emotion and despair of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
What now my love
Asking what is left now that love is gone
Now that you left me
Questioning how to go on after being abandoned
How can I live through another day
Expressing difficulty in coping with daily life without love
Watching my dreams turn into ashes
Seeing hopes and dreams destroyed
And all my hopes into bits of clay
Seeing hope shattered into pieces
Once I could see, once I could feel
Remembering past ability to experience life fully
Now I am numb
Feeling emotionally detached and numb
I've become unreal
Feeling like a shell of a person
I walk the night, oh, without a goal
Moving aimlessly through the darkness
Stripped of my heart, my soul
Feeling empty and devoid of emotion
Now that it's over
Acknowledging that the love is finished
I feel the world closing in on me
Sense of being overwhelmed by life
Here come the stars
Feeling lost and disoriented
Tumbling around me
Sense of confusion and chaos
And there's the sky where the sea should be
Feeling like the natural order has been disrupted
Now that you're gone
Realizing the absence of love and support
I'd be a fool to go on and on
Understanding that clinging to the past would be foolish
No one would care, no one would cry
Realizing the lack of concern from others
If I should live or die
Contemplating the value of existence without love
Now there is nothing
Feeling emptiness and loss
Only my last goodbye
Facing the finality of the situation
Only my last goodbye
Accepting the end of the relationship
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Carl Sigman, Gilbert Becaud, Pierre Delanoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mario miguel Tapia
Ufff! Extraordinarios arreglos, Connie soberbia, cantando maravillosamente!! Gran, gran tema...realmente no encuentro palabras!! Muchas gracias Kevin.
Markku Olavi
One of her best recordings ever!
Be Real & Supportive
This is the best version of the song and the song is one of my #1 favorite songs by her out of her thousands. My copies very clean. The Finland fan one here has some sounds that can use some cleaning out to perfect it. I love how it does not have that tiny volume jump going up in volume part right before she says "Once I could see" in this copy of the song.
Kevin Harkin
I cleaned it the best I could with Goldwave. If I went too aggressive, it took away too much of the sound. It's not bad coming from vinyl.
jim kreider
One of Connie's best songs with dynamite arrangements.
Patricia Stafford
Love this wonderful version from Connie. Thank you Kevin.
Kevin Harkin
You're welcome, Pat!
William Dane
Love this. Thank you Kevin and Markku!
Markku Olavi
Will, you're welcome!
Kevin Harkin
You're welcome, Will!