Valli scored over twenty-five Top-40 hits with The Four Seasons, a handful of Top-40 hits dubbed as a solo act in the late 1960s, one dubbed as The Wonder Who? in 1965, and again as a solo act in the mid to late 1970s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with The Four Seasons in 1990.
Valli started his singing career in 1952. He cut his first single in 1953 as "Frankie Valley" –-a name he adopted from Jean Valley, his favorite female singer. In the mid-1950s he split up with The Travellers and joined The Variety Trio, which consisted of Tommy DeVito, twin brother Nick, and Hank Majewski. They redubbed themselves The Variatones, and later as The Four Lovers. Under this moniker, they scored a Top 40 hit with "You're the Apple of My Eye" in 1956. After a few more name changes, the group finally settled on The Four Seasons in 1960. About the same time, Valli Italianized his name to its current form. Nick DeVito and Majewski left the group in 1960 or 1961. Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi replaced them.
With Valli as its lead singer, The Four Seasons had a series of hits, including five number one singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Their first chart-topper was "Sherry" in 1962. They scored their final number one single in the U.S. in 1975 with "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)." The song enjoyed a second run on the U.S. charts in 1994 (credited as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) when a remixed version hit #14 on the Hot 100.
You're Ready Now
Frankie Valli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(You're ready now)
(You're ready now)
(You're ready now)
When I met you, you were too young,
To hang around where the hippies hung,
To swing and dance where the swingers swung,
Well you're ready now, mmmm you're ready now,
You're ready now, girl, you're ready now.
You grew up fast like over-night,
You sure have changed, girl, you're out of sight,
You wanna swing and dance all night,
You're ready now, you're ready now,
You're ready now, oh, you're ready now.
You pick up quick, I knew you would,
You move and groove just the way you should,
You've got that feel of running good,
Well you're ready now, oh, you're ready now,
You're ready now, girl, you're ready now.
Come on near me, (come on baby)
Come on near me, (come on baby)
Do you hear me? (yes i hear you)
Oh baby can you hear me? (yes i hear you)
You've got it girl, you've got that talk,
You've got that wiggle in the way you walk,
You've got, i see, what gets to me,
Well you're ready now, mmmm you're ready now,
You're ready now, girl, you're ready now.
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
Yeah, yeah yeah
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(You're ready now, you're ready now
In Frankie Valli's song You're Ready Now, the singer is addressing a young woman with whom he has a history, telling her that now she is ready to let loose and enjoy life with him. The lyrics indicate that when they first met, she was too young to participate in the activities of the counterculture – the "hippies" and "swingers" – but now she has come of age and is eager to explore. The singer is impressed by her newfound confidence and sexuality, and he encourages her to come near and show him what she's got.
The song is about youthful rebellion and the joys of breaking free from convention. The woman in the song has shed her earlier timidity and become a "swinger" and a "dancer," eager to "groove" the night away. The singer is drawn to her energy and enthusiasm, and he wants to join her in her newfound freedom. The song is a celebration of the limitless potential of youth – the idea that anything is possible when one is young and unencumbered by responsibilities.
Line by Line Meaning
When I met you, you were too young,
When I first saw you, you were too inexperienced and naive
To hang around where the hippies hung,
You were not old enough to be with the hippies
To swing and dance where the swingers swung,
You weren't ready to enjoy the lifestyle of those who like to swing and dance
Well you're ready now, mmmm you're ready now,
But now you are ready to join them and be a part of that scene
You grew up fast like over-night,
You matured quickly, almost overnight
You sure have changed, girl, you're out of sight,
You have changed so much that you're almost unrecognizable, in a good way
You wanna swing and dance all night,
You now want to enjoy the swinging and dancing lifestyle all night long
You pick up quick, I knew you would,
You learn quickly, just as I expected you would
You move and groove just the way you should,
You dance and move in the way that's natural for you
You've got that feel of running good,
You have the natural ability to move and dance well
Come on near me, (come on baby)
Come close to me, my baby
Come on near me, (come on baby)
Get closer to me, my baby
Do you hear me? (yes i hear you)
Can you listen to me? (yes, I'm listening to you)
Oh baby can you hear me? (yes i hear you)
My baby, can you hear what I'm saying? (yes, I'm listening and understanding)
You've got it girl, you've got that talk,
You have the confidence and ability to express yourself well
You've got that wiggle in the way you walk,
You have a sexy, playful walk
You've got, i see, what gets to me,
I can see that you have what attracts me to you
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
You are now ready to join me in the swinging lifestyle
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
You are now fully prepared to enjoy this lifestyle with me
Yeah, yeah yeah
Continued enthusiasm and excitement
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
Emphasizing once more that you're fully ready now
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
Strong expression of enthusiasm and excitement
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
Reiterating that you are truly and completely ready now
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Expressing continued excitement and enthusiasm
(You're ready now, you're ready now)
Final emphasis on your readiness to fully embrace the swinging lifestyle
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB CREWE, BOB GAUDIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@annwojcik5566
I grew up listening to Frankie Valli and the 4 seasons from my older brother. We still listen to them. Have seen them in concert many times growing up and I even saw them a couple of years ago when they did a one week legendary concert on Broadway in New York city. I got Frankie Valli's autograph and a kiss from him too. My brother is 71 now and I'm 67 and we play their records and CDS all the time on the stereo. They're truly one of a kind. Don't make music like that anymore. Much love from AnnMarie in Staten Island, N.Y. Much love is sent to them. 🎶🎶🎶❤❤❤❤😘
@lastrada52
Probably Frankie Valli's best rock song. Just to prove that he could if he wanted to. The groove is intense and never lets up. Cool piano break and back-up female vocalists. Absolutely fabulous.
@gwynethpound3841
Just another brilliant song from Frankie and the Four Seasons. Just love Frankie Valli’s voice.
@elizabethhann4028
This is a song by Frankie Valli that I've never heard before in my life, and I've heard a fair amount of Frankie Valli songs. And I like it. I wish they'd play it on the golden-oldies radio stations, instead of just playing "Sherry" and "Walk Like A Man" over and over and over again...
@tanyawebber8867
Great Northern soul track..
@Zephaniah3verse17
Just come back from a 60s music weekend in Skegness, where in between the performances the DJ played this little beauty. Thanks Mike Sullivan for adding to my NS collection. This song is brill!
@mystique1964
I was there too! fab weekend at Butlins as always!
@jackieholt51
Singing and dancing in the 70s to this , floor filler❤
@lindagoddard4371
Brilliant tune.Love love love those Northern intros nothing else compares.KTF.👊👏💖
@colinmennie6447
How this song was not a HUGE hit I’ll never know . ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️