Vito Picone (lead singer), born 17 March, 1940
Carman Romano (baritone), born 17 August, 1939
James Moschella (bass), born 10 May, 1938
Arthur Venosa (first tenor), born 3 September, 1939
Frank Tardogano (second tenor), born 18 September, 1941
After Little Star dominated the radio, the band, still in their teens, toured with artists such as Buddy Holly, Dion and the Belmonts, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. However, none of their subsequent singles reached the success of Little Star and eventually the band fizzled out.
In the late 1960s, lead singer Vito Picone restarted the group, this time with three new vocalists Fred Redmond, Nino Amato and Bruce Copp. The core of this group is still together and to this date have not stopped touring around country. They can be seen annually performing at the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy, Manhattan.
Mention The Elegants and you will say "Little Star". I doubt if many of you can think of any other title by the group. Like the Silhouettes and the Hollywood Argyles (not to mention Kyu Sakamoto and the Singing Nun), the Elegants have the dubious distinction of hitting the number one spot on the pop charts and then dropping out of sight completely.
The Elegants were formed in 1957, but two of the founding members, Vito Picone and Carman Romano, had previously sung (and recorded one single, "Darling Come Back") with a short-lived quartet called Pat Cordel and the Crescents. Pat Cordel (real name Patti Croccitto) was the 15-year old female lead singer of the group and the three male members were not much older. Picone and Romano were not about to give up and recruited James Moschella, Frank Tardogno and Arthur Venosa to form a new group. All five members came from Staten Island, New York. While practicing and playing local talent shows and dances, they picked up a 19-year old manager, Kathy Watts, who schooled them choreographically and musically.
In late 1957, Picone and Venosa wrote "Little Star", based on the nursery rhyme "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (the melody of which was NOT originally composed by Mozart, in spite of what many sources will have us believe). It went down very well at their performances, but as they did not yet have a recording contract, they could not record it. When the Elegants learned that another Staten Island group called The Secrets were about to record "Little Star" for Decca, they feverishly set about the task of finding a record deal. Enter Blanche Kaslin. In 1955, Blanche (Bea) Kaslin, comptroller for Al Silver's Herald label in New York, had formed her own label, Hull (and later Mascot). Working from two rooms at 1595 Broadway, Kaslin produced a number of vocal group classics such as "A Thousand Miles Away" by the Heartbeats, "Been So Long" by the Pastels, "Book Of Love" by the Monotones, and, later, "Daddy's Home" by Shep and the Limelites. Kaslin recognized the hit potential of "Little Star" immediately. She signed the Elegants to Hull and recorded the song in April 1958, along with its B-side, the quite different "Gettin' Dizzy", a straightforward rocker. But the record would not come out on Hull. From past experience, Kaslin knew that she could not bring home a hit on her own small label. So, to avoid distribution problems, she leased the master directly to ABC-Paramount without ever releasing it on Hull. "Little Star" was one of five inaugural releases on Apt Records, a subsidiary launched by ABC-Paramount in May 1958. By July the record was selling 80,000 copies a day and on August 25th it hit # 1 (for 1 week), a tremendous achievement for a debuting group. The importance of "Little Star" went beyond the record's own success : the sound influenced many young white groups of the late 1950s and early 60s, such as The Capris, the Mystics, Randy and the Rainbows and the Passions.
The follow-up Apt single, "Please Believe Me"/"Goodnight" was issued in October 1958, in the style of Dion and the Belmonts. Although it had widespread intial airplay, it never even touched the Top 100. After another flop in the shape of "True Love Affair", ABC dropped the group. Kaslin held on to the quintet for one more release on Hull, "Little Boy Blue", another nursery rhyme, but this made no impact either, nor did two United Artists singles in 1960. When Vito Picone was injured in an accident in 1961, the remaning group members decided to go it alone, prompting Vito to pursue a solo career when he recovered. In 1965 he was signed to Laurie Records and recorded a few singles with a new group as Vito and the Elegants. After a period of musical inactivity, Picone reformed the Elegants in the late 1970s and recorded an LP with them (their only album) called "A Knight With the Elegants". Since then, Picone has reassembled various groups, called them The Elegants and played the oldies circuit. They are still based on Staten Island.
Along with Dion and the Belmonts, the Elegants were one of the best and most influential white doo-wop groups. But the records they released all tended to sound like "Little Star" and the group never regained their momentum after that colossal hit.
"Little Star" was the only million seller for the group, and was written by Venosa and Picone. It spent 19 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100, earning gold disc status.
The song reached number 25 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1958.
After "Little Star" dominated the radio, the band, still in their teens, toured with artists such as Buddy Holly, Dion and the Belmonts, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. However, none of their subsequent singles reached the charts at all making them a prime example of one-hit wonders.
In early 1970s, lead singer Picone returned to the group replacing Tardogno as the lead singer. That group comprising Vito Picone, Freddie Redmond, Nino Amato and Bruce Copp have been together ever since and to this date, have not stopped touring. They can be seen annually performing at the San Gennaro Festival, in Little Italy, Manhattan, New York.
According to the Elegants website, Freddie Redmond died of emphysema in 2006, and was replaced by original member, James Moschella. As of 2012, the Elegants are still performing at concerts and events throughout the United States, under the name "Vito Picone & The Elegants". They still perform "Little Star", as well as their interpretations of many golden oldies. The Elegants band consists of Mike Catalano on bass guitar, Joe Lucenti on lead guitar, Mark Garni on keyboards and Sal Albanese on drums.
Moschella performed with The Charts in the 1980s.
Please Believe Me
The Elegants Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love no one else
My full heart for you just melts
When I walk, walk alone
When I walk alone with you
You say you find it hard
When I talk, talk with you
I don't know what to do
I tell you the truth
Every time that I speak
You know to you I don't lie
All I have to do is look in your eyes
And I weep
Can't you see that I'm so glad?
There's a tear in my eye
Oh, believe me
The Elegants' song "Please Believe Me" is a love ballad about a man trying to convince his partner of his undying love. In the first verse, the singer declares that he loves no one else, and his heart melts for her. He feels incomplete without her, as he walks alone but can only walk alone with her. In the second verse, his partner expresses a lack of trust in his love, and he is unsure of what to do - he professes his love truthfully and honestly, and when he looks into her eyes, he is overwhelmed with emotion.
One interpretation of the lyrics could be that the singer has been unfaithful before and is trying to regain their partner's trust. The lines "My full heart for you just melts" and "Can't you see that I'm so glad? There's a tear in my eye" are pleading for forgiveness and a second chance. The use of melodramatic language and the high-pitched, falsetto harmonies emphasize the urgency and sincerity of the message.
The song concludes with the refrain "Oh, believe me," which reinforces the idea that the singer feels misunderstood and unheard in their love. It's a simple, yet impactful plea for acceptance and validation from the beloved.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, believe me
The singer is begging the listener to trust and believe them.
I love no one else
The singer has no romantic feelings for anyone else except the listener.
My full heart for you just melts
The singer's heart completely softens and opens up for the listener.
When I walk, walk alone
The artist is all alone when not with the listener.
When I walk alone with you
Walking alone with the listener feels like being with a companion.
You say you find it hard
The listener expresses difficulty in believing the singer.
To believe my poor heart
The listener doubts the sincerity of the singer's heart.
When I talk, talk with you
The artist is at a loss for words when talking to the listener.
I don't know what to do
The artist is unsure of how to convince the listener of their love.
I tell you the truth
The artist always speaks honestly to the listener.
Every time that I speak
The singer is truthful every time they open their mouth.
You know to you I don't lie
The listener is aware that the artist never tells a lie to them.
All I have to do is look in your eyes
The singer can see the listener's sincerity and love just by looking into their eyes.
And I weep
The singer is moved to tears by the overwhelming emotion of being with the listener.
Can't you see that I'm so glad?
The singer is ecstatic and overjoyed to have the listener in their life.
There's a tear in my eye
The overwhelming depth of emotion causes the artist to cry tears of joy.
Writer(s): Vito J Picone
Contributed by Oliver O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ardenbowman4489
Beautiful song,I’m 79 raised on this music
@alanr4845
The Elegants. The GOATs of the genre.
@josefarina3812
Top five groups of all time, fantastic!
@delanoferrer3181
A very talented Doo wop group
@delanoferrer3181
I love the elegants !!!
@billlocurto8719
THE ELEGANTS GREAT DOO WOP I WISH I CAN BUILD A TIME MACHINE.
@BigNoobO_O
im just listening with a friend old music (we are both 14)
@charlesmule6473
Hometown group from Staten Island NY should of been stars with many hits
@45aceman
Never heard this song until about 8 years ago,I missed it in the day!
@joegag17
DION , TOOK HIS STYLE OF SINGING, BOTH GREAT