Coming up, the story of Can't Take My Eyes Off You, a song that has had a huge impact on pop culture since its release over 50 years ago. Before it dominated the global pop charts, it had to overcome fierce resistance from a record label that feared a solo transition by frontman Frankie Valli would destroy their golden goose Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons—a fourpiece pop group that had been America's biggest act for years. Frankie wanted to perform the song in a style that was completely different from what had made him a household name… Namely, he wanted to sing in a whole new way What to do, what to do? Let’s dive into the drama NEXT on Professor of Rock.
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So, it’s time for another edition of our series The New Standards. This show takes an indepth look at songs that really set the bar in music history. It doesn’t matter what decade, genre, or musical movement they might have come out of. These songs transcend all of that, they stand above even the classics… so During the early to mid60s, the Four Seasons were one of the hottest musical acts in the business, releasing hit after hit after hit. That soaring Frankie Valli falsetto was as American as apple pie, baseball, and western movies.
The music of the Four Seasons was composed, primarily, by Four Seasons keyboardist & backup singer, Bob Gaudio and his songwriting partner Bob Crewe. They cowrote many of the songs that would work within the delivery of Frankie’s iconic falsetto. It was a formula that was MONEY, so why mess with it? It wasn’t widely known outside of close circles with the band, but Frankie really didn’t like singing in falsetto. Hitting those high notes, night after night, is physically exhausting, but aside from that, Frankie preferred singing in his natural tenor.
Gaudio & Crewe collaborated with Frankie to produce solo recordings, but, like the wild popularity of the Four Seasons tunes, Frankie’s solo material just wasn’t poppin. Three of the first four singles that Frankie released as solo singles, without his recognizable falsetto failed to break the Top 50, with the lone exception “You’re Gonna Hurt Yourself” stalling at #39. In the 60s, it was uncommon for a major recording artist to perform solo while still being part of their group. Frankie’s debut solo album, The Four Seasons Present Frankie Valli Solo, was somewhat of an anomaly.
It was liberating for Frankie because the project allowed him to move away from the powerful falsetto that had made him and the Four Seasons so famous, and to showcase his tenor voice. The album featured a mix of single releases and a few new recordings, including one of his biggest hits with or without the Four Seasons….the #2 smash “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You:” The success of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” was gratifying for Bob Gaudio, and exhaled a big sigh of relief, explaining that it was one of the most challenging songs he...