"My Eyes Adored You" is a 1974 song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan.[3] It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the Motown label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli for $4000. After rejections by Capitol and Atlantic Records, Valli succeeded in getting the recording released on Private Stock Records, but the owner/founder of the label, Larry Uttal, wanted only Valli's name on the label. It is from the album Closeup. The single was released in the US in November 1974 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975.[3] "My Eyes Adored You" also went to number 2 on the Easy Listening chart.[4] Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1975.
| "My Eyes Adored You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Frankie Valli | ||||
| from the album Closeup | ||||
| B-side | "Watch Where You Walk" | |||
| Released | October 1974[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:32 | |||
| Label | Private Stock | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Bob Crewe | |||
| Frankie Valli singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The single was Valli's first number 1 hit as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100, and remained there for one week, being knocked out of the top spot by another Crewe/Nolan-penned song, "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle.
Cash Box called it "a mellow ballad sung only the way Frankie's sweet vocal could sing it," saying "lush instrumentation heightens the record's overall effect which is one of a fine musical outing."[5] Record World said that "Charlie Calello charts bring Valli back up top 40 mountain."[6] Seasons guitarist Demetri Callas, who had replaced founding member Tommy DeVito in the early 1970s, considered it his favorite record of his work with the Seasons.[7]
The success of "My Eyes Adored You" triggered a revival of interest in recordings by The Four Seasons. The band was subsequently signed to Warner Bros. Records as Valli's follow-up single "Swearin' to God" was climbing to number 6 on the Hot 100.
Charts
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Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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Personnel
edit- Frankie Valli – lead vocals
- Joe Long – vocals, bass guitar
- Demetri Callas – vocals, lead guitar[19]
- Gerry Polci – vocals, drums
- Lee Shapiro – vocals, keyboards
- Charlie Calello – orchestral arrangements[6]
Other versions
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2018) |
- Andy Williams included it on his 1975 on his album, The Other Side of Me.
- The song was recorded in 1976 by Fred Astaire with the Pete Moore Orchestra for the album Attitude Dancing (United Artists Records UA-LA580-G).[20]
- Marty Mitchell's 1976 version reached number 87 on the country chart.
References
edit- ^ The Four Seasons; Frankie Valli (1991), Greatest Hits, Volume 2, Internet Archive, Warner Special Products, retrieved January 30, 2023
- ^ a b Breihan, Tom (July 5, 2019). "The Number Ones: Frankie Valli's "My Eyes Adored You"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
Like Neil Sedaka on "Laughter In The Rain," Valli figured out how to adapt his sound to the soft-rock album. "My Eyes Adored You"... finds ways to dig into nostalgia...It's a soul song, more or less...
- ^ a b Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard book of number 1 hits. Random House. p. 398. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 248.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 26, 1974. p. 23. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ a b "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. October 26, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ McGuire, Colin (2020-01-16). "'He was built like a superhero': Local legend 'Penny' Callas dies". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
- ^ "Australian (David Kent) Weekly Singles Charts from 1975". Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "National Top 100 Singles for 1975". Kent Music Report. December 29, 1975. Retrieved January 15, 2022 – via Imgur.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – My Eyes Adored You". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ "Frankie Valli – My Eyes Adored You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Bac-lac.gc.ca
- ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1975 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. December 31, 1975. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- ^ McGuire, Colin (2020-01-16). "'He was built like a superhero': Local legend 'Penny' Callas dies". The Frederick News-Post. Archived from the original on 2023-12-19. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. 1976. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
External links
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