THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

83-Frankie Valli-My Eyes Adored You.

1974-Number 5 single.

Best Bit-At 2.03. Reading between the lines I get the feeling that all of his other body parts were equally as keen.

Franki Valli (see also best songs 739 and 284) was born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio on May 3rd, 1934, in Newark, New Jersey, United States, he took his stage name from the American ‘Hillbilly’ singer ‘Texas Jean Valli,’ of whom he was an admirer. Frankie Valli’s first venture into music was in the early 1950’s where he was one third of the ‘Variety Trio.’ He recorded his first solo single, ‘My Mother’s Eyes’ in 1953, as ‘Frankie Valley,’ and then following this he became part of the quartet ‘The Variatones,’ who changed their name to the ‘Four Lovers’ in 1956. As the ‘Four Lovers’ they issued many unsuccessful singles, and one Album, and it wasn’t until Bob Gaudio (see also best songs 1007-914-863-739-499-393-284 164 and 112) joined the band in 1959, and they re-named themselves the ‘Four Seasons’ in 1960, did success finally arrive.

Franki Valli also launched a solo career which ran concurrently with being the lead singer of the Four Seasons, he has released 12 solo studio Albums between 1967-2021, and 33 singles between 1953-1981. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart top 40 he has achieved nine hits, including the two Number 1 songs, ‘My Eyes Adored You,'(1974) and ‘Grease’ (1978.) In the UK five of his singles have made the top 40, with ‘Grease’ charting the highest at Number 3.

‘My Eyes Adored You’ was co-written by the legendary Bob Crewe, (1930-2014) (see also best songs 914-863-739-499-393-284-164 and 112) and Kenny Nolan, Crewe was also the songs producer. ‘My Eyes Adored You’ was written initially for the Four Seasons, but their record label at that time ‘Motown’ records refused to release it. Franki Valli who had great faith in the song bought the rights to it for $4,000, and took it to ‘Capital Records,’ and then ‘Atlantic Records,’ who both also turned it down. Eventually Valli managed to get the song released on the smaller ‘Private Stock’ record label, and the song went onto become 5th best selling song of that year in America.

Although ‘My Eyes Adored You’ is a solo single release from Frankie Valli, the other members of the Four Seasons at that time also played on the track, Joe Long, (1932-2021) (bass) Gerry Polci, (drums) Lee Shapiro, (keyboards) and Demitri Callas (lead guitar.) ‘My Eyes Adored You’ spent one week at Number 1 on Billboard, before being notably replaced at the top by another Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan composition, ‘Lady Marmalade,’ by Labelle. Kenny Nolan was born on September 30th, 1949, in Los Angeles, California, United States, and in the early to mid 1970’s wrote or produced for the ‘Chelsea’ record label. His successes include ‘Swing Your Daddy’ for Jim Gilstrap (UK Number 4) in 1975, and ‘Get Dancin,” a Number 2 UK hit for ‘Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes’ in 1974 (see also best songs 1007.) Kenny Nolan also had a solo singing career, issuing six singles between 1976-1983, two of which made the Billboard Hot 100, with ‘I Like Dreamin,” reaching Number 3 in 1976.

‘My Eyes Adored You ‘tells of the narrator reminiscing about the time he was in love as an adolescent, but he never got the nerve up to tell her how much he loved her. Now many years later he wonders how different things could have been.

‘Carried your books from school, playing make believe you’re married to me. You were fifth grade, I was sixth when we came to be. Walking home every day over Barnegat Bridge and Bay, till we grew into the me and you who went our separate ways.’