Behind The Music: Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
A photo of a Four Seasons CD.
December 20, 2022
Hey Rams! Welcome back to Behind the Music. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this blog, here I discuss music, its meanings, and artists from all eras and styles. This time we’re gonna mix things up and take it back to the 60’s.
This era is one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history, marked by the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, political assassinations and the emerging “generation gap.”
If you’ve ever been in the car with your grandparents and heard the lyrics “I love you baby, and if it’s quite alright, I need you baby, to warm this lonely night,” then you were listening to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. That song goes by the name “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” and was released in 1967.
COMPASS senior Sadie Rick says, “‘Can’t Take My Eyes off You’ was in the movie “10 Things I Hate About You” and that was really exciting to see and listen to.”
Among the top-ten hits from the group’s golden period were “Sherry” (1962), “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (1962), “Walk Like a Man” (1963), and “Let’s Hang On” (1965). 62 years later, people still love this band. In 1960, the band launched as The Four Lovers, and later evolved into The Four Seasons. Frankie Valli was the band’s lead singer, alongside Bob Gaudio, who was previously with the Royal Teens, on keyboards and vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and vocals, and Nick Massi on electric bass vocals.
Valli, now 88 years old, is still performing and going on tour with pep in his step. Unfortunately, Valli is the only original member that is still touring. Nick Massi, who had left the band in 1965, passed away over 20 years ago. He was replaced by bassist Joe Long, who also passed away recently due to Covid, as did Tommy DeVito in 2020. Bob Gaudio is still alive, but he no longer performs live.
As always Rams, keep listening to what makes you happy and email me with any requests. Remember to check out the Behind the Music Spotify playlist.
Keira Ly • Feb 1, 2023 at 9:34 am
On December 20, 2022, Emma Lloyd wrote an article titled “Behind The Music: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.” Prior to reading this article, I knew a little bit about Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons because of their song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” I remember hearing it in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, which is one of my favorite movies right now, and the scene in which it’s sung by Heath Ledger’s character, Patrick Verona, is one of my favorites in the whole movie, along with the paintball scene. I think that the scene is well shot and the entire concept of him singing about his adoration for Kat was really sweet to me. I’ve heard the song “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and it’s not really my style of music nor one of my favorite songs by the band, but I think it’s still a good song. I also find it impressive that Frankie Valli is still performing at 88 years old. I would’ve assumed he’d retire from music several years earlier, but it’s nice to see that he still has a passion for it. Although, it is a shame that the other members have either passed or don’t perform anymore. Overall, thank you for reminding me of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, I’m going to have to rewatch 10 Things I Hate About You later!
Emarie Garcia • Jan 31, 2023 at 1:42 pm
January 31, 2023
Dear Corydon Editor,
Emma Lloyd, you have written yet another topic that piqued my interest, you spoil me! Back on the 20th of December, you published yet another article in tribute to Behind the Music, and to say the least, I am satisfied with your contribution to the blog. In your article “Behind the Music ; Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons”, you wrote about the contribution of music (in general) to significant time periods in the U.S. During the 60’s, both black & blue-eyed soul musicians were prominent figures to music culture. Hippies, a subculture engaged with peaceful protesting during the Vietnam war, were also vast consumers of Rock & Psychedelic music (also soul). The connection being made with history and music is vital, and I am happy that element never fails to get fulfilled in our school’s blog. Prior to the article, I have heard an extreme minority of the music made by the following band. If I were to give a description of it, it sounded like a trip back home from a long and fulfilling vacation, and that’s pretty much what 60’s music was all about! Thank you Emma Lloyd for your contribution to this music blog, and I will be looking forward to reflecting on new articles in the future!
Sincerely,
Emarie Garcia, Grade 11
marisol • Jan 31, 2023 at 1:05 pm
I love how you have organized this article and how you explained specific things. For example in the beginning you state that this particular music you will talk about is in the 60’s but you also explain what has happened in that time. You explain the big events and you state how it was one of the era’s that has impacted world history. I am not very familiar with Frankie Valli and the four seasons, but reading this article has taught me some interesting facts about them. One of the most interesting things is that I would have not assumed that Valli would still be performing but you stated he is. That was such a phenomenal fact, also the fact that he is the only one performing from the group is crazy to me. I like how another person contributed to this article. And also something else I found interesting is that Bob Guidio used to be with the Royal teens but he was now with Frankie Valli and the four seasons. Overall this article gave me interesting facts about artists that I never knew about. This article gave me the curiosity to check them out.
Sincerely,
Marisol Covarrubias, Grade 11
Elijah Colon • Jan 31, 2023 at 9:28 am
On December 20, Emma Lloyd wrote an article titled “Behind The Music: Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons”. This article talks about the group, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and the mark on history they left with their music. Before I read this article, I had no idea who this group was or that I recognized some of their songs. As Emma listed some of the group’s biggest hits, I realized how great and popular they are despite not knowing their name. Around the end of the article, it was very sad to read that most of the original members have passed away or don’t perform live anymore, but it is still great to know that Frankie Valli is still going on tour with a lot of energy and pep. I have a couple questions about the group that I was wondering about. How big was the group when they were still putting out music and touring all together in the 60s? Were they mostly popular in the US or were they also popular in other countries too? Was the group part of the various movements you mentioned that defined the era? Thank you for writing this article, as it educated me on a group I wasn’t familiar with and their music.