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Can't Take My Eyes Off You
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Wikipedia article
"'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'" is a 1967 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded as a single by Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and reaching No. 2 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 for a week. Gaudio was a bandmate of Valli's in the Four Seasons. It was Valli's biggest solo hit until he hit No. 1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You".
Bob Gaudio, an original member of the Four Seasons, refers to "Eyes" as "...the one that almost got away" until Windsor, Ontario radio station CKLW (a station also serving the Detroit metro on the American side of the border) intervened. In 1967, the record's producers urged Paul Drew, program director at the legendary station, to consider the tune for rotation. For much of the 1960s and 1970s, CKLW was credited with launching hit records via its powerful signal, blanketing the Great Lakes region. Drew didn't warm to the song at first, but accepted an invitation to hear it live at the Roostertail, where Frankie Valli was performing a weeklong stint with the Four Seasons. Drew liked what he heard and added the song to his station's playlist. "The switchboards lit up, and the rest, as they say, is history," Gaudio recalls.
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" has been recorded in many other arrangements, many of which have been on the charts in different countries. The song is a staple of television and film soundtracks, even being featured as part of the plot of some films, such as when the characters sing their own version of the song. The Valli version was also used by NASA as a wake-up song on the STS-126 Space Shuttle mission, to celebrate the wedding anniversary of astronaut Christopher Ferguson, one of the mission's crew members.
Credits
The song was written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. Melodic elements bear a similarity to passages from the 'Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia' section of the 1956 ballet 'Spartacus' (Suite No. 2), by the Soviet Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.
The original recording, from an arrangement by Gaudio and Artie Schroeck, was made at A & R Studio 2 (formerly Columbia Studio A),
799 7th Avenue in New York City, with Crewe producing and Phil Ramone engineering.
Reception
'Billboard' described the single as "strong rhythm ballad material from the pen of Bob Crewe and Bob
Gaudio with an exceptional Valli vocal combined with an exciting Artie Schroeck arrangement." 'Cash Box' called the single a "smooth, gentle, softly spoken romancer."
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Boys Town Gang version
In 1982, San Francisco based post-disco band Boys Town Gang performed a dance version of the song which reached the top spot in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and number four in the United Kingdom. This version was also successful in Japan, receiving a gold digital certification by the RIAJ in 2011, and is also on games such as 'Just Dance 4'.
Track listings
'7" single'# "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" - 3:28
# "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (Reprise) - 4:42
'7" single'
# "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" - 3:40
# "Disco Kicks" - 4:04
Charts
Lauryn Hill version
Lauryn Hills version of the song was recorded In 1997, while Hill was eight months pregnant with her first child. It was first featured in the movie 'Conspiracy Theory' (1997). While the song wasnt featured on the soundtrack, a radio jockey at KMEL in San Francisco put the song on a CD and began playing the song; more radio stations followed suit, causing a domino effect around the U.S., ultimately leading the song to peak at number two on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, despite Hill's label's not releasing the song as a single. Due to the popularity of the song it was added as a hidden track on 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'.
This version was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1999, becoming the first hidden track to ever receive a Grammy nomination. 'Consequence of Sound' named it the best hidden track of all time. In 2014, VH1 also named it the best hidden track of all time. Academy Awardwinning actor Forest Whitaker was inspired to name his daughter True, after hearing Hill's version of the song.
Charts
Other cover versions
The song has been recorded by many artists. Among the most notable examples are the following:
* In late 1967, the Lettermen recorded the "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" as a medley with "Goin' Out of My Head". Their rendition reached number 7 on the U.S. 'Billboard' Hot 100 and number 2 Easy Listening.
* A version by Andy Williams made it to number 5 on the UK singles chart and number 8 on the Irish Singles Chart in 1968. The arranger and producer was Nick DeCaro and the conductor was Eddie Karam.'Love, Andy' by Andy Williams, album sleeve, 1967. New York: Columbia Records CS 9566 This version is included in the soundtrack of the 2001 film 'Bridget Jones's Diary'. It is also included in the soundtrack for 'Black Mirror' Season 5 Episode 2; Smithereens. In 2002 he recorded a new version of the song, as a duet with British actress and singer Denise van Outen, which reached number 23 in the UK singles charts.
* 1968, British singer Engelbert Humperdinck recorded his version for his third album, titled "A Man Without Love"[https://www.discogs.com/release/1456237-Engelbert-Humperdinck-A-Man-Without-Love]
* 1979, Maureen McGovern (number 27 on the US Adult Contemporary chart in 1979; number 5 Canadian AC in 1980).
* 1991, Pet Shop Boys used part of the song on their version of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name", which reached number 4 in the U.K. and number 72 in the U.S.
* 1992, Dutch singers Gerard Joling and Tatjana imi recorded a duet version of the song (including a rap segment by Darrell Bell), which peaked at number 5 in the Dutch Top 40 charts.
* 2004, Jennifer Pea recorded a Latin version of the song, "No Hay Nadie Igual Como T", which reached number 33 on the Latin charts.
* 2010, fans of the German football club 1. FC Union Berlin started using the melody for a chant for their player Torsten Mattuschka, inspired by Manchester United F.C. fans who used it for their player Owen Hargreaves.
* 2011, Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones sang an acoustic version of the song in tribute to former Wales national football team manager Gary Speed. The song was adopted as an anthem for Welsh football fans during Speed's playing career with Wales after being used in a BBC Wales promo for the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign.
* In 2019, Surf Mesa remixed a cover version of the song as a single under the title "ILY (I Love You Baby)". The single reached the Top 40 in over 30 countries, and is certified Platinum in six countries.
* 2022, Giovanni Zarrella remixed the melody with new Italian lyrics in his song "PER RICOMINCIARE".
References
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