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Who Loves You

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Who Loves You
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1975
Recorded1975
StudioSound Factory (Hollywood)
Length36:45
LabelWarner Bros., Curb
ProducerBob Gaudio
The Four Seasons chronology
Chameleon
(1972)
Who Loves You
(1975)
Helicon
(1977)

Who Loves You is an album by The Four Seasons. It was released in 1975 on Warner/Curb Records.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Best Ever Albums [2]

Background

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The record introduced the new Four Seasons lineup which now included John Paiva (guitar), Don Ciccone (bass), Lee Shapiro (keyboards) and Gerry Polci (drums). Who Loves You was the first album from The Four Seasons to de-emphasize Frankie Valli as lead singer. During the initial recording sessions, Valli—who already had a solo deal with Private Stock Records—was in Europe and did not have the time to learn the song when he returned, so Ciccone, a former lead singer of The Critters, recorded the lead vocal on the song's title track "Who Loves You," initially as a demo. (Joe Long, whom Ciccone was replacing as bassist, agreed to record the bass and bass vocal track for the demo; it would be his last song with the group.[3][4]) When Bob Gaudio pitched the demo to Warner Bros., according to Ciccone, they were so impressed with the song, and intrigued by the idea of a new Four Seasons lead vocalist to help differentiate the Seasons from the Valli solo records he was recording for Private Stock, that they signed the Seasons to a new record deal and declared Ciccone the Four Seasons' new lead singer. When Valli returned and learned of the signing, he was furious that Warner Bros. had let Ciccone upstage him. Valli then recorded the new lead vocal track, removing Ciccone's demo vocals except for his group contributions on the chorus.[5] "Who Loves You" established the band as stars of the 1970s (peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart).

Despite Valli's objections (as well as Long's, who thought that the band was moving too far away from its trademark sound and left in part because of that fact[6]), Ciccone and Polci would handle the bulk of lead vocals on the new album. "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", released in December 1975, spent six months on the charts and became the group's all-time best-selling single. "Silver Star", the last single, also hit the Top 40, reaching #38 on the Hot 100 in 1976. All three singles from the album were successes in the UK, each placing in the top six positions of the UK Singles Chart.

Track listing

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All songs written by Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker.

Side One
No.TitleLength
1."Silver Star"6:05
2."Storybook Lovers"3:43
3."Harmony, Perfect Harmony"4:46
4."Who Loves You"4:22
Side Two
No.TitleLength
5."Mystic Mr. Sam"4:23
6."December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)"3:36
7."Slip Away"3:04
8."Emily's (Salle De Danse)"6:40

Charts

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Album
Chart (1976) Position
US Billboard 200 38
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 55
UK Albums Chart 12

Singles

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Year Single Chart Position
1975 "Who Loves You" The Billboard Hot 100 3
1976 "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" The Billboard Hot 100 1
1976 "Silver Star" The Billboard Hot 100 38

References

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  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r247300
  2. ^ "Who Loves You by The Four Seasons (1975)". Best Ever Albums. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  3. ^ "How I met the famous Joe Long !".
  4. ^ "Joe Long dishes on 'Jersey Boys,' time with the Four Seasons". 21 February 2019.
  5. ^ James, Gary. "Gary James' Interview With Don Ciccone Of The Four Seasons". classicbands.com. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  6. ^ Mark, Voger (July 2, 2016). "Four Seasons singer a real Jersey". Nj.com. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 116. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.