Originally published in the January 2006 issue of Fra Noi.
Last January, I wrote a column about the 25 greatest songs ever written by Italian American composers and lyricists. By my own admission, the songs were drawn primarily from the great American songbook of popular music standards. Even listing 25 songs, there were quite a number of great songs excluded due to space. More specifically, I left out many songs from the 1950s – 1970s that would be considered part of the pop rock genre, songs by singer/songwriters like Jim Croce and Bobby Darin (there actually was one Darin composition included last year but not enough to truly reflect his contributions as a songwriter). I promised that at a later date we’d tackle the songs from that pop/rock group and now’s the time.
Therefore, as we start another year, I thought it would be fun to list some wonderful songs that came from the Italian American songwriters who were writing for the Baby Boomer generation. While the United States government officially considers me part of this group (I was born in 1964 and the official U.S. statistics designate 1946-1964 as The Baby Boom) I was always drawn more to the music of my parent’s generation. Nevertheless, I have two brothers and one sister who are all Baby Boomers and I grew up listening to their music and therefore do share a fondness for certain artists of that generation.
Just as last year, the rules are short and simple. Last year’s list included standards or songs that should be considered standards. This year’s list will include songs from the early years of pop/rock and some songs that might not satisfy the highest artistic standards but qualify due to familiarity, popularity, or my personal enjoyment of the tune. The only other rule is that every song must have at least one Italian American listed as a contributor.
One thing that’s particularly amusing about this list is that when many of these songs first came out they were considered awful, noisy, rock and roll songs by the “older generation.” Today, many of those same people are listening to these songs every day on “music of your life’ and “legends” formats on the radio. Of course, no one knew in 1965 just how bad the music was going to get by 2005.
As we did last year, we’ll rank the songs but only as a convenient structure by which to revisit these classic tunes. The list, just like last year’s, is really just an opportunity to survey and highlight the many wonderful contributions that have been made to American music by talented Italian American songwriters.
No. 15 – “Working at the Car Wash Blues” 1974 (Jim Croce) This rollicking blue-collar blues is for every man or woman who’s ever felt under-utilized in their job. This song actually reached the Top 40 many months after Jim Croce died in a plane crash at the age of 30 in September of 1973. Croce wrote a handful of songs that could/should be considered in any “Best Of . . .” list for his generation of songwriters.
No. 14 – “Sherry” 1962 (Bob Gaudio) In the 1950s Frankie Castellucio was singing in a rock and roll group called The Varietones. By 1962 they added an organist named Bob Gaudio who was also experimenting with writing songs. One afternoon before band practice Gaudio wrote a tune which he tentatively called “Terry.” In this story, almost all the names change as Frankie Castellucio became Frankie Valli, The Varietones ended up as The Four Seasons, and “Terry” would be changed to “Sherry” and begin a string of hit songs for The Four Seasons and their in-house songwriting sensation, Bob Gaudio, which would last for years.
No. 13 – “Splish Splash” 1958 (Bobby Darin) This was Darin’s first hit that legend says was written in twenty minutes or so while he was waiting for his friend, DJ “Murray the K” to take a shower. It propelled the dynamic entertainer to stardom and was rediscovered by another generation in 1974 when it was re-introduced to the youth of America on “Happy Days,” Garry Marshall’s nostalgic TV hit about the kids at the malt shop during the halcyon days of the1950s.
No. 12 – “Runaround Sue” 1961 (Dion DiMucci) This is a song Dion says had its beginnings in the schoolyard. He’d jam with his friends, giving them different parts, and they’d improvise with the tune. When he eventually recorded it in 1961 he had already broken with The Belmonts and was backed on the song by The Del Satins. The song would reach Number One on the U.S. charts.
No. 11 – “Groovin’” 1967 (Eddie Brigati & Felix Cavaliere) The Young Rascals were one of the hottest groups of the mid-1960s with hits like “Good Lovin,” “How Can I Be Sure?,” and this tune, written in 1967 by the two lead vocals in the group, Brigati and Cavaliere. They were so busy with concerts and TV appearances that they rarely had any time off. This song put into words their dreams of a little time to just relax and enjoy the success they’d achieved.
No. 10 – “Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” 1966 (Sonny Bono) Written for Cher and released on the album entitled “The Sonny Side of Cher,” this song was also recorded by not one, but two Sinatras. Nancy Sinatra recorded the tune the same year as Cher, 1966, and her dad later recorded it twice. Frank’s first rendition of the song was done in 1973 but never released. He then recorded it again in 1981 and used it as the title cut for his album of saloon songs, “She Shot Me Down.” It was Sinatra’s last great theme album.
No. 9 – “Bye Bye Baby” 1965 (Crewe/Gaudio) Another hit from the pen of Bob Gaudio, this one with an assist from Bob Crewe, the group’s manager. By this time the hits were coming fast and furious for The Four Seasons and Gaudio had a hand in writing many of them. When I was a kid, this was one of my favorites.
No. 8 – “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown” 1973 (Jim Croce) The title character of the song was based on a guy Croce had met at Fort Dix who got fed up with the Army and went AWOL. Croce once said, “Just to listen to him talk and see how ‘bad’ he was, I knew someday I was gonna write a song about him.” The song which was released in April of 1973 reached Number One on the charts by July of that same year. Sinatra recorded it in December of 1973 and included it on his 1974 album “Some Nice Things I’ve Missed.”
No. 7 – “Dream Lover” 1959 (Bobby Darin) Released in April of 1959 this was a more relaxed tune than those he’d previously written and recorded and it signaled his transition into a more mature repertoire. Later that same year he would release the “That’s All” album that included “Mack the Knife” and his career would, by design, take a turn away from the Rock and Roll genre.
No. 6 – “I Got You Babe” 1965 (Sonny Bono) Sonny Bono’s songwriting skills were rudimentary but he had a good ear for what was needed to make a hit popular song. Legend has it he wrote this one night on the back of a piece of cardboard and played it for Cher the next day. She was reluctant to record it until he changed the key to better fit her voice. The record company also showed little confidence in the record and included it as the B side to “It’s Gonna Rain,” another Bono composition. “I Got You Babe” went on to reach Number One on both the U.S. and U.K. charts and would become the duo’s theme song. “It’s Gonna Rain” is now long forgotten. For the younger crowd, they might better remember this song as the record playing on the radio alarm clock that woke up Bill Murray every morning in the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day.”
No 5 – “Things” 1962 (Bobby Darin) This song/record written by Darin was one of the first to show the singer/songwriter’s interest in Country music and his ability to write in that style. The tune became a Number One seller and was used as the title song for his next album, “Things and Other Things.” The song was recorded in 1963 on Reprise by Dean Martin and then done as a duet with Dino and Nancy Sinatra on Sinatra’s 1967 TV special “Movin’ With Nancy.”
No. 4 – “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” 1967 (Bob Gaudio) In 1966 Frankie Valli wanted to establish a solo career without actually leaving The Four Seasons. He called upon Bob Gaudio to come up with yet another hit song. What Gaudio brought him was a one day effort that was “just too good to be true.” The song reached Number Seven on the charts for 1967. This song was also revived by a hit movie just ten years later when it figured prominently in the Vietnam Era epic “The Deer Hunter” which was released in 1977.
No. 3 – “The Beat Goes On” 1965 (Sonny Bono) This is my favorite Bono composition. The lyrics, sadly, are still relevant as in “men still keep on marching off to war.” The song was another huge hit for Sonny and Cher and the melody was used as the theme their 1970s variety show. On a more somber note, the inscription on Sonny Bono’s tombstone reads, “And the Beat Goes On.”
No. 2 – “Simple Song of Freedom” 1965 (Bobby Darin) I actually included this in last year’s list but it fits in much better with this group of songs. It was Darin’s finest folk song/protest song which is the type of music he had evolved to writing in 1969. While he was alive and performing he was actually criticized by critics because of his forays into so many different styles of music. Today, we’re better able to see that not only did Darin explore these different genres but he conquered each one and those accomplishments only add to his legend.
No. 1 – “I’ll Have To Say I Love You in a Song” 1973 (Jim Croce) Of all the fabulous songs written by Croce, this tender and honest love song may be the most beautiful. He wrote the song for his wife Ingrid following an argument about finances. She wrote that “he [Jim] hated confrontation [so] he went down to the kitchen table to brood.” The next morning he sang her his new song. The song, like “Car Wash Blues” also reached the charts in 1974, after Croce’s untimely death.
I’m sure there are many other songwriters of this genre and period that I could have included but these are the ones that I not only enjoy and remember best, but the ones who had the greatest impact on me. The four most important, for me, are obviously Gaudio, Bono, Darin, and Croce and all for different reasons.
Bob Gaudio’s main contribution was the creation of a “sound.” The Four Seasons sound was something unique and special to the time. It should be remembered that The Four Seasons and The Beach Boys were the two American groups that not only survived the British Invasion of groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones but actually thrived along with them. Gaudio’s role in the success of The Four Seasons was second to none.
Sonny Bono’s songs evoke the time period of the mid-1960s in a very palpable way. He was never much of a singer but his vocals fit naturally into the fabric of “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On.” He was the guy down the street who proved that just about anyone could write a hit song in the Sixties and he didn’t care if you knew that or felt that way. He took whatever abilities he had and made the most of them. Whenever I hear Sonny Bono sing I think of the power of the little guy who accomplishes great things primarily because he believes in himself.
Bobby Darin was one of the monumental talents in the entertainment industry in the second half of the twentieth century. It’s only been in recent years that he finally seems to be getting the respect he deserves. His prolific songwriting output, as well the varied kinds of songs he wrote, make his compositions an important aspect of his enduring legacy.
The fact that Jim Croce wrote so many memorable songs in such a painfully short period of time is a testament to his special gifts as a songwriter. Sadly, it also begs the question of “What might have been” if only Croce had been given more time to create and contribute. In addition to the few songs mentioned above he also wrote, “Operator,” “Time in a Bottle,” and “Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” all classics of the early 1970s. It should be noted that Bob Gaudio, Bobby Darin, and Jim Croce are all members of The Songwriters Hall of Fame.”
I’ll continue to acknowledge the Italian American contributions to songwriting in the future. If you have suggestions of songs and songwriters you’d like to see mentioned, please write to me in care of the newspaper. I welcome your input.
Until next time, I wish you and yours a very happy and healthy new year ahead!
