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Singer Connie Francis dies at 87. See how a new generation grew to love her

Singer Connie Francis dies at 87. See how a new generation grew to love her

Miami Herald17 hours ago
Connie Francis, a well-known singer and actress, died at age 87 after witnessing a new generation fall in love with her music.
The pop vocalist was known for her 1958 hits like 'Stupid Cupid' and 'Who's Sorry Now.' Her cause of death has not been revealed.
But another one of her songs, 'Pretty Little Baby,' recorded in 1962, took TikTok by storm, creating a viral trend among the younger generation.
The song flooded the app, creating a viral sound where users would post covers, overlay the song with cute videos, or even use it as background music for something as simple as showing off their outfits.
User @Annefrankhjernoe took to the app to show her 'slightly exaggerated version of this pretty little song.'
The TikToker's video, which has been seen over 15.5 million times as of July 17, showed her putting her own spin on Francis' song with rifts throughout the tune.
User @Sri took to the app to share a cover of Francis' song, 'Pretty Little Baby,' accompanied by her own added rifts inspired by @Annefrankhjernoe's video. @Sri's video been seen over 5.4 million times as of July 17.
Other users took a simpler approach, like that of @Thebullyquad, who used the song to show off their Staffordshire bull terrier waiting for some much-needed cuddles.
Some users like @Xsb3l took the lyrics literally and showed off an actual 'pretty little baby.'
Some even participated in a spin-off of the trending song, like user @Baileytherottiexo, who posted a video changing the lyrics to 'Stinky little baby, you need a shower.'
Francis, born with the name Concetta Franconero, was introduced to music at age 3 when her father, a dockworker and roofer who loved to play the concertina, put an accordion in her hands.
She was born in Newark, New Jersey, and signed in 1955 to MGM Records, where she recorded 10 singles that all were unsuccessful, until her song 'Who's Sorry Now' sold a million copies six months after being shown on Dick Clark's 'American Bandstand' in 1958.
Francis was also the first woman to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts with her record 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool.
She deemed herself 'clearly out of touch' when it came to TikTok, where she shared how grateful she was for her newfound love from the newer generation.
Francis revealed how 'astounded' she was by the newfound popularity of the song.
Francis, wearing a necklace, full makeup and her hair freshly done, thanked a variety of celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, for participating in the trend.
TikTokers, despite their sadness upon hearing the news, went to the comments of her videos to share how happy they are with the resurgence of Francis' song.
'So glad she got to see her song go viral again after all those years - RIP Connie,' one person wrote.
'She died happy knowing that this generation likes her music. You will be missed. Thank you for the music,' another wrote.
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So now I'm just excited to see that sea of people. In L.A., I've done some really good shows, but it's a 17,000-cap venue, and I think we're doing good on ticket sales. This is the largest SiR audience that I've ever seen, so I'm excited to see the fans and hear them sing along. Have you met Leon Thomas before? We haven't met, but I'm a huge fan. I don't know if a lot of people [know], but Leon Thomas was a songwriter before he started putting music out on his own. Of course, everyone knows him from his acting days, but he was a part of a writing group that is based in L.A. and has been writing songs for other artists, so to see him come to the forefront of his own artistry is a beautiful thing. I think I'm on the waiting list for a Leon Thomas session. Collaborating is big right now with me, especially since things have changed and I don't work as much as I used to on my own. I want to bounce ideas off of good artists, and I want to have great musicians in the room so we can make sure that everything is where it's supposed to be in the song. We talked about it. I texted him [last] week just to thank him for being a part of this, and I wanted to congratulate him on all of his success. He's a good guy, and I'm definitely a huge fan. Why is collaboration so important for you now? What's changed? I want better songs. I've been around a long time. I got a lot of music out, but I have this thing in my head where I just want a classic. I feel like I have some really good records, but I want a song that everybody knows. As a songwriter, I think the most beautiful music comes from collaboration because you have people there to give you guidance in your own thought process. Even if I'm leading the way, I have somebody in my ear that's navigating into this place we're trying to get to. But I definitely just want to write better songs, and I'm not afraid to ask for help. I've had to learn that the hard way. I spent a lot of time over the years just kind of closed off in my box, which was great because it created my world, my sound. But now that I have established my sound, I should always be open to people helping me create in my world, especially if they know what my world is. Have you started thinking about your next project yet? I am definitely thinking about my next project. It does not have a name. We don't have a date, but I am as busy as I can be right now, just with new songwriting and trying to stay ahead of it, because if I make you guys wait another five years for another project, I don't think I'ma survive. I might have to go get me a day job. So I'm definitely working, but I'm not gonna rush. I'm not gonna force anything. I'm not just gonna put out anything. 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