Latest news with #ConnieFrancis
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
As ‘Pretty Little Baby' Goes Viral, Connie Francis Is Joining TikTok
Sixty-four years ago, Connie Francis recorded 'Pretty Little Baby' as one of dozens of songs in a marathon recording session that yielded three albums within two weeks. It did not, at the time, feel like a song that had the makings of a hit, so it landed on the B-side of the 1962 single 'I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter' that was released in Britain. Since then, it was more or less overlooked. Then came TikTok and its canny ability to resurrect decades-old songs for a new generation. Over the last few weeks, 'Pretty Little Baby' has been trending on the social media app — it has been featured as the sound in more than 600,000 TikTok posts and soared to top spots in Spotify's Viral 50 global and U.S. lists — bolstered by celebrities and influencers, like Nara Smith, Kylie Jenner, and Kim Kardashian and her daughter North, who have posted videos of themselves lip-syncing to it. The ABBA singer Agnetha Fältskog used the song for a clip on TikTok in which she said Ms. Francis had long been her favorite singer. And the Broadway actress Gracie Lawrence, who is currently playing Ms. Francis in 'Just in Time' — a play about Bobby Darin, Ms. Francis's onetime romantic partner — also posted a video of herself lip-syncing to it, in her 1960s costume and hair. The song's current popularity is an unexpected twist to Ms. Francis's long and illustrious career. In 1960, she became the first female singer to top the Billboard Hot 100 and, by the time she was 26 years old, she had sold 42 million records and had two more singles top the Billboard charts. But this particular song, which she recorded in seven different languages, remained so obscure that Ms. Francis, 87, told People magazine that she had forgotten ever recording it. Amid the frenzy of the unexpected attention, Ms. Francis is trying to figure out how to turn this sudden attention into opportunities for herself. She and her publicist, Ron Roberts, enlisted Mr. Roberts's son to help them set up a TikTok account for her and, in a phone interview on Thursday, she said she had been mulling the idea of emerging from retirement to do some kind of show in the next few months. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Little known song from the 1960s hits the charts for the first time after going viral on TikTok
A little known song from the 1960s has hit the charts for the first time after going viral on TikTok. American singer Connie Francis's tune 'Pretty Little Baby' - which was originally released in 1962 - has become increasingly popular on the social media platform. The pop hit features the lyrics, 'You can ask the flowers / I sit for hours / Telling all the bluebirds / The bill and coo birds / Pretty little baby, I'm so in love with you.' Francis, who is now 87 years old and back in the charts for the first time in over 60 years, recently took to her official Facebook page to comment on her song going viral. She wrote: 'My thanks to TikTok and its members for the wonderful, and oh so unexpected, reception given to my 1961 recording 'Pretty Little Baby'. The first I learned of it was when [Concetta Records president Ron Roberts] called to advise me that I had "a viral hit". 'Clearly out of touch with present day music statistics terminology, my initial response was to ask: "What's that?" 'I am thrilled and overwhelmed at the success of "Pretty Little Baby,"' Francis added in a separate Monday press release. 'I recorded that song 63 years ago and to know that an entire new generation now knows who I am, and my music is thrilling to me. Thank you so much everybody, thank you TikTok.' This is not the first time a decades-old song has resurfaced thanks to TikTok. 'Dreams' by Fleetwood Mac, 'Running Up That Hill' by Kate Bush and 'Put Your Head On My Shoulder' by Paul Anka all re-entered the charts after going viral on TikTok. As for 'Pretty Little Baby', the song first went viral in late April and is currently averaging 600K+ daily creates on TikTok, including posts from celebs and influencers alike such as Kim Kardashian & North West, Kylie Jenner, Brook Monk, Jarred Jermaine, Abbie Herbert, Ariana Greenblatt, Mistermainer, Samara and many more. According to Billboard, it has nearly 15 million creates this year totalling more than 10 billion views across all sounds on TikTok. Prior to going viral, the song was earning just north of 17,000 official streams a week in the US, five weeks later it has increased more than 20,000 per cent to 4 million a week. As of last week, the song has received more than 14 million streams globally. As well as a surge in streams, the tune is rocketing up the official charts including Spotify's Viral Charts in 65 countries, where it's secured the top spot in India, Indonesia, Philippines, Egypt and Morocco and top five in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Singapore, Denmark, Romania and many more. Francis, who was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, is originally from New Jersey and got her start performing in festivals, talent shows and variety shows before being signed to a record label. Her first several singles were commercial failures which resulted in her being dropped by her record label. She was about to quit music in 1957 and even considered a career in medicine after being offered a four-year scholarship at New York University, when she scored her first breakout hit, 'Who's Sorry Now?' Following this success, Francis went on to release dozens more hits including 'Stupid Cupid', 'Lipstick on Your Collar', 'Where the Boys Are' and 'Frankie'. During a brief career resurgence in 1974, Francis was the victim of sexual assault while staying in a hotel in Long Island which she detailed in her 1984 memoir 'Who's Sorry Now?'. She also recalled how she nearly suffocated under the weight of a heavy mattress the culprit had thrown upon her and how she coped with her father's shame following the attack. 'On our way home, as I cowered in shame on the floor in the back of the car,' she wrote, 'Daddy said those incredible words I would never forget – Tell her Marie – tell her it's a good thing she's married to a guy like Joe.' The singer was also once linked to crooner Bobby Darin. Her 1984 memoir even has two chapters dedicated to the 'Mack the Knife' singer. 'Bobby Darin was different — dynamic, versatile, chock full of energy, with a fierce determination I had never seen before,' she wrote. 'I learned to adore him for all the reasons I always would - his respect for the little guy, his sense of fairness, his intellect, candor, and self confidence, his brashness, toughness and sweet tenderness — all the contrasts that made him so fascinating.' The two fell madly in love and exchanged dozens of love letters to one another but were ultimately kept apart by Francis' strict Italian father George, who insisted that she concentrate on her career and not date. Though the pair were separated by her father, when George learned that Francis and Darin were secretly still in touch and that Darin was trying to convince his 18-year-old girlfriend to elope with him, Connie says that an enraged George chased him away with a gun, insisting he never contact them again. Francis married and divorced four times after breaking up with Darin. The longest of those marriages lasted five years, while the shortest lasted only four months. 'Bobby was my first and last love,' she recalled in a 2016 Daily Mail interview. 'I never really loved anyone the way I loved him. He was dynamic and I trusted him completely, but we were star crossed lovers.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Connie Francis' Deep Cut ‘Pretty Little Baby' Becomes a Viral Hit 63 Years Later
Welcome to Billboard Pro's Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry's attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: An early great of the Billboard charts threatens her first new hit in many decades, a staple turn-of-the-millennium band connects with Gen Z and two new artists score viral breakout hits. Connie Francis was one of the reigning queens of the Billboard Hot 100 in its early days. The late-'50s and early-'60s pop star scored a whopping 15 top 10 hits on the chart, including three No. 1s: 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool,' 'My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own' (both 1960) and 'Don't Break the Heart That Loves You' (1962). And over six decades after her commercial peak, Francis is once again having a big pop culture moment – but it's not with any of those charting singles. More from Billboard Andy Bell Confirms His Place in Reunited Oasis Lineup Snoop Dogg Drops 'Iz It a Crime' Album Featuring Sexyy Red, Wiz Khalifa & Pharrell: Stream It Now The Lemonheads Preview First Original Album in 19 Years With New Single, 'Deep End' 'Pretty Little Baby,' a non-single from Francis' 1962 album Connie Francis Sings Second Hand Love, has caught fire on TikTok in the past month. Users have been lip synching along to the 'You can ask the flowers/ I sit for hours/ Telling all the bluebirds/ The bill and coo birds/ Pretty little baby, I'm so in love with you' verse of the song, often while wearing cute retro outfits and/or singing to actual babies, with over a million videos being created to the song (though the official sound's page currently appears to be unavailable). Regardless, the song has already begun to cross over from TikTok to streaming in massive numbers. As recently as the tracking week ending April 10, the song was earning just over 17,000 official on-demand U.S. streams a week – but four weeks later, that number was up to 2.4 million, a gain of over 7,000%. And it's still rising at an incredible rate – even debuting on the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA and Global charts – meaning the song could soon be threatening a Hot 100 debut, a mere 63 years after its initial release. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER One of the greatest emotional rushes within Radiohead's sprawling discography is the final verse of 'Let Down,' on which Thom Yorke's quivering lilt soars higher and higher to achieve bracing, beautiful alt-rock catharsis. Even as 'Karma Police,' 'Paranoid Android' and 'No Surprises' remain the signature songs from the band's 1997 masterwork OK Computer, 'Let Down' has long been a favorite among Radiohead diehards — and now, the song is slowly crossing over to casual fans, too. TikTok has latched onto that euphoric final verse, particularly the line 'One day, I am gonna grow wings,' with users reacting to (and often bowled over by) the song's whooshing upward build. And those TikTok clips are starting to translate into real streaming momentum for 'Let Down,' which was earning 1.83 million U.S. on-demand weekly streams a month ago (during the chart week ending Apr. 10, according to Luminate), and is now earning 2.73 million streams (for the week ending May 8). That's a 49% increase in the song's weekly streams over a four-week period — and while Radiohead's entire streaming catalog isn't growing that rapidly, 'Let Down' is helping that total grow. Radiohead's catalog earned 35.4 million streams during the week ending May 8, up 10% from four weeks prior (32.1 million during the week ending Apr. 10). Pretty impressive for a band whose most recent album came out nine years ago, although Yorke is keeping busy: he just put out a new album with electronic producer Mark Pritchard, as the duo Tall Tales, just last week. – JASON LIPSHUTZ Nearly two months ago (March 30), BB Trickz released 'Super' as the lead single from her new 80z EP – and an interesting combination of social conversation has driven up the track's streams. Eagle-eyed music fans may recognize BB Trickz, a Spanish rapper who broke through in 2023 with sample drill tracks, from Charli XCX's 'Club Classics' remix. BB even appeared as a surprise guest on the second night of Charli's Barclays Center mini-residency on the Brat Arena Tour (May 1). About two weeks before her appearance onstage (April 22), BB said that she could learn a few things from Donald Trump and Hitler during an interview with Grimey TV, spurring understandably split reactions amongst fans and increasing her general notoriety as 'the most hated rapper in Spain.' That clip – which has since amassed over 57,000 views – came around the same time 'Super' became the go-to song for a TikTok love triangle to throw shade at one another. TikTok personalities @.willito, @orlenaodette, @wendolynortizz have each posted multiple videos with the official 'Super' sound (which currently boasts over 166,000 posts) that have millions of collective views. Independent of that love triangle, much of the social conversation around 'Super' is based around some people adoring the song and other people detesting it. Furthermore, on April 24, BB Trickz teamed up with TikTok personality @bachbuquen for a dance challenge set to 'Super.' That clip reached 9.4 million views on Back's account and over 23.5 million views on BB's account. According to Luminate, 'Super' has jumped over 776% in streams over the past four weeks. During the period of April 4-10, the track earned over 146,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. By the time her Trump comments started going viral and the dance trend kicked off, 'Super' pulled over 1.9 million streams during the week of May 2-8, growing over 50% week over week. Having already visited the Billboard charts with Charli — 'Club Classics' reached No. 8 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs last year – BB Trickz could soon be poised for her first solo entry. – KYLE DENIS Just as Pluto & YKNiece's 'Whim Whammiee' begins its Hot 100 ascent, Atlanta has already spun out another delightfully ratchet female rap hit to kick off the summer. Released on April 16, 'Bunna Summa' arrived after a few short weeks of teasing from the artist herself. On April 4, Bunna B posted a snippet of the then-unreleased song to her official TikTok account (@therealbunnab). To date, that snippet has amassed over 584,000 views, while the accompanying official sound now plays in over 51,000 posts on the app. Most of the song's traction has come from the end of its opening verse: 'I drive the boat, these b–ches follow/ F–ked around and text my ex, oops, it was a typo/ Shake, shake, shake, booty shake like a maraca/ If you ain't throwin' ass, what the f–k you outside for?' In its first week of release (April 11-17), 'Bunna Summa' garnered 112,000 official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate. That number jumped 425% in its first full tracking week (April 18-24) to over 592,000 streams. The following week, streams jumped a further 145% to over 1.4 million, and by May 2-8, the song started crossing over two million weekly streams. If her hit continues to rise along with the temperatures, we can officially crown the upcoming season a 'Bunna Summa.' – KD Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Pretty Little Baby singer Connie Francis overwhelmed with viral fame 60 years after song's release: ‘Oh so unexpected!'
More than six decades after it was first recorded, Connie Francis's Pretty Little Baby is suddenly everywhere, lighting up TikTok and Instagram with a wave of retro charm. Originally featured on her 1962 album Connie Francis Sings Second Hand Love, the song was never released as a single and remained a deep cut in her vast discography. But now, in a surprising twist, the track has become a viral sensation, with millions of users creating reels and videos set to its dreamy, heartfelt chorus: 'You can ask the flowers / I sit for hours / Telling all the bluebirds / The bill and coo birds / Pretty little baby, I'm so in love with you.' A post shared by Addie McCracken (@addie_mccracken123) From creators donning vintage outfits to parents singing to their babies, the trend has breathed new life into the classic tune, making it one of the top trending sounds globally. Although the official sound page appears to be temporarily unavailable, that hasn't slowed down its popularity across platforms. This kind of revival isn't entirely new. The rise of social media has led to a wave of retro songs making unexpected comebacks, as younger generations discover and fall in love with music from the past. But for Connie Francis, one of the defining voices of the early Billboard Hot 100 era, the moment feels both surreal and special. Francis, who enjoyed a string of hits in the late '50s and early '60s — including chart-toppers Everybody's Somebody's Fool and My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own in 1960, and Don't Break the Heart That Loves You in 1962 — shared her heartfelt reaction on social media upon learning that Pretty Little Baby had become a viral hit: 'Thank you Ron for posting this link. My thanks to TikTok and its members for the wonderful, and oh so unexpected, reception given to my 1961 recording 'Pretty Little Baby'. The first I learned of it was when Ron called to advise me that I had 'a viral hit'. Clearly out of touch with present day music statistics terminology, my initial response was to ask: 'What's that?' Thank you everyone!' Her candid response has only added to the charm of the moment, as longtime fans and new listeners alike celebrate a timeless voice finding fresh resonance in today's fast-moving digital world. It's a testament to the enduring power of music, and proof that even after 60 years, a pretty little song can still capture hearts all over again.
Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Pretty Little Baby' goes viral 63 years after release: Connie Francis, first woman to top Billboard charts, was raped at knifepoint
Instagram Reels have become a powerful platform for reviving old retro songs that were once loved by niche audiences. Classics like Cheri Cheri Lady, No Surprises, Moon River, Midnight Train to Georgia, and Running Up That Hill have found their way onto the playlists of Gen Z and the broader social media generation, even topping charts once again. This trend has sparked a cultural reappraisal of music from the 50s to the 80s, bringing decades-old tracks back into the public consciousness, cementing their place in today's digital music landscape. Connie Francis, one of the defining voices of the early Billboard Hot 100 era, dominated the charts in the late 50s and early 60s with an impressive string of hits, scoring 15 top 10 singles, including three chart-toppers: Everybody's Somebody's Fool and My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own in 1960, followed by Don't Break the Heart That Loves You in 1962. Now, more than 60 years after her commercial success, Francis is viral, cutting through pop culture clutter, not through one of her former hits, but thanks to a deep cut: Pretty Little Baby. The song's sweet, romantic verse—You can ask the flowers / I sit for hours / Telling all the bluebirds / The bill and coo birds / Pretty little baby, I'm so in love with you—has inspired over a million user-generated videos, bringing the track into the spotlight for a whole new generation. A post shared by Emma Bateman ✿ (@emmalinebateman_) A post shared by Jackie G (@tismejackieg) While Connie Francis is being rediscovered by a new generation of fans, many are unaware of the deeply traumatic experiences that shaped her life beyond her music career. The singer was once raped at knifepoint after a performance. According to a 1974 report by the New York Times, on the morning of the assault, Francis had just performed at the Westbury Music Fair and returned to her room at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in Westbury, New York, where she was staying. Around 5.30 AM, she was awoken by a young man who threatened her at knifepoint and proceeded to rape her. After the attack, the assailant tied her to a chair, knocking it over before covering her with a mattress and a suitcase. He stole jewelry and a mink coat before leaving the scene. Francis, badly shaken and injured, managed to free herself after more than half an hour. She made her way to the phone and called her secretary, who was in a nearby room. The police were alerted, and Francis was transported to Nassau County Medical Center for treatment. She was later released after receiving care for the assault and bruises. The 19-year-old accused was arrested after a staff member at the motel described him to the police, the report said. The aftermath of the attack deeply scarred Francis, both emotionally and professionally. In the years following the assault, she became an outspoken advocate for victims' rights and fought tirelessly to improve hotel security standards nationwide. She filed a landmark lawsuit against the motel chain, citing gross negligence for failing to provide adequate safety measures. She won the case, which not only resulted in a substantial financial settlement but also led to widespread changes in hotel security protocols across the United States. Despite the strength she displayed in seeking justice, the trauma took a severe toll on her mental health. Francis would later suffer from depression and spend years battling psychological effects due to the assault. Her career was further derailed as she took a break from the public eye to focus on healing. Speaking to Fox News in 2018, Francis opened up about how she coped with being raped. 'I had a lot of help. I had good friends, a family who supported me, and my sense of humour… But I didn't have the benefit of going to a support group for women who were raped because it would have been in the National Enquirer the following week. So I had to do that in the privacy of my own home. But it did take seven years out of my life. I didn't grant an interview for seven years. I didn't sing for seven years. It was a horrible experience,' she said. Over time, however, Francis found the courage to return to music and the stage. Her later work was marked by a deeper emotional resonance, derived from her personal experiences. She published a memoir, Who's Sorry Now?, in which she candidly wrote about her rise to fame, her struggles with mental illness, and the brutal realities she faced behind the scenes. Fast-forward to 2025, Pretty Little Baby has seen an incredible surge in popularity over the past few weeks, with Billboard reporting a remarkable 7,000 per cent increase in streams within just a month. The song has also made its debut on Spotify's Daily Top Songs charts, both in the USA and globally, suggesting it may soon make its way onto the Billboard Hot 100. Shruti Kaushal is a social media sieve and catches'em trends before they grow big, especially cinema. She has been a journalist for 4 years and covers trends, art and culture, and entertainment. ... Read More
