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.
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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
