24-05-2025
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.
