WE CAN RELATE!! FRANKIE VALLI &THE FOUR SEASONS - RAG DOLL (REACTION)

[@ajruther67]

You two are knocking out all the oldies hits! I love it! Keep it coming!

[@vancelubben5300]

Others are doing it too. Oldies are making a big comeback and it's a thing of beauty!!!

[@snowbird9660]

YES, YES, YES!!!

[@homeschoolmom2799]

My very favorite Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons song. Beautiful.

[@jeffclark7888]

June 1964. The greatest pop song in history. Thank you, Bob Gaudio.

[@user-cy4gi4fr8z]

It's their best. And the highest falsetto ever. Incomparable.

[@lonestarbug]

@@user-cy4gi4fr8zAgree.

[@robertschiavone5159]

The 50's and 60's I feel had the purest music from rock and roll to soul music

[@dagmar.6954]

This is another group I grew up with in the 60's. Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. They had so many great hits together such as "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "Candy Girl", "Ain't That a Shame", "Dawn (Go Away)", "Working My Way Back to You", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "C'mon Marianne" etc. Frankie went out on his own in the 70's & had a few hits "My Eyes Adored You" & "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". Also he had a hit with the song "Grease" from the movie. Always loved that he was able to sing in a falsetto voice.

[@katie-didellis2437]

Dagmar S Frankie's hit from Grease was written by a man with a wonderful falsetto, Barry Gibb and his brothers.

[@theccpisaparasite8813]

What a Night is definitely a must listen from later in his career

[@dappylu]

Also two of my other favorites 'Opus 17' & 'Save It For Me'.

[@jhenry9486]

I absolutely LOVE The Four Season! Love the early hits such at Rag Doll, Walk Like a Man, Big Girls Don’t Cry etc but I also love the late 70’s hits Summer of 63 AND Who Loved You!!!!!!

[@Gary-c1t]

There will NEVER be another singer like Frankie Valli. Timeless!

[@jonnylak3856]

his voice isnt natural. He had to have surgery on his voice box. The surgeon "made a mistake" and thats the reason for his crazy range

[@briandyer6145]

You picked one of the most beautiful Frankie ballet in the 4 season songs I applaud you and would like to hear more

[@merlinathrawes746]

Melodies and harmonies are what made this and many of the other groups of the 60's great.

[@timothysarris9742]

Wow what a voice Frankie Valli has! And the harmonizing is superb!

[@pauld9948]

I've heard this song many times over the last 50 years, the beginning still gives me chills down my spine, one of my favorite 4 Season songs!!!

[@kennyfairless1731]

My favorite of theirs also.

[@davidhughett6081]

Yes, it is truly spine-tingling, in the best way possible!

[@jeffclark7888]

Likewise.

[@RobertSmith-iw2kb]

Now you turned into a beautiful doll.😅great pair of people.

[@patsaylor8973]

I use to cry when I heard this song. I was the rag doll back then.

[@lonestarbug]

Interesting!

[@bakercarl8518]

Now I'm older, it has a whole new meaning.💕

[@richardpoindexter6322]

One of the most beautiful songs in the history of mankind ...

[@lonestarbug]

Agree.

[@razorback9926]

Their fourth #1 song. Fun fact: In its entire time in the Top Ten, the only songs ever ahead of it were Beatles songs.

[@lonestarbug]

True! Summer 1964.

[@robert-ef8qv]

Hi Shawn & Mel, Here is the back story on how the song got written: love this song / love ❤️ you two. Group member and chief songwriter Bob Gaudio wrote this. He was driving his car to the studio in New York City when he was stopped at a "three-minute light." A little girl - with ragged clothes and dirty face - ran up to the car and cleaned the windshield. As the light changed, Gaudio rummaged frantically through his pockets in an effort to find a quarter to pay the girl, who did indeed look like a Rag Doll. The smallest piece of money he could find was a five-dollar bill (sometimes Gaudio would say "ten-dollar bill" when he tells this story), so he gave her the currency. She was speechless, but he remembered her stunned look at the studio, where he composed the song.

[@ajruther67]

I didn't know the story. It is a sweet story.

[@breckrichardson390]

Yes, this story is recounted in the show "Jersey Boys."

[@MrPete60441]

That is a true story... I heard that a long time ago when The Four Seasons did an interview... I think it might have bee on American Bandstand back in the late 60's..

[@jeffclark7888]

All true.

[@nach2821]

Yes, and if I recall, he said she tried to give it back to him, as if she knew it must be a mistake, and she was crying when he left.

[@timothynevins3778]

I love the fact you are covering these oldies but goodies

[@wnsafford1854]

On the Howard Stern show, Billy Joel mentioned drawing inspiration from this song, for 2 of his songs. He said, when writing Uptown Girl, he was going for a Frankie Valli/Four Seasons sound. Then he sang a bit of Rag Doll & Uptown Girl. He also pointed out that Rag Doll includes the line "I love you just the way you are."

[@dgeneeknapp3168]

Bless you girl and ALL of us who were the daughters of poverty. I've worn silk, lace, and velvet but I'm still that little girl in the cousin's hand me downs with holes in my shoes at the end of the school year. I'm very comfortable in my old clothes now. I made it a point to be better dressed once I was grown. Now, I'm completely comfortable not looking great. I can wear better, but I don't really feel I need to spend on that at this point in my life. All us pretty rag dolls should get that prince that can provide better but doesn't care if we don't. My husband loves me in my ratty garden clothes. He loves his college educated rag doll.

[@jeffclark7888]

Tremendous song June 1964. Great falsetto and harmony.

[@nathanielseymour8108]

This is what I love about your channel. I hear classic after classic that your reactions give a whole new meaning to (much deeper)! Keep em coming! And Mel, your singing also sounds nice. :)

[@raccoondon488]

Rag doll ….that song reminds me of one time I was driving just south of Cincinnati , Ohio in northern Kentucky. I turned off I-75 to the west just to do some sight seeing in the hills of Kentucky. It was a stone poor area. People were enjoying ice cream outside at an ice cream shop , so I stopped and had an ice cream also. Then I drove around the neighborhood…..it all amounted to a bunch of shacks….tiny and run down. Then I saw this absolutely gorgeous young woman …Teenager maybe. She could have been a model , but she was dressed in rags and had no shoes. A true rag doll. I hate poverty. That reminds me….I married a rag doll….a beautiful rag doll. My rag doll wife then went on to get her masters in French and became a High School French Teacher. 👍 a happy ending for a rag doll .👍👍

[@scottstiers3805]

High school for me. Every time I hear them I'm there again. Saw them in concert in '62. :-)

[@lonestarbug]

Outstanding! NY/NJ?

[@beeseewill2407]

Those guys didn't even need music.Those voices were enough to fill the record.A cappella was so popular back then. Musical instruments were minimal and someone had to know how to play and sing.No computer ,no autotune.It was talent ,and some of the best at that.

[@MiguelGonzalezP]

Also dion and the belmonts were awesome too.

[@perrymalcolm3802]

SILENCE IS GOLDEN!!

[@garydeforest7911]

The song was based on the real experience of FourSeasons group member, keyboards and songwriter Bob Gaudio. He was parked at traffic lights travelling from New Jersey to New York City -- I think to a recording session -- when a little black girl washed his windows. He searched his pockets for change and only had a $10 bill (which was a small fortune then for a kid). He passed her the $10 just as the lights changed, and in his rear-view mirror he saw the girl staring in amazement at this gift in her hand.

[@Davidlabar4]

My dads favorite tune of all time. He was 12 yo in 1964 and loved the four seasons, on top of that he lived basically around the corner from where they were from in Newark NJ

[@lonestarbug]

Excellent!

[@lindawulfkoenig4907]

Please check out their song, "Walk Like a Man," too. I'm thinking Frankie Valli was the second popular falsetto voice on the pop music scene...Lou Christie preceded him as I'm recalling, but my memory may be faulty on this one.

[@jmartinez9332]

Frankie was before Christie I believe. Christie was awesome too

[@jeffclark7888]

Frankie 1962 Lou 1963.

[@54nomore]

This song was co-written by Key Boards Bob Guadio the tallest member of the group back in 1964. It charted #1 on Billboard in 1964. It became one of their greatest hits and one of the most requested songs ever.

[@jeffclark7888]

True.

[@steveneardley7541]

When it came out a friend came over and had me listen to it. He considered it an important event. It's a great song.

[@jeffclark7888]

Happy 88th birthday yesterday to Frankie Valli.

[@beare55]

One of the best falsetto voices of all of them, Frankie Valli

[@ericjayj1]

I saw the original 4 Seasons in the early 1960's. You may not believe this, but it's true. They played their own instruments and sounded just amazing in concert. No backing tracks or fancy pedals. A very tight band.Their drummer was Craig Pilo. Drummed like nobody else. He was the 5th Season in my opinion. And the only other musician on the stage that I can remember was a great xylophone player. You can hear his work in Rag Doll. Look up Bob Gaudio's inspiration for the song. A story all by itself. I'm 72, but It it seems like yesterday. Really. I appreciate your work. It brings up wonderfull memories. Thank you.

[@ntroxplr27]

This is my favorite song from them their harmonies are perfect and I love a girl who is beautiful no matter where she came from 🥰

[@johnbrookes3261]

Frankie Valley made the greatest some of the greatest songs in the 60s This song is an absolute belter second to none PERIOD

[@lonestarbug]

Agree.

[@oldermusiclover]

so glad you got to this song was written about a little girl that the writer saw at a stoplight

[@matthewgibbs1366]

Yes! I knew you wanted more Frankie. I'm still wait for that Lou Christie the gypsy cried. 😆

[@RobertSmith-iw2kb]

Only one close to frankie in those days was lou christie

[@davidramrut5002]

Two of the best 4 Seasons songs "Soon" and "The Girl I'll Never Know"

[@lonestarbug]

Agree.

[@jalandacurry4585]

Yall are on fire today already!!!!!!!! Love it!!

[@Mycroftsbrother]

When I was a kid, we ALL wore hand-me-downs! They might not be new, but Mom kept them clean. If people today saw the way we grew up, they would shout, "Unacceptable poverty!!!" But, we didn't know we were poor because most people in the neighborhood were exactly the same as us. In the 60s, Frankie Valli was the BOMB!

[@saxon-mt5by]

Hand-me-downs were a fact of life in the '50s and '60s; it wasn't a sign of poverty, just a more thrifty attitude. Nothing was thrown away but repaired and re-sized; as a third child all my shoes, clothes and toys were passed down from my older siblings.

[@Mycroftsbrother]

@@saxon-mt5by Yep

[@gordonsmith8112]

Hand me downs in the 70z too...went from one house to another in the neighborhood, it's how we all got clothed. It wasn't easy but we grew up tougher and worked harder.

[@Nestor123057]

@@saxon-mt5by I agree. Growing up in ethnic neighborhoods in the Bronx, it was more of a tradition back then, especially if you came from a large family.

[@RFWieder]

Before there was the Beatles there were the Four Seasons!! Hit's like "Dawn", " Big Girls don't Cry", and "Stay". They survived in to the disco years in the 70's!!

[@jamesseibert5356]

look into the background for this song, it is amazing

[@colinstevens2691]

So pleased you reacted to this one. My absolute favourite Frankie Valli song. Awesome vocals, great melody, incredible harmonies…a real classic 👍❤️

[@lewisbuckles5794]

I went to school with a rag doll and she was the prettiest girl in school, and all the other girls that had everything money could buy knew it too

[@georgemusic4all4seasons]

Thank you thank you so much for playing Rag Doll on your show. I was way to young to catch the Four Seasons in the 60’s but once discovery them in the 70’s, that was it for me as they are number one all time favorite band. FYI one of the first bands of the rock pop era to play their own instruments and wrote the majority of their own songs which and yes before The Beach Boys and Beatles. Over 6o of their songs have hit the Billboard Charts with 40 top 40 and 20 top ten hits, oh and lets not forget the only band to have a number one hit before, during and after the Beatles, the only Band to accomplish this. Thank you for putting on a great show while recognizing a number one hit record from the summer of 1964.

[@ritajackson745]

Makes me cry

[@RobertSmith-iw2kb]

They sang about life as it was.😊

[@philiphughes9556]

Always brings a tear to my eyes. Thank you for the reaction. Great song! I agree (kinda) with Tim Carr... I wouldn't junk all the rest, but I agree with his sentiment.

[@johnmeadows5645]

I can relate to that. If not for hand-me-down i would have had to cover myself with a feed sack. Hey guys, your the real deal.

[@waltw4537]

PS, at this time in 1964, the Beatles dominated the record charts. UNTIL my Boys the Four Seasons released "Rag Doll"! It was "Pick Hit of the Week" on WABC in NYC one week, then NUMBER ONE the very next week!!! Unheard of!!! All Beatles knocked down one peg!!

[@rhondafoy7403]

Think The Beatles managed after that though, aye. They were just warming up.

[@lindascotland1349]

Hiii am from liverpool love all the songs you been playing mel loved your teeshirt Beatles 😊😊😊🇬🇧

[@waltw4537]

The back story of the tune is told below comments. Again, gotta point out the Seasons' use of drums and tympany. So precise . So much the backbone of the tune. But... But Mel.. God bless! I was the 2nd of 2 boys, in the 1950s. Oh yes. Hand-me-downs for sure. You see why the Seasons are my fav, Yes Shawn. 4 Jersey boys that melded those voices. Perfections. Frankie's gonna wail here in a moment. Hand claps at the end!! Hand claps forever!!

[@rickrocchio8836]

Great story behind the writing of that song.

[@Theearthtraveler]

It went to number one at the peak of Beatlemania.

[@jackie_jrml]

My favorite of theirs. Glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you!!

[@jalandacurry4585]

Please get into The Rascals too!!! Lonely Too Long, On A Sunday Afternoon, How Can I Be Sure, etc;

[@matthewgibbs1366]

Great suggestions!!

[@firebird7479]

This song inspired Billy Joel's hit "Just the Way You Are"....the last line in Rag Doll.

[@d.j.starling3559]

You two need to listen to the Young Rascals, aka The Rascals in later years. In their library, How Can I Be Sure is my favorite song. Groovin' is another great one, & probably the group's biggest hit. Lots more as well, & I think you'll love them all!! As far as songs with a 'message,' listen to Billie Holliday sing Strange Fruit. She first recorded this hauntingly beautiful song in 1939, & it's incredible, but the message isn't a happy one. The song actually protests the lynching of Black Americans--which had reached a peak in the Southern United States at the turn of the 20th century--with lyrics that compare the victims to the fruit of trees. In fact, the lyrics are so strong that the song is said to mark the beginning of the civil rights movement. BTW - Billie Holliday is always high on any list of GOATs of jazz vocalists, with a voice you definitely should hear. Take a trip & go way, way back. You'll be glad you did.

[@tonyhurd5697]

I tear up every time , I hear a song from my childhood in the 60’s and 70’s . It takes me back to the life , I’ll never live again . Thank y’all for taking me back to a better time in my life . 🙏🏻

[@jai07070]

I am binging on your videos, reactions and great songs from years gone by! Really making my Friday the best day of the week. Love you guys!!

[@chetstevens4583]

Possibly the greatest song ever recorded. Flawless singing. Dawn is the inverse where the girl is too good for the guy.

[@georgemusic4all4seasons]

I could not agree with you more and to think Rolling Stone Magazine did not include not one Four Seasons song in the greatest 500 songs of all time. Was I so disappointed.

[@chetstevens4583]

@@georgemusic4all4seasons that says a whole lot more about Rolling Stone than it does about the Four Seasons. The Seasons were the top selling band in America for three years running until that silly Liverpool quartet showed up.

[@trumphatesyou]

@@chetstevens4583 Oasis?

[@jeffclark7888]

Agree!

[@jeffclark7888]

Agree.

[@timcarr6401]

You can junk all the rest of their songs. This is a stand-alone classic. It's my absolute favorite of theirs. Frankie's falsetto ranks among the best of 1960's singers. Lou Christie with "Lightnin' Strikes" rivals Frankie's best.

[@BeHappy-cp4fv]

I agree. I loved Lou Christie's Lightning Strikes. And his other number one hits - Two Faces Have I, and I'm Gonna Make You Mine.

[@timcarr6401]

@@BeHappy-cp4fv IGMYM is much better than TFHI.

[@georgemusic4all4seasons]

Oh you do not want to junk the rest of their songs, you wold be doing yourself a dis-service. One of the best bands of all time, the Four Seasons.

[@timcarr6401]

@@georgemusic4all4seasons The FS were singers --not a band.

[@georgemusic4all4seasons]

@@timcarr6401 the Four Seasons were a Band who played their own instruments in concert and in the studio on many of their hit songs.

[@susieskarl8845]

Your reaction to Rag Doll (and so many other hits you've featured) is priceless! Thanks so much for sharing these hits from back in the day & your awesome commentary with us!!

[@johnm.9689]

Thanks to both of you for sharing your reaction. I love that song too. Still gives me chills to hear it.

[@douglasswicegood4420]

'Rag Doll' has always teared me! Also, a kid named Dickie Lee sang a very tragic teen love song about two teens similar to 'Romeo and Juliet called "Patches" from 1961. Big hit for him! Beautiful song of love.

[@briandyer6145]

The perfect companion song to ragdoll is dawn

[@americanaforever6725]

The Four Seasons “sound” is amazing 🤩. “Candy Girl” “ Bye Bye Baby” “ Cmon Marianne” and “ Big Man in Town” are more terrific hits

[@BeHappy-cp4fv]

Those were such great songs. And also their songs Working My Way Back To You, and Walk like a Man. I haven't heard the names of these songs in ages. It brings back such nice memories.

[@janetf23]

Such a wonderful blending of four fabulous voices!! 💗

[@keithworsfold2689]

This also had a great B side "Silence is Golden" it could of been an A side in my opinion , It was covered by the Tremeloes in the UK and went to No. 1 in the charts for three weeks in 67.

[@alanheath7867]

I was taken to his show about 10 years ago now by my roomies mom. She knew I loved them and come to find out SHE DID TOO!! She was closeted about it till that night. As soon as they started singing and she not only knew every word to every song, but melted in her seat! She was a blubbering basket case by the end of the show!!! BUT.. she pulled it back together because We actually got to talk to him and shake his hand. Now before I forget, Mel would have loved the new singers that I called Spring, SUMMER, Fall and Winter. The guy I called SUMMER took Frankie’s place in a couple of songs and could hit the same highs Frankie could just as good! He even founded like a pretty close match. SUMMER for Mel, was VERY EASY ON THE EYES!!! The rest weren’t bad but SUMMER took the prize of the night! All the ladies were swooning over him and Frankie. But when they came back out after the performance to meet and greet, SUMMER was mobbed by almost Everyone ( that is after we/they met Frankie). THAT was a HOT NIGHT in a temp controlled theater!

[@lolathomas7919]

They are awesome i have always loved their music

[@jimallison6125]

I'm really liking your reactions. Just subscribed. Please keep doing the Deep dives in early rock music. I grew up on that music and still love it. You guys do a great job.

[@ericgerena6042]

Love Frankie Valli and The 4 Seasons.an icon.walk like a man , Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Candy Girl, Lets Hang On, Can't take my eyes off you, Peanuts, Opus 17, Don't Think Twice under the name of The Wonder Who, Let's Hang On, Begging, Working My Way Back To You, Oh What A Night ( December 63), Who Loves You, My Eyes Adored You. Most of the songs were written by one of the 4 seasons Bob Gaudio, the tall slim guy. 💯💯🤪💯💯💯💯💯💯💯Percent👍👍❤️

[@metalox88]

I Love you just the way you are!!

[@improperbostonian6722]

Your taking me back to my Childhood, This was a huge song in 1964 on the Radio and my Dad would play The 4 Season's 45s on the stereo record player.

[@juniebee7654]

I loved seeing the joy on Shawn's face at the Ooooh oooh oooh Ahhhh Ahhhhh Ahhhh!

[@carryharris4204]

This is the one of the Greatest songs of all time, I use to be listing to the radio cruising around on a Friday or Saturday night and this song would come on the radio and I would get chills all up and down my spin and still does that today too

[@suzie4417]

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons have been so popular from the sixties onward, sooo many great songs from baby boomer days !! 🎉💎☮️😍💖 Love you S & M you are discovering special songs & keeping them alive❤

[@icmman7]

this song is about MOST OF US!.We have MUCH in common no matter where you lived in poverty ;)

[@sandramacdonald178]

Love it ....we use to dance to it but never really listened to all the words....like you I almost teared up.

[@terryduncan31]

Pure talent! No question about it!

[@danielmesery2904]

SOFTLY WHISPERING I LOVE YOU BY THE ENGLISH CONGRAGATION....🌷🎸☮️

[@loriwishman1866]

❤️❤️❤️ your reactions! Each one more than the previous.

[@joelliebler5690]

A beautifull song both musically and lyrically!👍🏻❤️☮️

[@jeraldkimball494]

I remember this song hit home with me as I came from a very poor family and so did my girlfriend. But you know we may have been poor but we were rich in that we always had love and family. And it made us a lot tougher, it made me the man I am now.

[@lailavikstrom9219]

YOU TWO ARE SO SWEET TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@hazelanglin5907]

I have always loved their songs

[@bigcgr9758]

This has become one of my favorite songs . When I was younger I never thought I would ever listen to this but it's actually beautiful music

[@kathyneuman5613]

It’s not outside that counts, it’s what’s inside.

[@cathyortiz1280]

My fav Frankie Valley song!!! The story behind the song is really incredible. The writer was in a poor area & kids would ask to whip his windshield for a dollar or less in thise days. So one girl in rags cleaned his windshield & he only had a hundred dollar bill. So he gave it to her & he said the look on her face made him come up with this song.

[@xiurong888]

My first favorite song. I was 10 when it came out. The Four Seasons were my first favorite group.

[@BlottyWellRight]

I am learning to play this song by ear on my piano. It is such a great song!

[@Jody525252]

Freakin love them. At around 11 years old i heard their song Sherry on a radio on a. dresser in my mothers bedroom , i was taken away....

[@pennyervin1424]

Beautiful reaction! They have lots of hits!! Big Girls Don't Cry is a good'n too!

[@rickrocchio8836]

That song still sends chills up my spine!

[@terrivideo1]

Little history for ya. Bob Gaudio, who wrote most of the Seasons hits, composed this after a little girl washed his car window in NYC.

[@Wellch]

He gave her a big tip, I was told.

[@kathyrizzi8754]

I didn’t have enough clothes when growing poor, I can relate to this great song, one of many hits by Frankie Valli. “ His career span was long, just recently, he sang with an orchestra in his 80’s and he sang really well.

[@shuttle357]

It's always great to see people with an amazing understanding of a new classic they just heard and simply fall in love with..... It's all about the heart....:)

[@garyarnett1220]

Example of how to craft a perfect song. And Frankie's high high at the end..wow.

[@russelbarnes7235]

Thanks for this. I love this song and grew up loving Frankie Valli, and the Four Seasons. Please keep heading down this rabbit hole. Opus 17, Peanuts, and Dawn ( go away) are my suggestions. Great reaction to this song. Peace

[@jimnicosia5934]

Frankie Valli had one of the best singing voices of that time. They started out as Doowop singers on the street corners of New Jersey.