My fav Four Seasons song! Love the lyrics. ❤ I have cassette tapes of the History of R&R where the writer said the poor kids in certain areas would come up & wash your windows for a nickel or whatever change you had. One day, a little girl came up & he only had a ten dollar bill. He gave it to her & he never forgot the look on her face. He wrote this song with her in mind.
"Rag Doll" came out when the Beatles were dominating the radio waves. WABC out of New York City used to have a "Pick Hit Of the Week". "Rag Doll" was the pick hit. The next week, it was #1!!! Knocked all Beatles tunes down a notch. Guess we were ready for some American music! One of my all-time favorite bands from 1962 onward.
Great comment Walt and lets not forget how The Four Seasons were battling it out with The Beatles in February March of 1964 when Dawn Go Away stuck at number three and couldn’t go up or down due to being sandwiched in between The Beatles.
I went to a Frankie Valli concert last week. He's 88 years old and he sounds the SAME, amazing!! The four seasons are now younger men and obviously great singers too. Amazing sound still today. If they come to your area....don't hesitate.....GOOOO !
I was in high school when this song came out- I've probably heard it a hundred times, & EVERY SINGLE TIME Frankie hits that high falsetto, chills run up my spine- EVERY SINGLE TIME!!
I went to summer camp when this was a huge hit. My counselor had a transistor radio, and whenever this came on, he stopped whatever we were doing so he could listen to it. One of my favorite songs by my first "favorite" groups. This and Dawn may be my two favorite songs of their many hits.
When "Rag Doll" was first released it was the -Pick Hit of the Week -on WABC radio in NYC, one of the major stations in the US---the next week it was their #1 song---the first time that had ever happened in their history!
My mom grew up in the same neighborhood in Newark, NJ as Mr. Valli did and she remembered his wonderful singing voice and how he inspired many neighborhood groups to form and try to imitate his sound. The man is a legend here in NJ.
This Franki Valli and the Four Seasons song is one of my favorites among many from this group. Frankie Valli's vocals are instantly recognizable once you have heard him sing anything, let alone all of their hits. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thanks Brandon and Harri.
When first heard, the producers rushed to get this song on their nearly finished album. It was recorded, on a Sunday, in a basement Manhatten recording studio with a production crew they'd never worked with. Monster hit. 🎶🎶🎶 Of course the vocals are dynamic and the instruments produce such an addictive groove. Great reaction Harri. Thanks Harri and Brandon. 👏👏 Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦
That intro figure on the drums, with the big plate echo on it, is straight out of "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes. That's probably what's giving the Phil Spector effect.
I love Frankie and the band's haunting vocals on this song more than anything else the band ever did. I can still recall listening to "Rag Doll" with my little transistor radio pressed up against my ear in 1964. The song was produced by Bob Crewe, a fine producer in his own right. A few other great Four Seasons classics are "Candy Girl", "Ronnie", "Dawn, (Go Away)", and "Sherry". If you haven't seen the fine film "Jersey Boys" about the Four Seasons, Harri, I hope you get to view that one day.
Only one man can do so much, but considering he's been at it quite a while, I cannot believe it took him this long to react to this #1 hit, or someone did not request it 2 years ago.. From the year 1964, Franki and the Four Seasons slipped in between the Beatles dominance and got yet another #1 hit. Franki Valli and the 4 Seasons, who were older than the Beatles, were one of the few acts that were able to maintain and still get a #1 against the British Invasion [especially the Beatles that year] and Motown, and the Beach Boys as competition. They sustained many top hits until about 1967. Rag Doll was socially relevant at the time and probably still is today if one listens to the lyrics and story closely instead of just humming along for nostalgia's sake. It may not have been intended that way but is. Young teen guy loves poor girl but parents won't let him associate with her, etc. Special thanks to Brandon.
Back in the 60s, you could find fairly new 45 rpm records in a bargain bin that had been previously been used in juke boxes. This is the first single I ever bought on my own when I was about ten years old. I found it in a bargain bin. Thanks for the memory, Harri.
This is also my favorite Four Seasons song. And the more I think about it, I really believe Frankie Valli has my favorite falsetto voice. Thanks, Harri!
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons had so many great hits together in the 60's such as "Walk Like A Man", "Dawn", "Let's Hang On!", "Ronnie", "Working My Way Back To You", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "December,1963" etc. When Frankie went out on his own in the 70's, the songs "My Eyes Adored You" & "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" were big hits for him. Also he had a hit with the song "Grease" from the movie. Always loved that he was able to sing in a falsetto voice.
A great review on an all time classic, RAG DOLL!!!! A genuine masterpiece written by band member Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe as this was the bands fourth number one single in less then two years. Rag Doll was also their 14th top 40 record to enter the charts in that short timespan and were the most popular band prior to The Beatles arrival, even though The Four Seasons held their own. During the entire career of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons they have charted over 60 songs on the Billboard Chart.
It's nice that you stated that Frankie Valli is a 'soulsinger'. At the start of the 70th the Four Seasons were without a recording contract. They did a few singles with Motown. One of the most spookiest tracks is The Night, from 1973. It is a masterpiece!
Working on a small vegetable farm in 1964 when this song was on my small A. M. transistor radio picking tomatoes, beans , corn etc. Wish I was back then!! My favorite 4 Seasons song!!
Most people know The Four Seasons hit songs. Here are three that you may not have heard of: 1) Bye Bye Baby 2) C'mon Marianne (Great song!) 3) Save It For Me (Great song!). Enjoy!
An excellent reaction/analysis to one of my all-time favourite songs. Not quite in the same class but a cracking good pop song from this era is "Hang On Sloopy" by The McCoys.
A prime example of the happy song with the sad lyrics. Supposedly Bob ( Crewe? Gaudio? I forget) stopped a light and gave a girl $5. which was a lot at the time. Her reaction made him write the song.
This song and songs of the era, such as "Then I KIssed Him" by The Crystals, have a sound of holiness within them. The talent was exceptional, the music was clean and went to emotions that, possibly, all have felt. There is purity in it.
At 88ys still performing to sell out venues. Saw him last week in Vegas. Great show almost two hrs sang most of his hits from the 60's 70s' 80's and more.A must see show. He ca still hit those high notes with ease.
Probably my favorite song. Perfect harmonies produced by sheer talent and zero production. The natural follow up song is Dawn which reverses the roles and the guy is not good enough for the girl.
I think I can add a little historical context to the essence of the meaning of these lyrics. The parents of the singer were 1st generation Italian immigrants who clawed their way out of poverty during the depression. They don't want their children to go through what they did. This includes their children marrying up. They see the rag doll as going backwards, per se. Too painful. "my folks won't let me cause they say that she's no good”. But, the singer doesn't see things through their eyes. He sees the beauty of the rag doll. I was not alive during those times but I have heard about those attitudes which are not the same today.
Another great reaction Harri. Yes, really sounds like a Spector production but not. Thanks, keep on doing a great job, you're among my favorite reaction channels. Always seem to feel about records the same way I do.
written about a young girl one of the guys met coming into town when she asked if she could wash his windows, that she could hardly reach he could never get her out of his mind so he wrote about it another Buddy Saltzman drumming gem
The Four Seasons were the real deal. Besides Frankie who has an obviously great high voice, Bob Gaudio was the other main member of the group who wrote this song & arranged it.
The Four Seasons & The Beach Boys are the only 2 American groups to have #1 songs before, during and after The Beatles coming to America! 🌎 I don't know the source for this stat but living through it, I think it's true. 😂 I liked The Beach Boys and The Beatles but MY group was The Four Seasons for sure! And I was totally in LOVE 😍 with Frankie! I was about 13 yrs old when the British Invasion started and 14 when this song was released and just add in Sherry, Walk Like a Man, Big Girls Don't Cry with all their other songs playing on the radio ALL the time . . . well, I was a happy camper, for real. I think Opus 17 is my favorite but it is so hard to choose. Thank you for reacting to Four Seasons and I'll be back here for more of them, hopefully soon. Cheers from Kansas! ♥ 🇺🇸 USA
No! Harri. Phil Spector had nothing to do with any 4season song---all the early Season songs were produced by Bob Crewe---arguably the greatest producer in the sixties---personally I think his work was more creative and varied than Spector's---the brilliant team of Crewe, Gaudio, and Calello with Frankie's voice were unmatched in that era
Bob Crewe was the producer, Charlie Calello, the arranger---Phil Spector had nothing to do with it-----they created their own sound---and IMO better than Phil Spector
