On this day (June 27) in 1960, Connie Francis started a two-week run with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” While groups fronted by women had topped the chart in the past, she became the first solo woman to do so. Interestingly, the song was originally the B-side to “Jealous of You (Tango della Gelosia).” However, DJs across the country preferred the country-leaning ballad.
Billboard published the first Hot 100 chart on August 4, 1958. In December that year, The Teddy Bears topped the chart with “To Know Him Is to Love Him.” Annette Kleinbard sang lead vocals on the song. However, the rest of the songs that topped the chart in its early years were either men or groups fronted by men. Francis broke that streak.
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The odds were stacked against Francis leading up to the release of the song. Songwriters Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield had another singer in mind. At the same time, MGM producer Arnold Maxim didn’t want Francis to release it. According to Songfacts, he believed it would ruin her career.
Connie Francis Stood Firm
Initially, Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller wanted blues singer Laverne Baker to cut the song. However, Connie Francis approached them looking for a country song. Her father had done some research and found that American country music sold well overseas. Keller agreed and developed a new arrangement that included an organ intro.
When Francis, Greenfield, and Keller met with producer Arnold Maxim, he tried to talk her out of releasing it. “If you put out that country song, I think your career is finished,” he told her.
She believed in the song. More importantly, she had a creative control clause in her contract. As a result, she was able to release “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” However, MGM put it on the B-side. Despite Maxim’s belief that the song would flop and ruin Fracnis’ career, DJs across the United States chose to play the B-side because they liked it more.
Connie Francis notched several more top 10 hits throughout the 1960s, sending two more singles to the top of the Hot 100.
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