Why the Last Four Seasons Song To Hit the Top 40 Was Mostly Frankie Valli-Free

In 1994, a remixed version of “December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” made it to No. 14 on the US pop charts, 19 years after it was first released as a single. Technically, that was the last time the Four Seasons made it to the US Top 40.

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But in terms of new songs, the last hit by the legendary group actually came out after the original release of “December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)”. It featured the same lead vocalist as that song, but not the one most people associate with the band.

Seasons Change

The Four Seasons were reeling a bit in a commercial sense entering the 1970s. An attempt to sign on with a subsidiary of Motown brought them some notoriety, but, alas, no singles’ success. Some of those Motown recordings went unreleased, and lead singer Frankie Valli wanted to buy their rights.

In the end, he could only scrounge up the cash for one of those tracks. He made the right choice, as “My Eyes Adored You”, released under only Valli’s name, sailed to the No. 1 pop spot in 1975. While Valli’s solo career took off, the Four Seasons, who had completely turned over their lineup since the Motown stint, looked for new horizons.

Longtime band member Bob Gaudio, who was now focusing on writing and producing for the group, helped secure the band a new deal based on the strength of the song “Who Loves You”. Since Valli wasn’t around for those sessions, new band member Don Ciccone did the honors. But Valli wasn’t about to let the band that he helped make famous go on without him.

Success All Around

Valli returned to the fold and insisted he be in the mix once again as one of the singers. He essentially replaced Ciccone on lead for “Who Loves You”, which put the band back in the Top 10. But on follow-up single “December 1963 (Oh What A Night)”, which found the band leaning into a disco sound, vocal duties were shared among Valli, Ciccone, and drummer Gerry Polci.

As the song rose to the top of the charts, the band and its most famous member sat on top of the pop world once again. In addition to the Four Seasons’ successes, Valli had followed up “My Eyes Adored You” with “Swearin’ To God”, another smash. That momentum would extend to one more song from the Four Seasons’ album Who Loves You.

A “Star” Turn

Written by Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker, “Silver Star” featured Gerry Polci on lead vocals. If Frankie Valli is involved at all, it’s difficult to hear in the finished product. The song tells the story of an average guy dreaming of Wild West heroism, and it features an ambitious arrangement with two distinctly separate sections.

“Silver Star” made it to No. 38 upon its release as a single in 1976. Considering how hot the group was at the time, it looked like more chart success would be forthcoming. Instead, the Four Seasons never again hit the Top 40, unless you count that “December 1963” remix we mentioned.

Meanwhile, Frankie Valli enjoyed one last blast of solo success. That’s when he sang the soundtrack smash “Grease” in 1978, which also shot to the top of the charts.

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