"December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" is a song originally performed by the Four Seasons, written by original Four Seasons keyboard player

Bob Gaudio Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote and produced the vast majori ...

and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's album, '' Who Loves You'' (1975). The song features drummer Gerry Polci on lead vocals, with

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice. ...

, the group's usual lead vocalist, singing the bridge sections and backing vocals and bass player Don Ciccone singing the falsetto part.

Song origins

According to the co-writer and longtime group member Bob Gaudio, the song's lyrics were originally set in 1933 with the title "December 5th, 1933," and celebrated the repeal of Prohibition, but the lyrics were changed at the urgings of

and lyricist Parker to reposition the song as a nostalgic remembrance of a young man's first affair with a woman, and, more specifically, Gaudio's courtship with his wife, Judy Parker.

Reception

The single was released in December 1975 and hit number one on the UK Singles Chart on February 21, 1976. It repeated the feat on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on March 13, 1976, remaining in the top spot for three weeks and one week on ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

''. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 4 song for 1976. On April 10 the same year, it topped the '' RPM'' National Top Singles Chart in Canada. It was the final Four Seasons' song to reach number one, although Valli would have one final chart-topper as a solo act in 1978 with the theme song to the film '' Grease''. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said that it has "the flavor and fun of '60s rock with a disco feel," and praised the production and the lead and harmony vocals as well." ''

'' said it has "one of the sweetest melody lines you'll have heard throughout 1975" and that the song is "easy enough to sing along to, combined with an unforgettable

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

Ben Liebrand remix

In 1988, Dutch DJ and producer Ben Liebrand remixed the song and re-released it as a single. In 1993, Curb Records, who released the original version of the song, picked up the 1988 remix and released it to the U.S. market. The 1993 re-release spent 27 weeks on the Hot 100 (matching the chart life of the original 1975 single). The peak position of the remix version was #14. Adding together the two 27-week chart runs for the 1975 original single and the remixed version (for a combined total of 54 weeks, two more weeks than a full year) gave the song the longest tenure ever on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 music chart up to that time. This remixed version has a duration of five minutes.

Music video

A music video was produced to accompany the original 1975 release.

Personnel

* Gerry Polci – drums, co-lead and backing vocals *

– co-lead vocals * Don Ciccone – bass, co-lead and backing vocals * John Paiva – electric guitar *

Lee Shapiro Lee Shapiro (1949–1987) was an American documentary filmmaker. His one feature-length film, ''Nicaragua Was Our Home'', was released in 1986. It was filmed in Nicaragua among the Miskito people, Miskito Indians who were then fighting against Nica ...

– keyboards, synthesizers, horn and string arrangements *

– piano

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Clock version

British

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

act Clock released a

cover of "Oh What a Night" in August 1996. It peaked at number 13 in both Ireland and in the UK; in the latter country, it stayed at its peak for four nonconsecutive weeks.

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other covers

The French singer Claude François also recorded a version of this song called "Cette année-là". Singers of musical Belles belles belles covered the Claude François' song.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) 1975 singles 1976 singles 1994 singles 1996 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in South Africa RPM Top Singles number-one singles The Four Seasons (band) songs Clock (dance act) songs Songs about nostalgia Songs written by Bob Gaudio Song recordings produced by Bob Gaudio Disco songs 1975 songs Warner Records singles Curb Records singles MCA Records singles Songs about nights