"Let's Hang On!" is a song composed by Bob Crewe,

Sandy Linzer Sandy Linzer (born 1941) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Denny Randell and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let ...

, and

Denny Randell Denny Randell (born 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Sandy Linzer and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let's Hang O ...

that was popularized by The Four Seasons in 1965. The single reached the No. 3 position in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, the group's highest placement since " Rag Doll" hit the top spot in July 1964. This was the last Four Seasons hit to feature bass singer/bassist

Nick Massi Nick Massi (born Nicholas E. Macioci, September 19, 1927 – December 24, 2000) was an American bass singer, songwriter, and bass guitarist for The Four Seasons. Biography Born in Newark, New Jersey, Nicholas "Massi" Macioci was first taught to ...

. The same month "Let's Hang On!" was released, Massi left the group and was temporarily replaced by the band's arranger

Charles Calello Charles Calello (born August 24, 1938) is an American arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, and singer born in Newark, New Jersey. Calello attended Newark Arts High School and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. His track ...

before

Joe Long Joseph Louis LaBracio (September 5, 1932 – April 21, 2021), known professionally as Joe Long, was an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for the Four Seasons. Life and career Long was a classically trained musician who studi ...

came in as Massi's full-time replacement. The popularity of "Let's Hang On!" has been attributed to the inclusion of several devices into the recording: a two-line introduction (sung by lead singer Frankie Valli), the use of two

fuzz guitar Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a "fuzzy", "growling", or "gritty" tone. Distortion is most commonly ...

s (one guitarist playing low notes, another playing high notes on a fuzz bass), a chorus loaded with hooks and sung in falsetto, and backing vocals giving counterpoint with Valli's lead vocal. It re-established the group's presence in the Top Ten (of the Hot 100) as The Four Seasons were in a flurry of activity, recording albums both as The Four Seasons and as supporting musicians for Valli's rekindled "solo" career. In the UK, the song was a No. 4 hit for the group. '' Billboard'' described the song as having a "hard-driving dance rhythm." '' Cash Box'' described it as a "hard-rockin’ fast-moving rhythmic ode about a lucky fella who is mighty pleased that he’s fortunate enough to have met the girl of his dreams." The single's B-side, "On Broadway Tonight", was the theme of a CBS-TV variety series (1964–1965) hosted by

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Barry Manilow cover

In 1981, the song was revived by Barry Manilow who hit No. 6 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart and No. 32 on the Hot 100. The single climbed to No. 12 in the United Kingdom and was certified silver, while peaking at No. 4 in Australia, No. 16 in Germany and No. 8 in Ireland.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other cover versions

In 1966

Jan & Dean Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles ...

recorded "Let's Hang On!" for their 1966 ''Filet Of Soul'' album. In 1969 Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon covered the song and took it to No. 36 in the UK singles chart. Australian soft rock group,

Dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

, provided their rendition in 1975. In 1980, the song was covered by British doo-wop band

Darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the bo ...

who took it to No.11 in the UK singles chart. This was the band's last UK top 40 single. In March 1990, British band The Shooting Party covered the song. It peaked at 66.url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/23073/shooting-party/ In 1995, The Manhattan Transfer covered the song on their album ''

Tonin' ''Tonin is the sixteenth studio album by The Manhattan Transfer. It was released in 1995 on Atlantic Records. The expression "tonin'" is associated with the vocal groups of the 1950s and 1960s. The songs on this album are favorites of the band ...

'', featuring lead guest vocals by the original singer Frankie Valli. The album reached No. 123 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...

References

{{authority control The Four Seasons (band) songs Jan and Dean songs 1965 singles 1966 singles 1982 singles Cashbox number-one singles Songs written by Bob Crewe Songs written by Sandy Linzer Song recordings produced by Bob Crewe The Manhattan Transfer songs 1965 songs Philips Records singles Arista Records singles Songs written by Denny Randell Barry Manilow songs