"I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" is a 1962 single by

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

, released in that December to peak at #18 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is 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 ...

'' Top 100. The song reached #22 UK in December 2008 via a remake by

Gabriella Cilmi Gabriella Lucia Cilmi ( ; ; born 10 October 1991) is an Australian pop singer and songwriter. A contralto, Cilmi is known for her distinctive raspy singing voice. Her debut album, '' Lessons to Be Learned'', was released in March 2008, becomin ...

titled "Warm This Winter".

Connie Francis version

Background

"I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" was written by

Mark Barkan Marcus Barkan (July 4, 1934 – May 8, 2020) was an American songwriter and record producer. He was also a Music director, musical director for the television show ''The Banana Splits, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour'', which aired between Sept ...

with Hank Hunter. Hunter wrote several songs recorded by Connie Francis including her Top Ten singles "Second Hand Love" and "

Vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or school or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for sp ...

". Connie Francis previously had a seasonally themed hit single with "Baby's First Christmas", which peaked at #26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #7 on the same magazine's then-new Easy Listening (now Adult Contemporary) chart during the 1961 holiday season, and although she would not have a single released during the holidays in 1963, her hit "Blue Winter" was released in January 1964 - still in the season of winter, and peaked at #24 on the Hot 100, and #7 on ''Billboards Easy Listening (Adult Contemporary) chart sometime after spring started.

Recording

The original track and two introductions were recorded with producer Danny Davis in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on September 13, 1962: the orchestral arrangement for the session was by Bill Ramal whose credits included the arrangement for the

Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one ''Billboard'' hit " Runaway", which was covered la ...

hit "

Runaway Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...

". The session personnel included drummer

Gary Chester Gary Chester (born Cesario Gurciullo; October 27, 1924 – August 17, 1987) was an American studio drummer, author, and teacher. Beginning in the 1960s, he played on hundreds of records for bands such as the Coasters, the Monkees and the Lovin' ...

. Besides the original intro: "We met at a ski lodge/ And we fell in love", Francis recorded a distinct intro for the track's UK release: "We met on a winter day/ And we fell in love", the reasoning being that the "ski lodge" reference would fail to resonate in the UK that nation having virtually no facilities for skiing. Francis overdubbed a harmony vocal in a November 3 session also produced by Davis: although Francis is known for her double-vocal recordings, "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" is one of very few tracks on which Francis is self-harmonied throughout.Ron Roberts: ''Connie Francis Discography 1955–1975'', revised editions 1979, 1983Connie Francis: ''Souvenirs'', Booklet of 4-CD-Box, Polydor 1996, Cat.-No. 314 533 382-2Ron Roberts: ''Connie Francis Discography 1955 – 1975''

US release

"I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" was issued in the US at the beginning of December 1962: Francis promoted the track on the December 13 broadcast of ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...

'' marking Francis first appearance on the show since 1958. "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" reached the Top 20 in a number of regional markets generally peaking outside the Top Ten, although the track was especially successful in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

reaching #4 and #5 on the hit parades of respectively KOL and KJR in January 1963. The national peak of #18 was reached in both ''Billboard'' and ''Cashbox'' on their respective singles charts dated January 26, 1963. In January 1963 the original

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter": "

Al di là "Al di là" ("Beyond") is a song written by Italian composer Carlo Donida and lyricist Mogol, and recorded by Betty Curtis. The English lyrics were written by Ervin Drake. The song was the entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961, perf ...

", picked up enough airplay to reach #90 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (#87 in ''Cash Box''). "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" made its album debut on ''The Very Best of Connie Francis'' compilation album release in September 1963.

International release

In the UK "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" spent a single week in the Top 50 appearing at #48 on the chart dated December 22, 1962 marking Francis' final UK chart appearance for almost three years. "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" reached #1 in Hong Kong in February 1963; also in early 1963 the track reached #9 in Australia, to become Francis' final Top 20 hit in that nation, and #28 in the Netherlands. In its international release "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" retained "Al di là" as its B-side in some territories including Australia while in some other territories - including the UK - the B-side of "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" was " Pretty Little Baby," which became an Internet hit in 2025, 63 years after it was originally recorded. Two territories had evidently unique releases of Francis' "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter": in New Zealand the track had Francis' rendition of "

I Walk the Line "I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After moderate chart success, it soon became Cash's first #1 hit on the ''Billboard'' country chart, and eventually crossed over to the pop charts, reaching #19 on the Bil ...

" as its flip with neither side marked A-side or B-side, while in Sweden "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" was made a B-side to "Playin' Games" which afforded Francis a #17 hit in April 1963. (Recorded in the same September 13, 1962 recording session as "I"m Gonna Be Warm This Winter" and likewise a Barkan-Hunter composition, "Playin' Games" was issued in territories other than Sweden - including the UK - with " I Was Such a Fool (To Fall in Love with You)" - Francis' precedent US A-side release to "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" - as B-side).

Non-English versions

"I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" is one of the few Connie Francis hits remade by the singer in French, that rendering titled "L'Amour Est Un Cadeau Du Ciel" being recorded February 10, 1963. Unlike the English original, both single vocal and harmony vocal versions of the French interpretation were marketed in Canada and France. In June 1963 Francis overdubbed a Japanese vocal on the track of "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" with the resultant track entitled 想い出の冬休み ( romanized spelling: Omoide No Fuyuyasumi) (Winter of '42); Francis had overdubbed an Italian vocal on the track of "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" on February 25, 1963, with the resultant track: "Sul monti blu" (The blue mountains) never being released.

1989 version

"I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" was one of seventeen Connie Francis hits which the singer remade for her 1989 album ''Where the Hits Are'' a Roger Hawkins production recorded for

Malaco Records Malaco Records is an American independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, that has been the home of various major blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Latimore, Z. Z. Hill, Denise LaSalle, ...

Muscle Shoals Sound Studios Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is an American recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama, formed in 1969 by four session musicians known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They had left nearby FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to create their own record ...

. "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" was the lowest-charting hit remade for the album with the exception of "

If I Didn't Care "If I Didn't Care" is a song written by Jack Lawrence that was sung and recorded by the Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny in 1939. Background The Ink Spots recording became the 10th best selling single of all time with over 19 million copies s ...

" (#22).

Charts

Gabriella Cilmi version

In 2008,

The Co-operative Food Co-op is a UK supermarket chain and the brand used for the food retail business of The Co-operative Group, one of the world's largest consumer co-operatives. As the UK's fifth largest food retailer, Co-op operates nearly 2,400 food stores. It ...

had Australian singer

remake the song – re-titled "Warm This Winter" – to be played during the company's advertising aired over the holiday season. The track was also played heavily in the Co-operative's stores. Cilmi's version uses neither of the opening lines from the two intros recorded by Connie Francis instead opening with the lyric: "We met in the winter". An instrumental version of the song continued to be used in advertisements during the non-holiday period (generally February to October) till around 2011. Included in the deluxe edition release of Cilmi's ''

Lessons to Be Learned ''Lessons to Be Learned'' is the debut album by Australian singer-songwriter Gabriella Cilmi. It was released in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2008 by Island Records and in Australia on 10 May 2008 by Mushroom Records. Co-written and produced by ...

'' album - the deluxe edition being released November 24, 2008 - "Warm This Winter" was made available on December 15, 2008, as an exclusive digital download track to peak at #22 on the UK Singles Chart dated December 27, 2008, outranking Cilmi's precedent physical single "

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

" which had failed to chart in the UK. "Warm This Winter" also bested the #33 UK peak of Cilmi's single " Save the Lies". The track received enough downloads during the 2009 holiday season to reenter the UK Top 100 Singles chart for three weeks with a #94 peak. Also in 2009 Cilmi's "Warm This Winter" appeared in a TV ad for

Orange Romania Orange România is a broadband internet service, Internet service provider and mobile provider in Romania. It is Romania's largest GSM network operator which is majority owned by Orange S.A. that also uses some of the Telekom Romania Mobile, Tel ...

while in 2011 the track was utilized by

Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile is a wireless communications brand used by seven independent brand-licensees worldwide. Virgin Mobile branded wireless communications services are available in Ireland, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emi ...

in their North American TV ad campaign.

Charts

Other versions

Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell (), was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s, he was considered a teen idol. ...

recorded "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" for his February 1963 album release ''All the Hits Volume 2'' which comprised covers of recent hits, including "

Loop de Loop "Loop de Loop" is a song written by Teddy Vann and Joe Dong and performed by Johnny Thunder featuring The Bobbettes. It reached No. 4 on the U.S. pop chart and No. 6 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1963. It was featured on his 1963 album ''Loop De ...

" by

Johnny Thunder Johnny Thunder is the name of three superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. A fourth character has the variant name Jonni Thunder. The character appeared in the second season of '' Stargirl'' on The CW network played by Ethan E ...

: Rydell's version of "Loop de Loop" was issued as a single in Europe with his version of "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" as B-side, and "Loop de Loop" did afford Rydell a hit in the Netherlands - ranked as high as #4 in tandem with the Johnny Thunder version - and also on the Dutch charts for Belgium there ranking at #12.''Billboard'' vol 75 #19 (May 11, 1963) p.36 A

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

version titled "Wir sind das Stadtgespräch" (meaning "We're The Talk Of The Town") was recorded in 1963 by Boy Berger (sometimes also credited as Bert Berger although he is not to be confused with Bert Berger from the German duo

Cindy & Bert Cindy and Bert were a German schlager vocal duo from Völklingen, Saarland consisting of Jutta Gusenberger (born 26 January 1948) and Norbert Berger (12 September 1945 – 14 July 2012). They were most successful in the 1970s, and are known fo ...

) and released as Single # U 55 703 on the

Telefunken Telefunken was a German radio and television producer, founded in Berlin in 1903 as a joint venture between Siemens & Halske and the ''AEG (German company), Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (AEG) ("General electricity company"). Prior to ...

label.

Bunnygrunt Bunnygrunt are an American indie pop band from St. Louis, Missouri composed of guitarist and vocalist Matt Harnish and drummer Karen Ried. History The band formed in early 1993, with Wally Schwartz on bass. Their first release, the "Criminal B ...

recorded the song - as "I Am Gonna Be Warm This Winter" - for the 1997 multi-artist album '' Christmas in Stereo''. A competing version of 想い出の冬休み ( romanized spelling: Omoide No Fuyuyasumi), Connie Francis' Japanese rendering of "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter", was recorded by

Mieko Hirota was a Japanese singer. Her nickname was Mico (also spelled ''Miko''). Hirota was born in Setagaya, Tokyo. She grew up listening to pop and jazz in places like Tachikawa, which was frequented by Occupation troops. She made her debut in 1961 at ...

in June 1963. Another Japanese rendering: おしゃれ泥棒 ( romanized spelling: Oshare Dorobou) (Fashionable thief) was recorded by

Wink A wink is a facial expression made by briefly closing one eye. A wink is an informal mode of non-verbal communication usually signaling shared hidden knowledge or intent. However, it is ambiguous by itself and highly dependent upon additional c ...

for their 1989 '' Especially for You: Yasashisa ni Tsutsumarete'' album release. Spanish-language renderings of "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" were recorded in 1963 by Mexican singer Leda Moreno ("Muchacho de ojos verdes" ''boy with green eyes'') and by the Gibraltese duo Albert ammondand Richard: the Diamond Boys ("Que Cosas mi Diras" ''things that tell me'').

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

features a version on her 2015 holiday album '' Kylie Christmas''.

References

{{authority control 1962 singles 2008 singles Connie Francis songs Bobby Rydell songs Gabriella Cilmi songs Song recordings produced by Xenomania Songs written by Mark Barkan 1962 songs MGM Records singles