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

Bob Crewe Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. Crewe co-wrote and produced a string of Top 10 singles with Bob Gaudio for the Four Seasons. As a songw ...

Sandy Linzer Sanford Roy 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 Concert ...

, and Denny Randell that was popularized by the Four Seasons in 1965.

The Four Seasons version

The Four Seasons' recording reached No. 3 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, the group's highest placement since "

Rag Doll A rag doll is a doll made from scraps of fabric. They are one of the oldest children's toys in existence. Today, many rag dolls are commercially produced to mimic aspects of the original home-made dolls, such as simple features, soft cloth bodies, ...

" hit the top spot in July 1964. This was the last Four Seasons hit to feature bass singer/bassist

Nick Massi Nicholas E. Macioci (September 19, 1927 – December 24, 2000) was an American bass singer, songwriter, and bass guitarist. He is best known for his work as the bassist and bass vocalist for The Four Seasons, for whom he performed under the stag ...

. 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 r ...

before

Joe Long Joseph Louis LaBracio (September 5, 1932 – April 21, 2021), better known by his stage name Joe Long, was an American musician. He was best known for his tenure as the bass guitarist and vocalist for the Four Seasons from 1965 to 1975, having ...

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 Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

), 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 Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

, and backing vocals giving

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

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 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 advertis ...

'' described the song as having a "hard-driving dance rhythm." ''

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 ...

'' 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 Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...

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 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 small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

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

Darts Darts is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, projectiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dartboard. Point ...

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 Shooting Party covered the song. It peaked at 66.url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/23073/shooting-party/ In 1995,

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer was an American vocal group founded in 1969 in New York City, performing music genres like a cappella, Brazilian jazz, Swing music, swing, vocalese, rhythm and blues, Pop music, pop, and standards. They have won eleven G ...

covered the song on their album '' Tonin''', featuring lead guest vocals by the original singer

. 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 to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

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