Rag Doll (The Four Seasons song)

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"Rag Doll"
Rag Doll 4 seasons.jpg
Single by The Four Seasons
from the album Rag Doll
B-side"Silence Is Golden" (from the album Born to Wander)
ReleasedJune 1964
Recorded1964
GenrePower pop, pop rock
Length2:54
LabelPhilips Records
Songwriter(s)Bob Crewe
Bob Gaudio
Producer(s)Bob Crewe
The Four Seasons singles chronology
"Alone"
(1964) 		"Rag Doll"
(1964) 		"Save It for Me"
(1964)

"Rag Doll" is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded by the Four Seasons and released as a single in 1964.

Background[]

According to songwriter Bob Gaudio, the recording was inspired by one of the homeless people cleaning windshields. At stop lights in the Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan neighborhood, children would run into the street and clean windshields for spare change, including one young girl with a dirty face and wearing ragged clothes who approached his automobile. When Gaudio reached into his wallet to pay her, he found that none of the notes were smaller than $10. He gave the girl a ten-dollar bill. (Some accounts indicate that it was a five-dollar bill.)[1] "The image of her stuck in my head until I wrote 'Rag Doll'", Gaudio recalled in a 2009 interview.[2]

Billboard described the song as a "sentimental slow dance ballad."[3] In 1989, critic Dave Marsh ranked "Rag Doll" at No. 401 on his list compiled in the book The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made, being one of five songs by the Four Seasons listed in the book.[4] In 1997, Mojo also listed the song as one of the 'Bubbling Under' singles in its list of 'The 100 Greatest Singles Of All Time'.[5]

Accolades[]

In 2010, radio station WCBS-FM in New York City ranked the Four Seasons' "Rag Doll" as the number-one song of all time, as voted on by its listeners.[6]

B-Side[]

The B-side was the original version of "Silence Is Golden", also written by Crewe and Gaudio. In 1967, that song was covered by the English band the Tremeloes and peaked at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on the US charts.[7][8]

Personnel[]

Source.[9]

The Four Seasons
  • Frankie Valli – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, handclaps
  • Tommy DeVito – harmony and backing vocals, guitar, handclaps
  • Nick Massi – harmony and backing vocals, bass, handclaps
  • Bob Gaudio – harmony and backing vocals, Farfisa organ, handclaps
Additional musician and production staff

Chart history[]

"Rag Doll" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 18, 1964, and remained on top for two weeks.[10] The song was also a number one hit in Canada, and reached number two in the UK and number four in Ireland.

References[]

  1. ^ Who Wrote The Book Of Love?
  2. ^ We're all ears: 'Jersey Boys' Bob Gaudio talks about what inspired his Four Seasons hits
  3. ^ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. June 13, 1964. p. 20. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ [2]
  6. ^ "CBS-FM's Top 1,001 Countdown". Wcbsfm.cbslocal.com. CBS Radio Inc. 2012. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  7. ^ An Avid's Guide to Sixties Songwriters
  8. ^ Rag Doll Songfacts
  9. ^ https://www.mixonline.com/recording/classic-tracks-four-seasons-rag-doll-365382/365382
  10. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 152. ISBN 0823076776. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  11. ^ RPM Top 45s, August 4, 1964
  12. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rag Doll". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  13. ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 23 July 1964
  14. ^ 2 September 1964
  15. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  16. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, July 18, 1964". Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  17. ^ http://www.uk-charts.top-source.info/top-100-1964.shtml
  18. ^ Musicoutfitters.com
  19. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1964". Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2017.

External links[]


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