Can't Take My Eyes off You

Written by the staple Four Seasons' songwriting team of Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, this was Frankie Valli's biggest solo hit (not counting Four Seasons work) until his #1 "My Eyes Adored You" in 1975. Did we just mention Bob Gaudio? We can't do that without also pointing out that he was a former member of the band The Royal Teens of "Short Shorts" fame. You know who else was in that band? Al Kooper, who went on to Blood Sweat & Tears. Just in case the brass section in "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" wasn't enough of a clue that the two were colleagues.

This song reeks of success, and just about everybody involved in it went on to a smash career. The song itself is almost an institution - it's a contender for one of the top most-covered songs of all time. Cover versions include artists Andy Williams, Engelbert Humperdinck, Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Temptations, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Gaynor, Maureen McGovern, Manic Street Preachers, and Lauryn Hill (who got a Grammy nomination - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance - for her version). In our interview with Frankie Valli, he said: "It's a very, very tough song to do badly. When the song is that strong to start off with, that's the kind of song you look for. I mean, if I were to do an album of songs that I wish I would have recorded, I certainly would have looked for those big ones. I wouldn't be looking for obscure ones, I'd be looking for ones that people have success with."

In our interview with Bob Gaudio, he explained that this was one of the most challenging songs he ever wrote, and that only Frankie Valli could have pulled it off. The song makes great use of Valli's exceptional vocal range, covering a wide swath of musical ground. Gaudio thinks the song contains equal parts rock, pop, and middle of the road. Normally, trying to cover all these formats would get you run over, but on this song they all came together to deliver a tune with far-reaching appeal.