Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites

The album consists of traditional Italian and Neapolitan songs (e. g. Santa Lucia) as well as then-current contemporary songs like Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu) or Piove which both had risen to international fame after being Italy's entries to the Eurovision Song Contests of 1958 and 1959.

Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites was recorded following a suggestion from Francis' father, George Franconero, Sr., who played an active part in directing Francis' career. He had realized that Francis would have to make a timely transition from the youth-oriented Rock 'n' Roll music to adult contemporary music if she wanted to pursue a successful longterm career in music.^[1]

To make the album appealing to both Italian immigrants as well as listeners not familiar with Romanic languages, Francis sang most of the songs bilingual in either Italian/English or Neapolitan/English. Only Volare and Piove are sung entirely in Italian whilst Torna a Surriento is sung entirely in Neapolitan. Francis, who didn't learn to speak Italian and Neapolitan fluently until 1962, received assistance from a Berlitz teacher to achieve the correct pronunciation of the lyrics' Italian and Neapolitan lines.^[2]

The album was recorded between August 22 and 27, 1959, at EMI's famous Abbey Road Studios in London^[3] under the musical direction of Tony Osborne^[4] and was released in November 1959. Soon afterwards it entered the album charts where it remained for 81 weeks, peaking at # 4. It remains to this day as Francis' most successful album release.^[5]

Following the success of Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites, Francis recorded seven more albums of "Favorites" between 1960 and 1964, including Jewish, German and Irish Favorites, among others.

Track listing

Side A

#	Title	Songwriter	Length
1.	"Comm' e bella a stagione"	Gigi Pisano, Rodolfo Falvo, George Brown	1.51
2.	"Anema e core"	Salvatore d'Esposito, Domenico Titomalino, Curtis Mann, Harry Akst	3.03
3.	"Arrivederci Roma"	Renato Rascel, Pietro Garinei, Sandro Giovannini, Carl Sigman	2.56
4.	"Solo tu (You alone)"	Robert Allen, Al Stillman	2.57
5.	"Volare"	Domenico Modugno, Franco Migliacci	3.19
6.	"Non dimenticar"	Gino Redi, Michele Galdieri, Shelly Dobbins	3.16
7.	"Toward the End of the Day (Alla fine dell' di)"	Jeffrey Stillman	3.16

Side B

#	Title	Songwriter	Length
1.	"Piove"	Domenico Modugno	2.52
2.	"Mama"	Cesare Andrea Bixio, Bixio Cherubini, Harold Barlow, Phil Brito	3.55
3.	"Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me (Scapricciatiello)"	Pacifico Vento, Ferdinando Albano	2.39
4.	"I Have But One Heart (O' Marenariello)"	Gennaro Ottaviano, Salvatore Gambardella, Johnny Farrow, Marty Symes	3.33
5.	"'O sole mio (There's No Tomorrow)"	Eduardo di Capua, Giovanni Capurro	2.56
6.	"Santa Lucia"	traditional, transcription by Teodoro Cottrau	3.12
7.	"Torna a Surriento (Come back to Sorrento)"	Ernesto De Curtis, Giambattista De Curtis	2.49

Not included songs from the sessions

#	Title	Songwriter	Length	Remark
1.	"Volare"	Domenico Modugno, Franco Migliacci	unknown	alternate version with different arrangement and tempo, unreleased to this day

References

↑ Connie Francis: Who's sorry now, St. Martin's Press, London 1984
↑ as above
↑ Ron Roberts: Connie Francis Discography 1955–1975
↑ William Ruhlmann: Connie Francis 1955–1959, supplement to 5 CD Boxed Set White Sox, Pink Lipstick… and Stupid Cupid, Bear Family Records BCD 16 616 EI, Hambergen (Germany) 1993
↑ Connie Francis: Souvenirs, Booklet of 4-CD-Box, Polydor 1996, Cat.-No. 314 533 382-2

Connie Francis

U. S. albums	Who's Sorry Now? The Exciting Connie Francis My Thanks to You Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites Christmas in My Heart Connie's Greatest Hits Rock 'n' Roll Million Sellers Country & Western - Golden Hits Connie Francis Sings Fun Songs for Children One for the Boys Connie Francis Sings Spanish and Latin American Favorites Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites Songs to a Swinging Band More Greatest Hits Connie Francis Sings "Never on Sunday" Connie Francis Sings Folk Song Favorites Connie Francis Sings Irish Favorites Connie Francis Sings Modern Italian Hits Connie Francis Sings Award Winning Motion Picture Hits Greatest American Waltzes In the Summer of His Years Connie Francis Sings German Favorites Connie Francis and Hank Williams, Jr. Sing Great Country Favorites Movie Greats of the 60s Connie's Christmas Connie Francis and The Kids Next Door Love, Italian Style Happiness – Connie Francis On Broadway Today Grandes Exitos del Cine de los Años 60 Connie & Clyde – Hit Songs of the 30s Connie Francis Sings Bacharach & David Connie Francis Sings the Songs of Les Reed

International albums	Connie Francis en El Patio Melodien, die die Welt erobern Somewhere, My Love

U. S. singles	Who's Sorry Now? Stupid Cupid/Carolina Moon Fallin'/Happy Days and Lonely Nights I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You) My Happiness You Always Hurt the One You Love If I Didn't Care Lipstick on Your Collar Among My Souvenirs/God Bless America Mama Everybody's Somebody's Fool My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own/Malagueña Where the Boys Are Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart/Someone Else's Boy Together When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart) Don't Break the Heart That Loves You Vacation He Thinks I Still Care I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter/Al di là If My Pillow Could Talk In the Summer of His Years Be Anything (but Be Mine) For Mama Forget Domani Jealous Heart Love Is Me, Love Is You So Nice (Summer Samba) My Heart Cries for You Lonely Again I Don't Wanna Play House

International singles	Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel Ich komm' nie mehr von dir los Wenn ich träume Schöner fremder Mann Einmal komm' ich wieder Eine Insel für zwei Lili Marleen Jamais Tu' mir nicht weh Wenn du gehst Barcarole in der Nacht Ho bisogno di vederti

Notable songs	Volare Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Young at Heart Mein Herz weiß genau, was es will Once a Day The Shadow of Your Smile Strangers in the Night Misty Blue

Filmography	Where the Boys Are Follow the Boys Looking for Love When the Boys Meet the Girls

Related topics	Discography Bobby Darin Brenda Lee Patti Page Neil Sedaka Lesley Gore Carole King Ricky Nelson

Book: Connie Francis

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