Today’s classic song of the day is a nearly-forgotten pop song by Connie Francis, “Don’t Ever Leave Me.” The song was released in October of 1964 on MGM Records and peaked at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #37 on the Cashbox Top 100.
“Don’t Ever Leave Me” was written by the legendary Brill Building songwriting team of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, and produced by them, too. It’s a perfect pop confection, hooky as hell with a wonderfully full and supportive arrangement (by Artie Butler), complete with horns and backup singers and everything else you could wish for. The song simmers in the verses and soars in the choruses, and Miss Francis sells it with everything she has, which is a lot.
The song’s been covered a few times, most notably by The Liquor Giants in 1998 and Cocktail Slippers in 2010 (that version produced by Steve Van Zandt), but has pretty much faded into obscurity. That’s a shame, it’s the kind of by-the-book pop hit that the Brill Building songwriters specialized in back then and that we’re sorely lacking today. I can listen to this one (or either of the covers) over and over again, it’s just that good a tune.
Connie Francis, born Concetta Franconero, broke into the business at the tender of age of 16, appearing on NBC’s TV program Showtime Kids and Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts on CBS. She signed her first recording contract, with MGM Records, in 1955 but didn’t go anywhere. Her big breakthrough came on January 1, 1958, when her recording of “Who’s Sorry Now” debuted on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand TV show. That single went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and led to a string of other easy listening hits, including “Stupid Cupid,” “My Happiness,” “Lipstick on Your Collar,” “Among My Souvenirs,” “Mama,” “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own,” “Many Tears Ago,” “Where the Boys Are,” “Breakin’ in a Brand New Heart,” “Together,” “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You,” and “Second Hand Love.” Her last top ten hit was “Vacation,” in 1962, and things went south from there. She continued to release singles into the later ’60s but barely broke into the top 100 with any of them. Her recording career effectively ended in 1969.
Post-heyday, Miss Francis had somewhat of a rough life. In 1974, while performing at the Westbury Music Fair, she was raped in her hotel room. For years after the incident she rarely left her home, falling into depression and taking as many as 50 Darvon pills a day. In 1977 she underwent nasal surgery that caused her to lose her voice. It took three more operations and four years for her to regain her singing voice. In 1981 her brother George was murdered by Mafia hitmen. Soon after that, she was diagnosed with manic depression, was confined to numerous psychiatric hospitals, and in 1984 attempted suicide. She resumed her singing career in 1989, recording an album of her greatest hits and headlining in Las Vegas. She passed away in July of 2025 at the age of 87.
