Today’s classic song of the day is about a night in late December back in ’63, as related by the vocal group the Four Seasons. The song is “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” and it was released as a single in December of 1975. It became a #1 hit in the U.S. (both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100), Canada, and the UK.
“December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” was written by Season Bob Gaudio; his original lyrics had to do with the ending of Prohibition on December 5th, 1933. The group liked the music but thought the lyrics were “silly,” so Gaudio’s future wife Judy Parker put new words to his melody. The lyrics were inspired by their first meeting in 1973, when they were both working as producers for Motown Records; she just changed the year to be a bit more nostalgic.
This track came out during the comeback period after the group’s big success in the ’60s, a period when lead singer Frankie Valli was pursuing a solo career in addition to singing with the Seasons. The group wanted a slightly different sound from their previous work, to distinguish it from Valli’s solo work at the time, so they had the group’s drummer, Gerry Polci, sing lead instead. Frankie Valli chimed in on the choruses and bass player Don Ciccone sang the falsetto part that Valli normally might have sang.
The result was a massive hit, commandeering the #1 slot on the Billboard chart for three consecutive weeks. It followed the group’s previous comeback single, “Who Loves You,” a #3 hit earlier in 1975. It obviously played into the era’s nostalgia for the early ’60s (witnessed in the movie American Graffiti and the TV series Happy Days) but also tapping into the mid-70s disco fever. (Yeah, that’s a straight four-on-the-floor beat with upbeat hi-hat chirps.) It’s a pretty good tune, to be honest.
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, the Four Seasons performing “December 1963” live on The Midnight Special back in the day. Note that nice little vocal bit at the end.
