December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
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| "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" | ||
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| Single by The Four Seasons | ||
| from the album Who Loves You | ||
| Released | December 1975 | |
| Format | 7" | |
| Recorded | 1975 | |
| Length | 3:21 | |
| Label | Warner Bros. / Curb Records | |
| Writer(s) | Bob Gaudio, Judy Parker | |
| Producer(s) | Bob Gaudio | |
| Chart positions | ||
| The Four Seasons singles chronology | ||
| Who Loves You (1975) |
December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) (1975) |
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"December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" was a hit single by The Four Seasons, written by Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker and produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's 1975 album Who Loves You.
The song was the group's foray into the then-new trend of disco and hit number one on the UK singles chart on February 21, 1976. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on March 13, remaining in the top spot for three weeks. New drummer Gerry Polci shared lead vocals with long-time frontman Frankie Valli; Polci started the song with the first verse with Valli coming in on the second.
The record was re-released with remixed vocals (mixed by Dutch disk jockey Ben Liebrand) in 1994. This version also spent 27 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at #14.
[edit] Cover versions
French singer Claude François notoriously covered the song in the 1970s. It became the hit "Cette année-là" ("That Year"), with new lyrics reminiscing François' own beginnings in show business, in the year 1962. It was also later covered as a disco hit by the French artist Yannick (not to be confused with Yannick Noah) in the year 2000 under the title "Ces Soirées Là" ("Those Nights There"). The lyrics recount the fun had at a certain night club.
The singer Vitamin C's version of the song was used as a brand image theme by the American television network The WB in image spots, promos, and interstitials during the 1999-2000 television season.
Billy Joel is often incorrectly credited with recording a cover of this song, but no such recording exists.
Wyclef Jean has done a hip-hop version of this song, titled What A Night about his journey as a hip-hop artist, released on the album Masquerade
In 1996, British dance duo Clock took it to #13 in the UK chart
| Preceded by "Love Machine (Part 1)" by The Miracles |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single March 13, 1976 |
Succeeded by "Disco Lady" by Johnnie Taylor |
| Preceded by "Forever and Ever" by Slik |
UK number one single February 21, 1976 |
Succeeded by "I Love To Love (But My Baby Loves To Dance)" by Tina Charles |
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