Can't Take My Eyes Off You

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You", written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, was a 1967 single by Frankie Valli. The song was among Valli's biggest hits, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold record. It was one of several hits that Valli recorded with the participation of his vocal group, The Four Seasons, and his biggest "solo" hit until he hit #1 in 1974 with "My Eyes Adored You".

1 Cover versions
2 Cultural influence
- 2.1 Film
- 2.2 Elsewhere
3 References

[edit] Cover versions

The song has been covered by a variety of artists over the years. A version by Andy Williams made it to #5 on the UK singles chart in 1968.

In 1991, the Pet Shop Boys used part of the song on their double A-side single "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)/How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?", which reached the top five in the U.K. (In the U.S., both sides of the single were released as separate singles and both charted, with "How Can You Expect to be Taken Seriously?" at #93 and the "Where The Streets Have No Name/I Can't Take My Eyes Off You" medley at #72.

Other renditions of the song to have charted in the U.S. included versions by The Lettermen (#7 in 1968, in a medley with "Goin' Out Of My Head"), Nancy Wilson (#52 in 1969), Maureen McGovern (#27 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1979), Boys Town Gang (#1 in the Netherlands in 1982^[1]) and Lauryn Hill (#35 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart in 1998).

Other musicians who covered the song include Petula Clark, Frank Sinatra, Vikki Carr, Kiki Dee, Bobby Darin, Save Ferris, Bad Manners, David Osborne, Cardin, Gloria Gaynor, Shirley Bassey, Mina, The Temptations, Pitty, Jimmy Somerville, Eldissa, Diana Ross & the Supremes, O.C. Smith, Morten Harket of a-ha, Percy Faith, Manic Street Preachers, The Hermes House Band, Sheena Easton, Ringo Shiina, Suburban Legends (live), Prudence Liew (Cantonese lyrics), Damien Rice, Sowelu, Cake, Tommy february⁶, Leon Lai (Cantonese lyrics), Ayumi Hamasaki (live), Sakurai Sho of Arashi (live), Nob Summer, Zard, JILS, Tingsek, Next Phaze, Efi Thodi, Barry Manilow, Engelbert Humperdinck, Kim Ross (though billed under just "Ross"), The Spinto Band (live), Muse as part of Radio 1's Live Weekend and as a b-side, The Killers (live) and a 2 tone version by Bad Manners on their album Can Can, Christian rock group Daniel Amos as well as Noori a Pakistani Rock band (for a Honda commercial). Experimental progressive rock guitarist Bumblefoot recorded a heavy metal version of the song. In 2005 the song was covered by Queens for their debut album "Made For Dancing". In 2007 this song was covered by Soccx. In Germany this song was used for dancing at the ADTV-Worlddance-Day 2007, ChaChaCha-Simultan-Event and Quintal.

[edit] Cultural influence

[edit] Film

The song has been featured in several films, including The Deer Hunter and Conspiracy Theory, where it appears along with Lauryn Hill's cover of the song. At the end of the credits of Conspiracy Theory, another version is played sang by Morten Harket. Julia Roberts sings along to the song while Mel Gibson watches her through binoculars from a taxi cab, he also sings along to it. This song was sung by Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You and Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys. In a deleted scene of the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo film, Velma, played by Linda Cardellini, sings this song with uncharacteristic fervor. The song is used in the Swedish TV-commercial for Tele2, performed by J-Lo. The song is at the end of an episode of the Hidden Palms. The song is included in the film Son of the Mask] in a scene where Jamie Kennedy is dancing in a club. In the Filipino films You Are The One and You Got Me, a version of the song is performed by Filipino actor Sam Milby. The song is featured at the very end of the Saturday Night Live spawned film Coneheads. It was featured in the 1999 film Drop Dead Gorgeous when beauty contestant Becky Leeman played by Denise Richards "sang" it during the talent portion of the Mount Rose American Teen Princess beauty pageant, and the TV series Queer As Folk.

[edit] Elsewhere

This song is popularly used in advertising, such as for Freedom in Australia in the 1990s, by the Mexican government in the Programa Cultural de las Fronteras ads, and Valli's version was used in a TV commercial for Planters nuts that aired during Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008. It has also been adapted as a popular football chant for many players and teams, including George O'Callaghan of Cork City F.C. and Carlos Hernandez of Melbourne Victory FC. It was used as the backing music for an introductory montage to the final day of the final Ashes Test 2005 on Channel 4 (their last day of broadcasting cricket). Fans of Fulham F.C. of the English Premier League sing it following a victory.