| "Rag Doll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Four Seasons | ||||
| from the album Rag Doll | ||||
| B-side | "Silence Is Golden" (from the album Born To Wander) | |||
| Released | June 1964 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | Philips Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Bob Gaudio-Bob Crewe | |||
| Producer | Bob Crewe | |||
| Certification | RIAA gold | |||
| The Four Seasons singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"Rag Doll" is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded by The Four Seasons and released as a single in 1964. It reached number one on the U.S. pop chart in July that year and remained on top for two weeks. According to songwriter Bob Gaudio, the recording was inspired by a dirty-faced girl who cleaned the windshield of his automobile for change. When Gaudio reached into his wallet, all he had were notes, none smaller than $20. He gave the girl a $20 bill. (Gaudio has also said it was a $5 or a $10). Her astonishment stayed in Gaudio's mind as he approached the recording studio. "Rag Doll", with a few tweaks by Bob Crewe, was the result.
The B-side was the original version of "Silence Is Golden." In 1967 the song was a number one hit in the UK Singles Chart for the English band The Tremeloes.[1]. The same year, the Italian group Pooh made a local version with the title 'Quello che non sai' ('What you don't know') .
During their 2010 Labor Day Weekend Top 1001 Song Countdown, radio station WCBS-FM in New York City ranked the Four Seasons' song number one of all time, as voted on by its listeners.[2]
| Preceded by "I Get Around" by The Beach Boys |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single July 18, 1964 (two weeks) |
Succeeded by "A Hard Day's Night" by The Beatles |