The Four Seasons

Despite achieving massive commercial success as one of the leading rock and roll ensembles throughout the 1960s, the Four Seasons never commanded the instinctive esteem that critics and fans readily extended to acts such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, or the Byrds. Their signature sound, anchored by Frankie Valli’s piercing falsetto lead, struck many observers as overly polished, while their catalog of romantic numbers built on meticulously layered group vocals seemed too neatly removed from the era’s rougher edges. Yet the quartet’s historical weight remains undeniable. No other white American ensemble of the period, apart from the Beach Boys, crafted harmonies of comparable density, although the Four Seasons drew more directly from the Italian-American doo-wop lineage. Their sleek, urban production approach proved both timely and forward-looking, carrying a pronounced R&B flavor that helped several early singles cross over to Black listeners. Between 1962 and 1967 they placed thirteen singles inside the Top Ten, among them “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Dawn,” “Rag Doll,” and “Let’s Hang On.”

The group had already existed in various forms for nearly a decade before scoring its breakthrough hit. Frankie Valli cut his first record in 1953; three years later the Newark, New Jersey outfit then known as the Four Lovers, featuring future Four Seasons Tommy DeVito on guitar and Nick Massi on bass, reached the lower charts with “Apple of My Eye.” Valli continued issuing unsuccessful sides for RCA, Decca, Cindy, and Gone, both alone and with shifting lineups, before the renamed Four Seasons began supplying background vocals for other artists in the early 1960s.

Philadelphia producer Bob Crewe began collaborating with the Seasons in 1962, an alliance that proved decisive. He not only helmed every major hit of their golden era but also co-wrote much of the material with band member Bob Gaudio. Valli’s stratospheric voice propelled the chart-topping “Sherry” and remained the focal point on subsequent smashes such as “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “Candy Girl.” The first two tracks featured emphatic, almost military handclaps, while “Candy Girl” showcased rhythmic variety through its samba-inflected pulse and sweeping glissandi.

The arrival of the British Invasion initially left the Seasons’ momentum intact. In 1964 they switched from Vee-Jay, the label that had briefly held the Beatles’ American rights, to Philips. Their arrangements grew more cinematic yet stayed firmly pop-oriented, yielding further major hits that year: “Dawn,” “Ronnie,” “Rag Doll,” “Save It for Me,” and “Big Man in Town.” The B-side “Silence Is Golden” later became a 1967 hit for the Tremeloes. Echoes of the Four Seasons’ style surfaced on recordings by the two biggest British acts; the Beatles’ “Tell Me Why” and the Rolling Stones’ “The Singer Not the Song” both incorporated high, straining falsetto passages that read as part parody, part homage.

Their string of successes extended through 1967, though never again at the same peak intensity. “Let’s Hang On,” “Working My Way Back to You,” “Opus 17,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Beggin’,” and “Marianne” all reached high chart positions while incorporating understated soul touches. For amusement they issued a pair of lighthearted singles under the alias the Wonder Who?, a disguise quickly penetrated even by young fans. The Wonder Who?’s 1965 Top 20 entry “Don’t Think Twice” stands as perhaps the most improbable Dylan cover ever to breach the Top 40.

By late 1967, guitar-driven, socially aware rock and soul had eroded much of the Four Seasons’ core audience. The group managed only one additional Top 40 entry before its mid-1970s resurgence. While still active with the Seasons, Valli launched a solo career aimed squarely at mainstream pop, scoring a number-two hit with “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” The band itself attempted to engage with contemporary issues on the 1969 album Genuine Imitation Life Gazette, yet the effort met with general indifference.

The 1970s proved difficult. By the time the group signed with a Motown subsidiary in 1971, only Valli and Gaudio remained from the original roster. They staged a brief return to the top with “Who Loves You” and the wistful “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” while Valli simultaneously reclaimed solo prominence via the number-one single “My Eyes Adored You” and the Top Ten follow-up “Swearin’ to God.” The momentum proved fleeting. Valli’s full-time solo profile received a major lift, however, when he was selected to perform Barry Gibb’s newly written title song for the screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Grease; the track reached number one in August 1978.

Occasional Four Seasons reunion tours took place during the 1980s and 1990s, sometimes including Valli and sometimes not. The band also issued new recordings, Streetfighter in 1985 and Hope + Glory in 1992, both attempts to modernize their established sound.

In the 2000s Valli and Gaudio helped transform the Four Seasons’ history into a Broadway musical depicting the lives and careers of Valli, Tommy DeVito, Massi, and Gaudio. Jersey Boys became the standout production of the 2005–2006 season and captured the Tony Award for Best Musical. The show, along with its 2014 film adaptation, sparked renewed interest in the group’s catalog. Tommy DeVito died on September 21, 2020, at age 92 from complications related to COVID-19.