My Eyes Adored You by Frankie Valli

Album: Closeup (1974)

Charted: 5 1

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Songfacts®:

"My Eyes Adored You" is one of the most poignant songs about unrequited love. Valli sings about a girl he loved since his school days, but never attained. She was close to him, but she may just as well have been a million miles away.
This was written by Kenny Nolan and Bob Crewe, the team that gave us "Lady Marmalade," which replaced this song at #1 on March 29, 1975.
While this was credited to just Frankie Valli, his Four Seasons bandmates sang on it with him. They recorded the song for Motown Records, which they joined in 1970 on the promise that label boss Berry Gordy would personally look after them. That didn't happen: Gordy got preoccupied working on the film Lady Sings The Blues, starring Motown great Diana Ross. The group released an album on Motown called Chameleon in 1972 that was critically acclaimed but sold poorly. The group was one of the biggest hitmakers of the early and mid-'60s, but hadn't cracked the Top 40 since 1967. With their foray to Motown a bust, it looked like they were done, but when their contract with the label ended in 1973, Valli, his bandmate Bob Gaudio, and the song's co-writer Bob Crewe purchased the masters to "My Eyes Adored You" for $4000 and shopped it to other record companies. They finally found a taker in the Private Stock Record label, which released it in 1974 with the artist credited as Frankie Valli. It rose to #1 in America and revived Valli's career. With his voice back in the spotlight the Four Seasons made a group comeback a year later with "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)," which went to #1 in 1976.
The lyrics, "Walking home every day over Barnegat Bridge and Bay" are a reference to a real place on the coast of New Jersey.
According to the songs's writers, the original title was "Blue Eyes of Georgia," by they changed it to "My Eyes Adored You" when they brought it to Valli.

Comments: 9

Kentor from Via LacteaThis song was not written by, for, or about Frankie Valli. It was written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan and recorded by several singers before and after the Four Seasons, including one strange-sounding (to anyone used to hearing Valli sing it) version recorded by Fred Astaire in 1974 and included on his album released that same year. The recording by Valli and the Four Seasons is the definitive and most well known cover of the song, however. I always liked the song and assumed there was a deeper, at least semi-autobiographical story behind the song for Valli, but nope.
Terry Tylee from Coralville, Iowa I would like to learn it.
Richard from GermanyI thought the song was about his daughter ,I have watched the movie Jersey Boys in 2014, I don't remember precisely in the movie the circumstance in which he sang this song but in my mind it was related to his daughter's love.
Ron's High School Yesteryear And Memories Of Dj from Saratoga, CaI love how music takes us back with memories. I love listing to this song and just as many others can totally relate to it. Years knowing eachother and spending time together, with the most of holding hands. Never a kiss but fantasize of one day being married. She turned 16 and I felt like she moved on without me... I've never stopped loving her. We still talk but I dont think she knows how I truly felt... but she has a good life and I'm happy for her...
Now I like to listen to the songs I grew up with and let my memories live in the songs...
Thanks to songs like these which we grew up with.
Seventhmist from 7th HeavenI so identified with this song's message when I was in high school in the late 70s. There was a girl whom I adored, but she was part of the "in-crowd" and I was not, so I never dared approach her beyond being one of her casual acquaintances. She went on to a good life and so did I, but I occasionally take a peek at her Facebook profile to see how she's doing.
Marcia L. from Seaford, DelawareFirst love....you’re very young, everything is magnified, all very innocent...it’s the nostalgic memory of what can never be again...it’s really the loss of childhood that we all wish we could return to, if only for a day. Just to be in that moment again...it was truly magical.
Rich from Cherry Hill, NjActually the bay in Ocean City is Great Egg Harbor. Barnegat Bay is north quite a ways. Try Seaside and Island Beach State Park. It is in Ocean County while Ocean City is in Cape May County.
Barry from Sauquoit, Ny"My eyes adored ya, though I never laid a hand on you"; how many of us tenn-age Catholic boys an relate to those lyrics!!!
Paul from Bay Area, CaThree words: Kevin and Winnie.

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