Doo Wop

Who can forget the harmony and the falsetto singing in “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by one of the great doo wop groups The Four Seasons? This golden oldie was written by the very talented singer/songwriter/musician/group member Bob Gaudio and their producer Bob Crewe. Gaudio was dozing off while watching the John Payne/Rhonda Fleming movie when he heard Payne’s character slap Fleming in the face. After the slap, Fleming’s character replied, “Big girls don’t cry.” Gaudio wrote the line on a scrap of paper, fell asleep, and wrote the song the next morning.

The Four Seasons recorded the song as the follow-up to their huge hit, “Sherry.” The group kept the same strong beat and Frankie Valli’s falsetto style that helped make “Sherry” so successful. Nick Massi’s bass vocals repeating the phrase “silly boy” help as well. Right around this time in November 1962, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for five weeks. It also went to #1 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues chart.

As an additional piece of trivia, the song was sung by Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance in 1963 on the first season of The Lucy Show. The episode was called “Lucy Is a Chaperone.”

Here are the lyrics to “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by The Four Seasons:

“Big girls don’t cry
Big girls don’t cry

Big girls don’t cry
(They don’t cry)
Big girls don’t cry
(Who said they don’t cry?)

My girl said goodbye
(My, oh, my)
My girl didn’t cry
(I wonder why)

(Silly boy)
Told my girl we had to break up
(Silly boy)
Hoped that she would call my bluff
(Silly boy)
Then she said to my surprise
Big girls don’t cry?

Big girls don’t cry
(They don’t cry)
Big girls don’t cry
(Who said they don’t cry?)
(Maybe)
I was cruel
(I was cruel)
Baby, I’m a fool
(I’m such a fool)

(Silly girl)
Shame on you, your mama said
(Silly girl)
Shame on you, you’re cryin’ in bed
(Silly girl)
Shame on you, you told me lies
Big girls do cry

Big girls don’t cry
(They don’t cry)
Big girls don’t cry
(That’s just an alibi)

Big girls don’t cry
Big girls don’t cry
Big girls don’t cry …”

If you want to read about and listen to another song by The Four Seasons, please click here for “Rag Doll,” which is on The Daily Doo Wop’s sister site Pass the Paisley. Or click here for “Walk Like a Man.”

For More Golden Oldies

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop, rock and roll, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Golden Oldies Juke Box Saturday Night, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

Please click here for the Daily Doo Wop YouTube channel, to which you can subscribe. Thank you for stopping by The Daily Doo Wop. Hope you enjoyed “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by The Four Seasons