"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 Billboard Hot 100 on July 18, 1964, and remained on top for two weeks.[1] 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 twenty dollar 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.
| "Rag Doll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 Crewe Bob Gaudio |
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| Producer | Bob Crewe | |||
| Certification | RIAA gold | |||
| The Four Seasons singles chronology | ||||
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"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 Billboard Hot 100 on July 18, 1964, and remained on top for two weeks.[1] 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 twenty dollar 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.[2]
In 2010, radio station WCBS-FM in New York City ranked the Four Seasons' "Rag Doll" as the number one song of all time, as voted on by its listeners.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 152. ISBN 0823076776. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ Rag Doll Songfacts
- ^ "CBS-FM’s Top 1,001 Countdown". Wcbsfm.cbslocal.com. CBS Radio Inc. 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
External links[edit]
| 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 |
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This 1960s single-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
![THE FOUR SEASONS - Rag Doll [ NEW STEREO ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YMCh8UlFo5Q/default.jpg)
