The Newark-born singer Connie Francis had a massive run of pop hits in the late '50s and early '60s. Three of her singles -- "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," "My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own," and "Don't Break The Heart That Loves You" -- became #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Francis recorded tons of songs during that run, and not all of them were hits. Now, one of those songs, a 1962 deep cut called "Pretty Little Baby," has become an out-of-nowhere TikTok sensation, and Francis didn't even remember recording it at first.
Connie Francis retired in 2018, but she's still with us at 87 years old. As Billboard reports, her upbeat 1963 obscurity "Pretty Little Baby" randomly took off on TikTok earlier this year, appearing in videos posted by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. The track recently topped TikTok's Viral 50 and Top 50 charts and appeared on Spotify's global chart. A friend reached out to Francis on Facebook to tell her that her song was going viral on TikTok, and Francis responded, "What's that?" She tells People, "To tell you the truth, I didn't even remember the song! I had to listen to it to remember. To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions of people is truly awesome. It is an amazing feeling."
"Pretty Little Baby" first appeared on the B-side of Connie Francis' 1962 album Connie Francis Sings "Second Hand Love", and she never released the track as a single. According to Billboard, the song was one of 40 that she recorded during a marathon four-day session in August 1961. She tells Billboard, "I had to listen to it to identify it. Then, of course, I recognized the fact that I had done it in seven languages." Francis was famous for recording her songs in multiple languages, since MGM Records wanted to sell her music around the world, and she recorded versions of "Pretty Little Baby" in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Swedish.
When asked why she thinks so many people are drawn to "Pretty Little Baby" today, Francis tells People, "I think it's innocent and pure, and this is a time when everything is in such chaos... It’s truly awesome. I never thought it was possible. It's a dream come true. To think that kindergarten kids now know my name and my music? It’s just thrilling!"
Francis is currently living in Parkland, Florida, and she's awaiting stem cell therapy to treat a bad hip. When that's done, she plans to travel to New York to see Gracie Lawrence play her in Just In Time, a Broadway musical about the life of her former romantic and musical partner Bobby Darin. She tells Billboard that she's happy to do TV appearances to promote "Pretty Little Baby," but she says, "I don’t feel like going on the road... It's too much work." Fair enough!
Connie Francis' peer Brenda Lee went through a revival of her own not long ago. In 2023, Lee's perennial holiday classic "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" finally became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
