Rock

Among the special songs of Sixties popular music is “Rag Doll” by The Four Seasons. Bob Crewe produced the record and co-wrote “Rag Doll” with group member  Bob Gaudio. “Rag Doll” is based on a ragged-looking  girl in New York City who cleaned the windshields of automobiles for change — including Gaudio’s. The actual amount he gave her is lost in time (some sources say it’s $5, $10, or $20). Anyway, the song was released in June, 1964, and went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964 at the time the British invasion had begun and was taking over the charts. The B-Side was “Silence is Golden,” which was in the top 20 internationally. (The Tremeloies did a cover of “Silcence is Golden in 1967, and that went to #1 in the U.K. and earned an RIAA gold record for them.) The song was also released on their 1964 album titled Rag Doll. Group members were Gaudio, Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi.

Here are the lyrics to “Rag Doll” by The Four Seasons:

“Ooh, ooh
Ah, rag doll, ooh

(Hand me down)
When she was just a kid, her clothes were hand-me-downs
(Hand me down) They always laughed at her when she came into town

Called her rag doll
Little rag doll
such a pretty face
should be dressed in lace

Ooh, ooh
(Shag rag doll)
I’d change her sad rags into glad rags if I could
(If I could)
My folks won’t let me cause they say that she’s no good

She’s a rag doll,
Such a rag doll,
Though I love her so
I can’t let her know

Ooh, ooh
Aah, rag doll
I love you just the way you are

Oh, rag doll, ooh
Oh, rag doll, ooh”

Crewe worked with many artists, and his credits are extensive. He was an extraordinarily prolific and talented man  — record producer, songwriter, singer. Bob Crewe (November 12, 1931 – September 11, 2014).  If you would like to read more about him, please click here.

If you are interested in reading about and listening to other songs by The Four Seasons, please click here for “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man,” which are on Pass the Paisley‘s sister site The Daily Doo Wop.

Check Out The Groove Pad for More 1960s Music

The Pass the Paisley Groove Pad is a resting stop, a place to chill out and listen to the featured song on the stereo. If the mood strikes you, click on the juke box to access and listen to the 50+ commercial free online songs there. The TV has several channels, with selections updated twice a week. Every now and then, Pass the Paisley hosts an all-request of 1960s and 1970s songs for a Be-In at the juke box in the Groove Pad. Keep on truckin’. Hope you enjoyed “Rag Doll” by The Four Seasons.