Big Girls Don't Cry

Album: Big Girls Don't Cry and Twelve Others (1962)
Charted: 13 1
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Songfacts®:

  • This song was written by Four Seasons member and chief songwriter Bob Gaudio along with their producer, Bob Crewe. It was inspired by a line in the 1955 western Tennessee's Partner, starring John Payne, Rhonda Fleming and Ronald Reagan. When Payne's character slaps the blonde bombshell played by Fleming, he asks her what she thinks about being slapped. She gets up, composes herself, and replies, "Big girls don't cry."

    Crewe, who was half-asleep at the time, jotted down the line, fell asleep, and wrote the song the next day.
  • This was designed to sound similar to The Four Seasons first hit, "Sherry," which topped the charts for five weeks a month before "Big Girls Don't Cry" hit the top spot. Motown soon applied the same approach to its acts: if someone had a hit - especially an unexpected one - follow it up with something very similar. Like "Sherry," this spent five weeks at #1 in the US.
  • Nick Massi sang the bass vocals on this track, repeating the phrase "silly boy." Massi's vocals were a big part of the group's early success, but he left the Four Seasons in 1965 as they moved away from the bass sound.
  • This song plays in the opening scene of the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing (which is set in 1963), and also appears in the films The Main Event (1979) and Mermaids (1990).
  • The female rapper MC Lyte interpolated this on a song of the same name she released in 1988.

Comments: 23

  • Martin from MarsIf the line 'Big Girls Don't Cry' did not appear in Tennessee Partner but rather in Slightly Scarlet, then Bob Crewe's memory is preferred to Bob Gaudio's.
  • Frank from FloridaSilence is golden was on the 1964 album Born to Wander. then it was the B side of Rag Doll also in 1964.
  • Liz from DcWow I never realized why I disliked Wisconsin soooo much until Craig...I love this song.
  • Mark from DonatoRick - because Craig is whining loser, who wouldn't know what music was if it hit him in the face. he's a zero trying to become a 1!
  • Jennifur Sun from RamonaOH BY THE WAY-does anyone know where I could find a list of the musicians who played on their recordings, especially the drummers? have come across a few names but just wondered.
  • Jennifur Sun from RamonaDirk, they may have played the drums in their concerts but used studio drummers for their recordings, it is one reason i loved their older stuff. also it was a common practice for groups to lip sync songs on TV-that was just the way things were in that time period, the IRONIC thing about that complaint(from the younger generation) is that there is a live performance of Shapes Of Things by the Yardbirds on a video, and you would not believe the amount of people you just went CRAZY AND GRIPED about the guitar solo and HOW BAD IT SOUNDED. Well hate to tell you guys but if you don't want to hear a song sound different or a player make a mistake then buy the LP or the 45 and play it. And that is the main reason the TV shows would not let groups sing live only lip sync.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn November 11, 1962 "Big Girls Don't Cry" by the Four Seasons hit #1 on the Hot 100 chart, where it stayed for five weeks. For all five of those weeks, "Return to Sender" by Elvis was at #2; it never go to #1.

    "Big Girls Don't Cry" was the Jersey quartet's second straight #1* record and they had a total of five #1s, the King had eighteen career #1s and five records peak at #2 {the Four Seasons didn't have a record peak at #2}...
    * "Sherry" was the first in the string of two straight #1 records, and it also stayed at #1 for five weeks; across the pond on Dec. 9th, 1962 "Return to Sender" peaked at #1 {for 3 weeks} on the United Kingdom's Singles chart, and at the time the Seasons' "Sherry" was at #18...
  • Rick from PhiladelphiaI don't understand why Craig wastes a lot of energy here talking about the things he doesn't like.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 9th 1962, the Four Seasons performed "Big Girls Don't Cry" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'...
    Two months earlier on October 14th it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks...
    And on this day in 1962 the song was starting its 5th and last week as the #1 record on the Top 100 (that means almost 1/3 of its time on the Top 100 was at #1)...
    Also on this day their third charted record, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", entered the Top 100, it only remained on the chart for three weeks but did manage to peaked at #23 (such is the fate of seasonal Christmas songs).

  • Pres from Atlanta, GaIn response to the b-side status of "Silence As Golden", "Big Man In Town" (released in 1964 on Philips 40238) was coupled with "Little Angel", not "Silence Is Golden". Easy fact to check. Plenty of re-issue labels - Collectibles, etc - repackaged 45s as they saw fit so it may have shown up later in that format. And Craig is an idiot.
  • Viktor from Vänersborg, SwedenThis song is in The Wanderers (1979) when one of the characters goes up to a girl to perform the infamous "Elbow-tit" move.
  • Andre from The Bronx, Ny"Sorry, Charlie", but the Four Seasons did have "Silence Is Golden" as a single! It is the B-side of the single of "Big Man In Town". From reliable sources -- who heard it on the radio -- both sides of the record were played. When we recently saw Frankie Valli & His Jersey Boys in concert, guess what? They performed "Silence Is Golden". Frankie V mentioned it was a two-sided hit!! -- Dre
  • Meredith from Wauwatosa, WiFrankie Valli's falsetto is crazy, but I love this song!!!!!!!!
  • Marcos from Mexico City, United StatesGee, Craig! At last someone understands that the four seasons are nothing more than singers of fourth-hand..
  • AmÃ?rica Celia from Mexico City, MexicoCraig, you may not like this song; but some people have found a great relief when hearing it.
    About the oldies station, I think that was a comment of extreme rudness.
  • Charlie from Cape Girardeau, MoFirst, Craig, you're an idiot. Second, Wes, the Four Seasons did record Silence is Golden on an album, but didn't release it as a single, so it never got big airplay. The Tremeloes version was a big hit. Frankie Valli said later one of his biggest regrets was that the Seasons didn't put it out as a single. Third, Craig, you're still an idiot. Fourth, Craig, did I mention that you're an idiot?
  • Dirk from Nashville, TnThe world never truly recognized that Frankie and the boys were a rock band--not a pop singing boy band. That's the Seasons playing their own instruments, their own drums, guitar, bass, just like the Stones or the Kinks. Unfortunately, their TV appearances at the time always seemed to feature them standing around like a vocal quartet, lip synching without their instruments. The TV execs of the 60s were idiots--what can you say?
  • Lynz from Ontario, CanadaListening to this song just reminds me so much of Dirty Dancing because it is played in that opening scene. And Craig, you gotta calm down a bit and I also agree with Mary - why don't you try singing and ACTUALLY recording a CD? It's not as easy as you think unless you would like to completely change the key and sing a full octave lower!?!?!
  • Wes from Melbournethe four seasons also wrote a song called "silence is golden" it was either them or the tremelos and it is a fairly touching song.
  • Mary C. from Chicago, IlChill, craig, chill! If you think they're so bad, how about you try singing?
  • Craig from Madison, WiThis is one of the worst songs ever by one of the worst groups ever. Valli's falsetto is the worst thing that ever happened to rock music, if this song can even be qualified as rock music. If I ran an oldies station, the first thing I would do would extend a far-reaching ban on every song by these over-played musical monsters.
  • Sadie from Pendleton, OrI LOVE this song. HA! One of my friends thought that it was about heavy, chubby girls!!
  • Joe from West Creek, NjOne of the best songs of the 60s. The Four Seasons had to of been dominating the music scene before The Beatles and The Beach Boys came along. Musically and successfully.
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