If My Pillow Could Talk

"If My Pillow Could Talk" was a hit single for Connie Francis recorded in New York City on March 22 1963 in a session conducted and arranged by Marty Manning best known for his work with Tony Bennett.^[1]

"If My Pillow Could Talk" was written by Jimmy Steward, Jr. of the Ravens and Bob Mosley. As befits its credentials,"If My Pillow Could Talk" had a ragtime feel unexpected in a Connie Francis single.

Francis has said she "wasn't crazy" about "If My Pillow Could Talk" but felt it had hit potential largely on account of its title being catchy.

Released in May 1963 after being previewed with a live performance by Francis on The Ed Sullivan Show on 28 April,^[2] "If My Pillow Could Talk" did not prove to be the vehicle which might restore Francis' fading chart fortunes. The single peaked outside the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of June 1963 despite an attempt that month by MGM Records to boost interest with a contest in which disc jockeys solicited letters from listeners describing: "If Your Pillow Could Talk… What Would It Say".¹

Francis would never have another Hot 100 peak as high as the #23 peak of "If My Pillow Could Talk". In Cash Box "If My Pillow Could Talk" reached #16 a peak matched by only one of Francis' subsequent chartings: "Blue Winter" in 1964 (#24 in Billboard).

"If My Pillow Could Talk" was not a widespread international success for Francis: the track did reach #2 in Hong Kong ^[3] and #30 in Australia. The song was one of the few Connie Francis hits which the singer remade in French, that rendering entitled "Oh, oui! J'en ai réve" being recorded July 24 1963. Francis also recorded a Japanese rendering: 悲しきゴスペル (romanized spelling: Kanashiki gosuperu) (Sad gospel).

Francis' next single: "Drownin' My Sorrows", was a calculated return to the sound of her first #1 hit "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" but became Francis' lowest charting A-side since "I'm Sorry I Made Your Cry" in 1957 with a #36 peak (#34 in Cash Box).

The US B-side of "If My Pillow Could Talk": "You're the Only One Can Hurt Me", was replaced for the single's UK release by "Lollypop Lips" a Stan Vincent and Hank Hunter composition that has gained an unfortunate significance in the Connie Francis canon by virtue of its appearance during an oral sex scene in the 1999 film Jawbreaker which motivated Francis to sue the film's producers. Francis then also sued Universal Music Group (UMG) which had inherited the MGM catalog for allowing her songs to be used in Jawbreaker plus the earlier films Postcards From America and The Craft. The UMG lawsuit was dismissed. (Both "You're the Only One Can Hurt Me" and "Lollypop Lips" were recorded in the same March 22 1963 recording session as "If My Pillow Could Talk".)

"Oh, oui! J'en ai réve" was also recorded in 1963 by the French yé-yé group Les Players.

¹"The listener wins a $100 U.S. Savings Bond, a personal phone call from Connie Francis and a complete library of all [her] albums"; the deejay who intakes the winning entry receives "a seven-day's all expenses paid vacation at Puerto Rico's Americana Hotel".^[4] The latter prize was awarded Dick Smith of WROC Radio (Worcester MA).^[5] There is no record of the submission from the listener.

References

↑ http://countrydiscography.blogspot.com/2009/05/connie-francis-part-i.html
↑ http://mfwright.com/edsullivanshowepisodes.html
↑ Billboard vol. 75 #28 (13 July 1963) p.30
↑ Billboard vol. 75 #23 (8 June 1963) p.35
↑ Billboard vol. 75 #43 (26 October 1963) p.54

Connie Francis

U. S. albums on MGM Records	Who's Sorry Now? The Exciting Connie Francis My Thanks to You Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites Christmas in My Heart Connie's Greatest Hits Rock 'n' Roll Million Sellers Country & Western - Golden Hits Connie Francis Sings Fun Songs for Children One for the Boys Connie Francis Sings Spanish and Latin American Favorites Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites More Italian Favorites Songs to a Swinging Band Connie Francis at The Copa More Greatest Hits Connie Francis Sings "Never on Sunday" Connie Francis Sings Folk Song Favorites Connie Francis Sings Irish Favorites Do The Twist/Dance Party Connie Francis Sings "Second Hand Love" And Other Hits Country Music - Connie Style Connie Francis Sings Modern Italian Hits Connie Francis Sings Award Winning Motion Picture Hits Follow The Boys Greatest American Waltzes The Very Best Of Connie Francis (Connie's 15 Biggest Hits!) "Mala Femmena" And Connie's Big Hits From Italy In the Summer of His Years Looking For Love Connie Francis Sings German Favorites Connie Francis and Hank Williams, Jr. Sing Great Country Favorites A New Kind Of Connie Connie Francis sings "For Mama" When The Boys Meet The Girls Movie Greats of the 60s Connie Francis Live at The Sahara in Las Vegas Connie's Christmas Connie Francis and The Kids Next Door Love, Italian Style Happiness – Connie Francis On Broadway Today Grandes Exitos del Cine de los Años 60 My Heart Criest For You Hawaii Connie Connie & Clyde – Hit Songs of the 30s Connie Francis Sings Bacharach & David The Wedding Cake Connie Francis Sings the Songs of Les Reed

International albums	Connie Francis en El Patio Melodien, die die Welt erobern Somewhere, My Love

U. S. singles	Who's Sorry Now? Stupid Cupid/Carolina Moon Fallin'/Happy Days and Lonely Nights I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You) My Happiness You Always Hurt the One You Love If I Didn't Care Lipstick on Your Collar Among My Souvenirs/God Bless America Mama Everybody's Somebody's Fool My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own/Malagueña Where the Boys Are Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart/Someone Else's Boy Together When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart) Don't Break the Heart That Loves You Vacation He Thinks I Still Care I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter/Al di là If My Pillow Could Talk In the Summer of His Years Be Anything (but Be Mine) For Mama Forget Domani Jealous Heart Love Is Me, Love Is You So Nice (Summer Samba) My Heart Cries for You Lonely Again I Don't Wanna Play House

International singles	Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel Ich komm' nie mehr von dir los Wenn ich träume Schöner fremder Mann Einmal komm' ich wieder Eine Insel für zwei Lili Marleen Jamais Tu' mir nicht weh Wenn du gehst Barcarole in der Nacht Ho bisogno di vederti

Notable songs	Volare Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Young at Heart Mein Herz weiß genau, was es will Once a Day The Shadow of Your Smile Strangers in the Night Misty Blue

Filmography	Where the Boys Are Follow the Boys Looking for Love When the Boys Meet the Girls

Related topics	Discography Bobby Darin Brenda Lee Patti Page Neil Sedaka Lesley Gore Carole King Ricky Nelson

Book: Connie Francis

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