This thread is nearing 600 and with hope to God, Satan, the angels, the demons, the reptiles, or whatever fucking force there is, let there be an end to this dissociative identity bitch who I feel is the supporter and the opposition and the half-assed shit bird comic writer wannabe.
Connie Francis is not legendary. She's a faded wisp of a memory in the minds of those 70+ and her music fails to even be made into Muzak versions. Like R504 and R505 pointed out, she does not have any standards unique to her that have stood the test of time, other than the bubble pop of the late 1950s, which even people of that era are embarrassed by. That is not to shortchange her vocal potential, which in certain songs, seems quite impressive, notably "Malaguena." She had opportunities for comebacks that never amounted to anything more than Vegas or AC gigs, which might have been lucrative and entertaining, but not artistic or innovative in any way. There needed to be new music, new albums, and new standards written expressly for her and with which she would ever after be identified. There was possibility with the piece "If I Never Sing Another Song," but like so many other attempts, it failed. It doesn't matter if it was the bipolar, PTSD, her father, or anything else.
It's great that Connie is still with us and still talked about at this point in time. She's a survivor, and that's commendable, although I don't feel that all is pristine with her, and there might have been much more to that Hojo's incident than meets the eye. Sadly, if she'll be remembered for anything, it'll be that.
Listen to the music of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others. You'll see and hear why their careers endured and why their music is timeless. Within less than 5 seconds, their voices were instantly recognizable. Top composers wrote expressly for them and crafted STANDARDS not POP TRASH with which they would forever be identified. They were expertly arranged, orchestrated, and produced. For all the creative control MGM gave Connie, where was the artistic direction? Nowhere.
