Pop star - "My humor saved me": Connie Francis turns 85
Whether it's "Schöner fremder Mann", "Barcarole in der Nacht" or "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel": Connie Francis' hits would fill an entire jukebox. In the 1960s, the American singer got the whole of Germany dancing and became a global superstar. Francis, who turns 85 on Tuesday (December 12), now lives in the US state of Florida and is struggling with health problems. However, after a fall some time ago, she is feeling a little better again, the singer recently announced on Facebook. Francis has not been on stage for some time, but she continues to actively support US war veterans, among others.
Already on television as a child
The singer, known by many as "Queenie", was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero on December 12, 1938 in the US state of New Jersey. Her parents were Italian immigrants who soon encouraged her to sing and make music. "I played the accordion at the age of three and then added my voice at four."
She was soon performing at parties and on smaller stages and finally - while still a child - on television. Her breakthrough finally came in 1957 with "Who's Sorry Now?". She didn't actually want to sing the song, her father had urged her to do so, Francis recently said in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News. "That was a cosmic moment for me. A moment I will never forget. Because I knew within five seconds that my life would never be the same again. And then it wasn't. It was a happy shock."
The hit single was the beginning of a meteoric career: in the following six years alone, 35 of her songs reached the top 40, three of them at number one: "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" and "Don't Break the Heart that Loves You".
Heavy blows of fate
Francis not only conquered the USA: the singer recorded in more than ten languages in the 1960s, including Japanese, French, Greek, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch - and of course German, always with a charming American accent. She enjoyed huge success with her songs in Germany, Japan, Spain and Italy. In addition to hits, her repertoire included country music, jazz and Jewish and Irish folk songs.
Francis was unable to build on the sensational success of the 60s in the 70s. In her private life, she had to struggle with heavy blows of fate. Musically, things were no longer going well - partly because of the Beatles, at least according to the singer herself later in an interview with the news channel CNN. "When the Beatles came along, we were all finished, even Elvis."
Francis attempted a comeback in 1974. Shortly afterwards, she was attacked and raped in a hotel near New York. The perpetrator escaped and was never found. Francis sued the hotel chain for several million dollars in damages due to inadequate security measures and won - but the wounds remained.
Four marriages - four divorces
At the same time, her aunt was murdered and her beloved brother George was shot dead by the Mafia outside his home. In the meantime, Francis was unable to sing for several years due to a failed medical procedure. Since then, the singer has suffered from severe mental health problems. "I take lithium every day," Francis once said. "The thing that saved me was my sense of humor."
Francis met the "great love" of her life back in the 1950s, the entertainer Bobby Darin, who died in 1973. But Francis' father forbade the relationship. Francis then married four times - and divorced four times. "Three of my husbands were torturous, one abused me." She always chose "the wrong men for the wrong reasons". "If I had put as much thought into choosing my husbands as I did into my shows in Las Vegas, then everything would have been fine. But my private life was always overshadowed by my career."
Despite all the ups and downs, Francis has always picked herself up again, also with the help of her adopted son. She will always love music and show business, she once said. "I want to die on stage at 90."
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Source: www.stern.de
