Who's Sorry Now? (song)

"Who's Sorry Now?" is a popular song with music written by Ted Snyder and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. It was published in 1923,[1] when Isham Jones took it to number three. Other popular versions in 1923 were by Marion Harris, Original Memphis Five, Lewis James, and Irving Kaufman.

For the albums, see Who's Sorry Now? (Connie Francis album) and Who's Sorry Now? (Babyland album). For the Marie Osmond album, see Who's Sorry Now (album).
Who's Sorry Now?
by Ted Snyder
Textby Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby
Published1923

"Who's Sorry Now?" was also featured in the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca (1946), directed by Archie Mayo and released by United Artists. It was also used in the 1950 film Three Little Words when it was sung by Gloria DeHaven.

Karen Elson with Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks recorded the song for an episode of the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire.

The song was a major hit in 1958 for American singer Connie Francis, who took her cover of the song to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and charted at number one in the UK Singles Chart. It spent 22 weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100, her single of greatest longevity, and became her first of eight gold records.

Connie Francis version
"Who's Sorry Now?"
Single by Connie Francis
B-side"You Were Only Foolin' (While I Was Fallin' in Love)"
ReleasedNovember 1957
RecordedOctober 2, 1957
GenreRock and roll
Length2:16
LabelMGM
K 12588
Songwriter(s)Ted Snyder, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby
Producer(s)Harry A. Myerson
Connie Francis singles chronology
"The Majesty Of Love" / "You, My Darlin', You"
(1957)		 "Who's Sorry Now?" / "You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling In Love)"
(1957)		 "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry" / "Lock Up Your Heart"
(1958)

Background

"Who's Sorry Now?" was recorded in 1957 by Connie Francis, and since then the song has become closely identified with her due to the immense popularity of her version which was her breakout hit. Since 1955, Francis had recorded 20 sides for MGM Records and only one ("The Majesty of Love", a duet with country singer Marvin Rainwater that eventually became a million-selling record) charted at all. Due to her near-complete failure as a recording artist, MGM informed her that her contract would end after one more disc. With her music career on the line, Francis's father suggested she record "Who's Sorry Now". He was convinced that it would have crossover appeal with both older listeners and teenagers if the song were given a modernized sound. Francis strongly objected to the idea on the grounds that selling the youth audience on an almost 35-year-old song was "ridiculous", but she finally agreed to it as a favor to her father.[2]

Reception

Backed with "You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling In Love)", the single was recorded on October 2, 1957. Initial attention was modest and it looked to be as much of a nonfactor as Francis's previous records, but after Dick Clark's championing of it on American Bandstand in January 1958, the single rose to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 that spring, with eventual US sales totaling one million units. In the UK, it was number 1 for six weeks in May and June 1958.[3]

Chart performance

Other versions

The song has been recorded by a number of artists including:

See also

References
  1. Furia, Philip; Lasser, Michael (2006). America's Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley. CRC Press. p. 36. ISBN 0-415-97246-9. On infrequent occasions Ruby also worked on lyrics. He and Kalmar wrote the words to a Tom Snyder tune they called "Who's Sorry Now?"
  2. Ron Roberts: Connie Francis Discography 1955–1975
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 212. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2002
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 214.
  6. "Top 100 1958-04-12". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  7. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1958". Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  8. "Top 100 1958 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
  9. "Top 100 Hits of 1958/Top 100 Songs of 1958". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
  10. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1958". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  11. Jasinski, Laurie E., ed. (2012). The Handbook of Texas Music (2 ed.). Denton, TX: Texas State Historical Association. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-87611-252-6.
  12. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 230. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 451. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  15. https://www.discogs.com/Spanky-Doin-It/release/1663688
  16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZunyfGTmQAc
  17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucRrpFuq3O0
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