December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)is a hit single by The
Four Seasons, written by original Four Seasons keyboard player
Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio,
and included on the group's 1975 album,
Who Loves You.
This single was released in December 1975 and hit number one
on the UK Singles Chart on February 21, 1976. It repeated the
feat on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on March 13, 1976, remaining
in the top spot for three weeks and one week on Cash Box and in
Canada. New drummer Gerry Polci and bassist Don Ciccone shared
lead vocals with long-time frontman Frankie Valli.
The song was originally about the repeal of prohibition with
the title of "December 5th, 1933," but the lyrics were changed
at the urgings of Valli and lyricist Parker. The song became a
nostalgic remembrance of a young man's "first time" with a
woman. In the Broadway play,
Jersey Boys, the song accompanied the Bob Gaudio
character being set up with a prostitute by the other Four
Seasons, in order to lose his virginity.
In 1994, the record was re-released with added percussion
effects and remixed vocals (mixed by Dutch disc jockey Ben
Liebrand in 1988). This version of "December, 1963" spent 27
weeks on the Hot 100 (matching the chart life of the original
single). The peak position of the remix version was #14.
Adding together the two 27-week chart runs from 1976 and
1994 gives the song the longest tenure ever on the Billboard
Hot 100 music chart.