Roundabout (Connie Francis song)
| "Roundabout" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Japanese release cover | ||||
| Single by Connie Francis | ||||
| B-side | "Bossa Nova Hand Dance (Deixa isso prà là)" | |||
| Released | August 2, 1965 | |||
| Genre | Vocal | |||
| Length | 2:51 | |||
| Label | MGM 13389 | |||
| Songwriter | Tony Hatch | |||
| Producer | Tony Hatch | |||
| Connie Francis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Roundabout" is a song written by Tony Hatch and most notably performed by Connie Francis, who released it as a single under MGM Records in 1965.[1]
Connie Francis version
Background
By 1965 Francis' chart performance decline on the pop charts, but she maintained relatively high successes on the Adult Contemporary chart.[2] The new single followed a period of declining chart performance for Francis,[3] so she partnered up with songwriter Tony Hatch, who just written Petula Clark's No. 1 hit Downtown a year before.[4] "Roundabout" was the second-to-last of six singles that she released that year. It was produced and arranged by Tony Hatch himself, but arranged by Don Costa on the B-side.[5]
Release and reception
"Roundabout" was released as a seven-inch single on August 2, 1965 by MGM Records.[5] It was backed by a bossa-nova song, "Bossa Nova Hand Dance (Deixa isso prà là)" on the B-side,[5] which saw its first album inclusion in Francis' 2009 Cocktail Connie compilation album. It was produced by Danny Davis.[1]
Record World said that "Gal has found a honey of a song for herself. It's by Tony Hatch and is slow and melodic." The magazine also called it "One of her best."[6]
Billboard magazine reviewed the single in mid August and stated that "Merging the true Francis talent with that of England's composer-arranger Tony Hatch of "Downtown" fame pays off in this well performed ballad with rhythm backing."[4]
Chart performance
"Roundabout" debuted on Billboard magazine's Easy Listening chart on August 28, 1965, peaking at No. 10 during a nine-week run on the chart.[2] The single broke in to the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 80.[7] On Cashbox magazine's Top 100 Singles chart the single reached No. 83.[8] The single also reached a lower No. 92 on the Record World 100 Top Pops chart.[9]
Track listing
7" vinyl single[5]
- "Roundabout" – 2:51
- "Bossa Nova Hand Dance (Deixa isso prà là)" – 2:06
Charts
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 80 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[2] | 10 |
| US Cashbox Top 100 Singles[8] | 83 |
| US Record World 100 Top Pops[9] | 92 |
Other versions
- Connie Francis also recorded a Japanese version of the song in 1966, released in Japan with the English version as the B-side.[10] She also made a Spanish version, "Mistereosamente", which she released in Spain with the B-side "Milord".
- The song was previously recorded by Petula Clark, but wasn't released.
References
- ^ a b Connie Francis, "Roundabout" Single Release Retrieved May 6, 2023
- ^ a b c "Connie Francis – Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Top Pop Singles 1955–2012. Record Research. pp. 317–318. ISBN 978-0898202052.
- ^ a b Billboard magazine, August 14, 1965. Spotlights: Predicted to the reach the top 60 on the Hot 100, page 16.
- ^ a b c d "Roundabout"/"Bossa Nova Hand Dance (Deixa isso prà là)" (7" vinyl single) (Media notes). Connie Francis. MGM Records. August 1965. K13389.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Record World, Singles Reviews: "Four Stars"" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 20, no. 949. August 14, 1965. p. 12. Retrieved December 31, 2025 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- ^ a b Connie Francis, "Roundabout" Chart Positions Retrieved May 6, 2023
- ^ a b Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffman, Frank (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950–1993. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. pp. 129–130. ISBN 1563083167.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2012). Hit Records 1954–1982. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-200-7.
- ^ "Connie Francis – Roundabout (ラウンドアバウト)". Discogs. Zink Media. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2025.