"Let's Hang On!" is a song composed by

Bob Crewe Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. He was known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for the Four Season ...

, Sandy Linzer, and Denny Randell that was popularized by The Four Seasons in 1965. The single reached the No. 3 position in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, the group's highest placement since " Rag Doll" hit the top spot in July 1964. This was the last Four Seasons hit to feature bass singer/bassist Nick Massi. The same month "Let's Hang On!" was released, Massi left the group and was temporarily replaced by the band's arranger Charles Calello before Joe Long came in as Massi's full-time replacement. The popularity of "Let's Hang On!" has been attributed to the inclusion of several devices into the recording: a two-line introduction (sung by lead singer

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice. ...

), the use of two fuzz guitars (one guitarist playing low notes, another playing high notes on a fuzz bass), a chorus loaded with hooks and sung in

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentou ...

, and backing vocals giving counterpoint with Valli's lead vocal. It re-established the group's presence in the Top Ten (of the Hot 100) as The Four Seasons were in a flurry of activity, recording albums both as The Four Seasons and as supporting musicians for Valli's rekindled "solo" career. In the UK, the song was a No. 4 hit for the group. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described the song as having a "hard-driving dance rhythm." '' Cash Box'' described it as a "hard-rockin’ fast-moving rhythmic ode about a lucky fella who is mighty pleased that he’s fortunate enough to have met the girl of his dreams." The single's B-side, "On Broadway Tonight", was the theme of a CBS-TV variety series (1964–1965) hosted by

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch pol ...

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Barry Manilow cover

In 1981, the song was revived by

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

who hit No. 6 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart and No. 32 on the Hot 100. The single climbed to No. 12 in the United Kingdom and was certified silver, while peaking at No. 4 in Australia, No. 16 in Germany and No. 8 in Ireland.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other cover versions

In 1966

Jan & Dean Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music style ...

recorded "Let's Hang On!" for their 1966 ''Filet Of Soul'' album. In 1969

Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon were an American vocal soul group, prominent in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Career Originally known simply as The Bandwagon, they were formed in 1967 and featured Artie Fullilove, Billy Bradley, Terry Lewis and ...

covered the song and took it to No. 36 in the UK singles chart. Australian soft rock group,

Dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primaril ...

, provided their rendition in 1975. In 1980, the song was covered by British doo-wop band

Darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the ...

who took it to No.11 in the UK singles chart. This was the band's last UK top 40 single. In March 1990, British band The Shooting Party covered the song. It peaked at 66.url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/23073/shooting-party/ In 1995,

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer is a Grammy award–winning vocal group founded in 1969 that has explored a cappella, vocalese, swing, standards, Brazilian jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music. There have been two editions of the Manhattan Transfer, ...

covered the song on their album '' Tonin''', featuring lead guest vocals by the original singer

. The album reached No. 123 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artist ...

References

{{authority control The Four Seasons (band) songs Jan and Dean songs 1965 singles 1966 singles 1982 singles Cashbox number-one singles Songs written by Bob Crewe Songs written by Sandy Linzer Song recordings produced by Bob Crewe The Manhattan Transfer songs 1965 songs Philips Records singles Arista Records singles Songs written by Denny Randell Barry Manilow songs