"Beggin'" is a song composed by Bob Gaudio and Peggy Farina and first released as a single by American band the Four Seasons in 1967. Initially charting at number 16 in the US Billboard Chart, the song became popular in the Northern soul scene in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. It has been covered multiple times, with versions by Norwegian hip-hop duo Madcon and Italian rock band Måneskin topping music charts in Europe and beyond. The Four Seasons' version was remixed in 2007 by French DJ Pilooski and re-released as a single, reaching number 32 in the UK Singles Chart, commercially outperforming the band's original release in the UK.

Quick Facts '", Single by the Four Seasons ...
"Beggin'"
Thumb
Single by the Four Seasons
from the album New Gold Hits
B-side"Dody"
ReleasedFebruary 1967[1]
GenreNorthern soul[2]
Length2:48
LabelPhilips
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bob Crewe
The Four Seasons singles chronology
"Tell It to the Rain"
(1966)
"Beggin'"
(1967)
"C'mon Marianne"
(1967)
Official audio
"Beggin'" on YouTube
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Original version

Keyboardist-songwriter Bob Gaudio had not written a Four Seasons single since 1965's "Girl Come Running", although he had written or co-written almost every hit for the band up to then.

"Beggin'", the second single from the Four Seasons' New Gold Hits album in 1967, marked Gaudio's "return" as the Seasons' songwriter, with a combination of Frankie Valli's impassioned soul singing and the band's more contemporary instrumentation. It was also the first Seasons single since "Dawn (Go Away)" on which Gaudio collaborated with a lyricist other than producer Bob Crewe, as lyrics were contributed by Peggy Farina (better known as Peggy Santiglia of the Angels, who sang lead on the 1963 hit "My Boyfriend's Back" and was frequently used as a background singer by Crewe).

The song, backed with "Dody" as a B-side, reached number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100, continuing the group's string of Billboard top-20 hits.[3] However, it was overshadowed by Valli's "solo" recording of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", a Gaudio-Crewe composition, which rose to number two. It was the last Gaudio composition for the Four Seasons to chart in the top 20 until 1975's "Who Loves You".

The song is included in Act Two of the Broadway musical about the Four Seasons, Jersey Boys, in which the Seasons (here anachronistically including Nick Massi) beg mob boss Gyp DeCarlo to help them bail fellow band member Tommy DeVito out of his gambling debts. The Jersey Boys version featuring Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Ryan Molloy and John Lloyd Young was released on the Jersey Boys (soundtrack) in 2014. The song was used as the main theme of an ad campaign for Adidas, celebrating the company's 60th anniversary.[citation needed]

Retrospectively, the song has been highly regarded by music critics as a strong example of the Four Seasons' vocal and arrangement abilities. Donald A. Guarisco, writing for AllMusic, described the song as "one of their finest entries" in the genre of the soul ballad, and also commended the song's "funky groove" and "Phil Spector-styled production".[4] Chris DeVille, writing for Stereogum, characterized the song as featuring a "contagiously upbeat drum part", and suggested that its sound was an early predecessor to hip-hop music.[5]

Pilooski remix

In 2007, French disc jockey Pilooski re-edited and released his version of the Four Seasons song. This version reached number 32 in the UK and number one on the UK Dance Chart.[6][7] It is the first single from the album Beggin': The Ultimate Collection. The Pilooski re-edit does not include any new instrumentation or vocals but is purely a manipulation and remix of the original Four Seasons recording, using echo and phase-polarisation.

Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[8] Silver 200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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Madcon version

Quick Facts '", Single by Madcon ...
"Beggin'"
Thumb
Cover used on most European releases
Single by Madcon
from the album So Dark the Con of Man
ReleasedOctober 25, 2007 (2007-10-25)[9]
Length3:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Hitesh Ceon, Kim Ofstad, Jonny Sjo
Madcon singles chronology
"Infidelity"
(2004)
"Beggin'"
(2007)
"Back on the Road"
(2008)
Alternative cover
Thumb
US cover
Music video
"Beggin" on YouTube
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In 2007, the same year as the Pilooski remix, Norwegian hip-hop duo Madcon released a new version of the song with tweaked lyrics and added rap verses. Madcon's version of the song is a total re-recording, with all instruments performed by production team 3Elementz (Hitesh Ceon, Kim Ofstad, Jonny Sjo) and all vocals by Madcon. This version reached number one on Norway's VG-lista chart for 12 nonconsecutive weeks and received the "Hit of the Year" Spellemannprisen award.

The single also became popular throughout Europe; in France, the Netherlands, and the Wallonia region of Belgium, it peaked at number one. It reached number five in the United Kingdom and number seven in Germany. Overall, "Beggin'" was Europe's 11th-most-successful single of 2008. The music video features Yosef Wolde-Mariam and Tshawe Baqwa in a mix of Blaxploitation scenes and dozing off while playing Halo 3 and was directed by Christian Holm-Glad.

Following the success of Måneskin's cover in 2021, Madcon's version saw a rise in popularity. As a result, the duo teamed up with Canadian DJ Frank Walker for a remix released on July 16, 2021.[10]

Track listings

French CD single[11]

  1. "Beggin'" (original version) – 3:38
  2. "Beggin'" (Uscar version) – 3:38

German enhanced maxi-single[12]

  1. "Beggin'" (original version) – 3:38
  2. "Beggin'" (Phreak Inc. remix) – 4:11
  3. "Beggin'" (Demolition Disco remix) – 5:41
  4. "Beggin'" (DJ Size Rocfam remix) – 3:09
  5. "Beggin'" (video) – 3:41

Digital download[9]

  1. "Beggin'" – 3:38

Digital download – Frank Walker remix[13]

  1. "Beggin'" (Frank Walker remix) – 3:14

Charts

More information Chart (2007–2009), Peak position ...
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Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...
Certifications and sales for "Beggin'"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[66] Gold  
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[67] Gold 45,000
France (SNEP)[68] Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[69] Gold 150,000^
Italy (FIMI)[70] Gold 35,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[71] Platinum 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] Platinum 600,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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Måneskin version

Quick Facts '", Promotional single by Måneskin ...
"Beggin'"
Thumb
Live version cover
Promotional single by Måneskin
from the EP Chosen
ReleasedDecember 8, 2017
Recorded2017
StudioMetropolis Studio Milano
Genre
Length3:31
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Lucio Fabbri
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Italian rock band Måneskin performed a cover of the song during the eleventh season of X Factor Italia. A studio version of the song later appeared on their debut extended play Chosen, released in 2017. Recording sessions for the Chosen EP took place at the Metropolis in Milan, and mostly occurred at night, while the band was still competing on the show, and lasted only a few days. They were held at the recording studio owned by Lucio Fabbri, who served as the track's producer.[73] Fabbri described the recording process for "Beggin'" as the result of a low-budget session. The song was "almost recorded live", in a spontaneous manner which, according to him, helped to preserve the "human component, which disappeared in today's music, often processed and filtered".[73] Their cover largely follows the structure of the Madcon version, including the rap verse. Although it was not released as a single, it peaked at number 39 on the Italian Singles Chart and in 2018 received a gold certification by FIMI in their native country.

Following the band's Eurovision victory in late May 2021, the song alongside the band's other releases started appearing on music charts across Europe and beyond; viral success for the song on video sharing service TikTok soon followed.[74] "Beggin'" has reached number one on the weekly charts in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Switzerland, the top five in Australia, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, and the top ten in Canada, Denmark, India, Philippines, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

On its first charting week on the UK Singles Chart (issue date June 24, 2021),[75] the song debuted at number 73, but in the following The Official Chart: First Look Top 20, it moved 56 places to number 17.[76][77] In the second charting week it peaked at number 10, becoming the band's third UK Top 20 hit in less than a month, and as their song "I Wanna Be Your Slave" charted again in the Top 10 it was the first time they simultaneously had two songs in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, thus becoming the first Italian act and the first Eurovision-associated act to achieve this.[78][79] On its third charting week in the UK it peaked at number 7.[80] It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 78, later peaking at number 13, and has also reached the top five on the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts.[74]

Their cover received a nomination for Favorite Trending Song at the American Music Awards of 2021, where they also performed the song, eventually losing to Megan Thee Stallion's "Body".[81][82] They also performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, during the January 22, 2022 episode of Saturday Night Live, during the twenty-first season of The Voice USA, and on the final of the fifteenth season of X Factor Italia, returning as guests four years after their first performance there as contestants.[83][84][85][86][87]

A live recording of the song was released as a digital single on September 27, 2021.[88]

Charts

More information Chart (2017–2022), Peak position ...
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Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...
Certifications and sales for "Beggin'"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[185] 4× Platinum 280,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[186] 3× Platinum 90,000
Belgium (BEA)[187] Platinum 40,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[188] 2× Diamond 320,000
Canada (Music Canada)[189] 5× Platinum 400,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[190] Platinum 90,000
France (SNEP)[191] Diamond 333,333
Germany (BVMI)[192] 3× Gold 600,000
Italy (FIMI)[193] 4× Platinum 400,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[194] Diamond 300,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[195] Platinum 30,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[196] Platinum 60,000
Poland (ZPAV)[197] 3× Platinum 150,000
Portugal (AFP)[198] 3× Platinum 30,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[199] 3× Platinum 180,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[200] Gold 10,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[201] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[202] 4× Platinum 4,000,000
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[203] 2× Platinum 4,000,000
Sweden (GLF)[204] 2× Platinum 16,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

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Other cover versions

Samples

  • In 2011, the rapper Logic sampled the Madcon version on his song Beggin, which is in his debut mixtape Young Sinatra.
  • Coincidentally, another artist named Logic sampled "Beggin'" in his 2007 song "Begging You".
  • The Yeah Yeah Yeahs borrowed a piano riff and a piece of lyric from the song in their own composition "Burnin'."[208]

Uses in the media

  • In 2009, many remixes similar to the Pilooski remix of the original "Beggin'" were used in adidas' "House Party" commercial featuring many celebrities past and present who were sponsored by the company, which was promoting 60 years of "outfitting the world in three stripes." Celebrities who make an appearance in the commercial include David Beckham, Missy Elliott, Katy Perry, The Ting Tings, Kevin Garnett, Young Jeezy, Russell Simmons, Estelle, Redman, Method Man and Ilie Năstase, among others. One of these remixes was made by aKido and can be found on his soundcloud page.
  • The song was used as part of the BBC's coverage of the 2009/2010 Formula One Championship, primarily during course run-through.
  • Also in 2009, the Madcon cover of "Beggin'" was used by HBO as a theme for its summer programming. "Beggin'" was on the NBA Live 2009 video game soundtrack.[209]
  • The song is also used: in a scene in the film Just Go With It; in part of the Bad Teacher trailer; as the song for the 24th Street part in the Tilt Mode Army skateboarding video; in the film Step Up 3D; and in the film Macaframa.
  • The Madcon version of "Beggin'" was sung by the winning contestant from American Idol (season 11), Phillip Phillips in the final three performance night. Matthew Fisher has stated that he got the idea for the chord sequence for his composition "Repent Walpurgis" on Procol Harum's first album from the Four Seasons' "Beggin'".
  • The song saw a resurgence in 2021 on TikTok thanks to Måneskin's cover, when it was first uploaded as a sound by user tvdposts.[210] Its rise in popularity was particularly boosted through its usage by user Charli D'Amelio.[211]
  • The original version by the Four Seasons was used in the episode "Dangling Man" in the third season of the Netflix series The Crown when young Camilla Shand is on her way to visit the Prince of Wales in Buckingham Palace.
  • The original version of the song was used in the 2023 film The Iron Claw.

See also

References

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