Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)

For other uses, see Op. 17.

"Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)" is a song composed by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell and recorded by The Four Seasons in 1966 for their album Working My Way Back to You.

"Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)"
Single by The Four Seasons
from the album 2nd Vault of Gold Hits
B-side	"Beggar's Parade (from the album Workin' My Way Back to You and More Great New Hits)"
Released	May 1966[1]
Genre	Pop-soul[2] blue-eyed soul[3]
Length	2:32
Label	Philips
Songwriter(s)	Sandy Linzer-Denny Randell
Producer(s)	Bob Crewe
The Four Seasons singles chronology
"Peanuts" (1966) "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)" (1966) "On The Good Ship Lollipop" (1966)

Background

"Opus 17" was the first hit with new full-time bassist and bass vocalist Joe Long.^[4] The title meant that this was the 17th single released by the Four Seasons.

As was the case with another Linzer-Randell contribution to the Four Seasons catalog, "Let's Hang On!", "Opus 17" features a rhythmic vocal hook within each verse, but, unlike in most Four Seasons singles up to that point, the song uses very little falsetto from Frankie Valli other than in the closing coda; by 1966, Valli was tiring of singing falsetto and, over the next several years, would begin singing music that did not require it.^[5] The song begins in F-sharp major, and goes up by half scale, until it reaches the coda in B major.

Billboard praised the "excellent vocal and instrumental production."^[6] Cash Box described the song as a "pulsating, blues-soaked romancer with an infectious, Seasons-associated repeating, danceable riff."^[7] Record World said it "gets rolling like mad and then modulates upward."^[8]

Chart history

The song was released as the official follow-up to "Working My Way Back to You" and reached the #13 position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.^[9]

Chart (1966)	Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles[10]	33
New Zealand (Listener)[11]	9
South Africa (Springbok)[12]	12
UK[13]	20
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[14]	13
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[15]	9

References

1. The Four Seasons; Frankie Valli (1991), Greatest Hits, Volume 2, Internet Archive, Warner Special Products, retrieved 2023-01-30
2. A. Guarisco, Robert. "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me) song review". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
3. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "1966: The London Look". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
4. Miller, Stuart; Long, Joe. "The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette Fansite - Joe Long: His Story". The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette. Archived from the original on 24 July 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
5. Willman, Chris (2014-06-06). "Frankie Valli on Jersey Boys and His Unlikely Success: 'The Way I Grew Up, It Was Basically Against All Odds'". Parade. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
6. "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. May 14, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
7. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 14, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
8. "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. May 21, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
9. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 297.
10. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1966-06-27. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
11. Flavour of New Zealand, 26 August 1966
12. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
13. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 210. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
14. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
15. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, 1966