Top 10 Frankie Avalon Songs

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Top 10 Frankie Avalon Songs presents the best Frankie Avalon Songs including his big hits like “Venus,” “Why,” “DeDe Dinah” and many more. The American singer, actor, and producer known as Frankie Avalon began his career in the entertainment industry as a member of the vocal group known as The Teenagers. While the group itself didn’t have much success, Avalon’s star quality shone so brightly that it earned him a recording contract. Born and raised by Italian parents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Avalon first made his network television appearance in 1952, playing the trumpet on The Jackie Gleason Show.

Teen Idol

Avalon’s appeal as a teen idol began after a trio of hit songs won over the fan base, especially young ladies. Starting in 1957, Avalon’s first single, “Why,” placed the young man on the radar as a premier performer on the radio charts that would soon earn him starring roles in several movies. It was also in 1957 that he starred in Jamboree, which included his bandmates from The Teenagers as they performed many of the songs featured in the movie. For Avalon, the combination of his debut single and his debut acting role launched him into superstardom that ultimately made him a household name like an Elvis Presley or a Paul Anka. Come 1960, Avalon became even more popular as his single, “Everybody” served as a bridge to winning over more than just a teenage audience.

Wanting to specialize in more than just one niche in the entertainment industry, Frankie Avalon remained prolific in acting, singing, and production clean through into the late 1960s. This included his roles as an actor as the mid-1960s saw Avalon wishing to move away from beach-related movies into something different. In exchange for surf and sand themes, Avalon appeared in 1966’s Fireball 500 as a stock car racer before a mix of comedic and serious roles that eventually lead him to 1978’s box office hit, Grease. His performance of “Beauty School Dropout” earned Avalon an entirely new generation of fans.

Frankie Avalon Legacy

Frankie Avalon’s discography has seven studio albums to his credit, along with a compilation album, and forty-one released singles. The first of his albums was a self-titled release in 1958 via Chancellor Records and was followed by two albums released in 1959, starting with Swingin’ on a Rainbow, then The Young Frankie Avalon. 1960’s recording and release of Summer Scene was followed up with 1961’s …And Now About Mr. Avalon and A Whole Lotta Frankie. Still going strong as a recording artist, Italiano was released in 1962 as the eighth and final studio album while signed with Chancellor Records. In 1962 there was a non-label release of Frankie Avalon’s Christmas Album and finally, 2002’s compilation album was released through the Varese Sarabande label, 25 All-Time-Greatest Hits.

The album featuring most of Frankie Avalon’s top hits during the earlier part of his career, The Hit Makers, also featured another teen idol of the time, Fabian Forte. Released in 1960 by Chancellor records, the first six tracks belong to Avalon while the final six to Fabian. In 1976, via De-Lite Records, released an album, Venus, which featured some of Frankie Avalon’s greatest hits. However, aside from the discotheque version of the title track, the rest of the music was a mix of re-recordings and cover versions of some greatest hits belonging to other artists.

#10 – A Boy Without a Girl

Released in 1959 from the album, The Hit Makers, “A Boy Without a Girl” became a number ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. This beautiful ballad featured lyrically confess his love interest has put light into his world that was otherwise dark and lonely. For Avalon, the narrative behind “A Boy Without a Girl” was like living in a void where something was missing in his life that made it feel empty. At just under two minutes long, this touching love song was, and still is, a slow dance favorite for couples who enjoy this easy-listening favorite.

#9 – Just Ask Your Heart

Released in 1960, “Just Ask Your Heart” was a single from the album, The Hit Makers. Frankie Avalon’s gentle delivery of this tender song continues to serve as an ideal cheer-up song as it did when it first came out. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it was a number seven hit, earning a spot in the hearts of fans who enjoyed this pick-me-up classic, perhaps taking in the lyrically sound advice given by Avalon.

#8 – Bobby Sox to Stockings

On the US Billboard Hot 100, “Bobby Sox to Stockings” became a number eight hit after it was released in 1959 from the album, The Hit Makers. On the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it peaked as high as number seven. In this lyrical tale, Frankie Avalon sang about a girl changing from “Bobby Sox to Stockings” as an indication she is inching closer to the maturity of womanhood. Fun-loving and touching at the same time, Avalon’s delivery of this song perhaps served as a friendly piece of advice to the young men to pay attention that the young woman is doing much more than simply changing her wardrobe.

#7 – Beauty School Dropout

Grease fans may remember Frankie Avalon’s on-screen musical performance of “Beauty School Dropout” from the 1978 movie. Frankie Avalon’s performance was popular enough to pass as one of his signature songs and brought a new wave of fans from a generation whose parents already knew him as a household name twenty years prior. Even though “Beauty School Dropout” didn’t make a serious chart appearance on any of the official musical billboards, it was enough to maintain an everlasting impression that still remains a favorite to this day. In the movie, the character known as Frenchie briefly dropped out of high school in favor of becoming a beautician before her teen angel, played by Frankie Avalon, appears before her in a musical dream as a means to convince her to rethink her career path.

#6 – I’ll Wait for You

“I’ll Wait for You” was a 1960 ballad that saw Frankie Avalon at his finest, performing as a man in love with a girl whom he’s waiting for will return to his loving arms. From the album, The Hit Makers, “I’ll Wait for You” made the teens who swooned over Avalon virtually melt into the lyrics, perhaps hoping somewhere she’d be that special lady whom Avalon was addressing. On the US Billboard Hot 100, “I’ll Wait for You” peaked at number fifteen, performing even better on the charts than the song that was released on the A-side of this record, “What Little Girl.” “I’ll Wait for You” is one of the many hit singles featured on Avalon’s compilation album, The Hit Makers.

#5 – Ginger Bread

From the album, A Whole Lotta Frankie, “Ginger Bread” was a dance single that hit the charts after it was released in 1958. This song became a number nine hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, a number ten hit on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and Avalon’s first international hit as it peaked at number thirty on the UK Singles Chart. Playful from start to finish, “Ginger Bread” featured Frankie Avalon addressing his love interest as a spirited young woman whose mother felt she was still too young to date the handsome teen idol.

#4 – Where Are You

“Where Are You” was a 1958 hit from the album, Venus, and peaked as high as number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. The desperate ballad of looking for his lost love saw Frankie Avalon once again remind the fans why he had earned his role as one of the entertainment industry’s most elite performers of all time. This easy listening narrative witnessed Avalon seeking a love he could spend the rest of his life with as the ideal soulmate for the ages. Sweet and sentimental, “Where Are You” was one of those classic favorites at the time that made the young ladies swoon, each of them perhaps fancying themselves as that perfect woman Avalon’s lyrics was directed to.

#3 – DeDe Dinah

1958’s “DeDe Dinah” comes as a dance favorite from the album, Venus. Avalon’s interest in the woman whom he’s already labeled as “Venus” is one whom he refers to as the object of desire for many boys who look upon her and see what he sees. On the US Billboard Hot 100, “DeDe Dinah” peaked at number seven and it was also a number eight hit on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. For Avalon, it was the first time he realized a hit on both of these charts but it certainly wasn’t the last.

#2 – Why

In 1957, Frankie Avalon recorded and released his first number one hit single, “Why.” On a national level, it became a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 while on an international level it peaked as high as number twenty in the UK. This song was partly responsible for hurling him among the most idolized entertainers in the industry that lasted until the early 1960s. From the compilation album, The Hit Makers, “Why” served as one of many hit singles that made this superstar so popular among the fans as early as 1952.

The inspiration behind “Why” came from an Italian song and Avalon’s performance was enough to inspire recording artists to cover it, including Donny Osmond’s 1972 version that peaked as high as number three in the UK, as well as peaking at number thirteen on the US Billboard Hot 100.

#1 – Venus

Frankie Avalon’s “Venus” was iconic enough to become his main signature hit after it was released as a single in 1960. From the album, The Hit Makers, this upbeat song is about a woman whose appearance is so breathtaking in Avalon’s eyes that he refers to her as “Venus.” Whether it’s the original 1960 version of the disco style from 1976, “Venus” has become and remained a solid favorite among the fans of Frankie Avalon.

It was number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as in Belgium, and was a number ten hit on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In the UK, “Venus” peaked at number sixteen as Avalon’s most popular single in that nation. In 1976, when the disco version of this single was released, it became a number forty-six hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Although both songs are popular hits in their own right, both Avalon and many of his long-time fans agree nothing beats the original.