In the second half of the Eighties many classic songs fell victim to the remix fad of the day. Many songs were remixed by DJ's with or without talent. Some results were quite terrible, others made the song slightly more appealing to the audience at the time.
Dutch DJ and producer Ben Liebrand remixed 'Oh what a night' by the Four Seasons featuring Frankie Valli and re-released it as a single. The single didn't chart in 1988, but it was an interesting remix nonetheless.
So what happened in December 1963? The song was originally about the end of prohibition - the period from 1920-1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned nationally in the USA - with the title 'December 5th, 1933', but the lyric was changed at the urgings of Frankie Valli and lyricist Judy Parker. Instead, the song became a nostalgic remembrance of a young man's 'first time' with a woman.
The single was released in December 1986 and reached number 1 in the UK singles chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as peaking at number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 4555 Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'December, 1963 (Oh what a night)' / 'Slip away'