Sherry (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Sherry" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Four Seasons | ||||
| from the album Sherry & 11 Others | ||||
| B-side | "I've Cried Before" | |||
| Released | August 1962[1] | |||
| Recorded | July 1962 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:32 | |||
| Label | Vee-Jay | |||
| Songwriter | Bob Gaudio | |||
| Producer | Bob Crewe | |||
| The Four Seasons singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Sherry" is a song written by Bob Gaudio and recorded by the Four Seasons.
According to Gaudio, the song took about 15 minutes to write and was originally titled "Jackie Baby" (in honor of then-First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy).[5] In a 1968 interview, Gaudio said that the song was inspired by the 1961 Bruce Channel hit "Hey! Baby".[6]
At the studio, the name was changed to "Terri Baby", and eventually to "Sherry", the name of the daughter of Gaudio's best friend, New York DJ Jack Spector. One of the names that Gaudio pondered for the song was "Peri Baby", which was the name of the record label for which Bob Crewe worked, named after the label owner's daughter.
The single's B-side was "I've Cried Before". Both tracks were included in the group's subsequent album release, Golden Hits of the 4 Seasons (1963).[7]
In 2023, "Sherry" was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[8]
Charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[15] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Reception
Valli recalled in 2026 that Detroit was the first city where the record became a regional hit.[17] Not long after, "Sherry" drew the attention of WPOP in Hartford, Connecticut, a radio station known for its aggressive seeking out of new hit records; WPOP overnight host Joey Reynolds soon placed the record into heavy rotation.[18] "Sherry" became the band's first nationally released single and their first number one hit, reaching the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on September 15, 1962. It remained at number one for five consecutive weeks, and number one on the R&B charts for one week.[19] "Sherry" became the first single by The Four Seasons to go to number one on the R&B charts.
