Neil Sedaka died last Friday.

He was one of the most distinctive pop acts of the late 1950s and early 1960s before the advent of The Beatles overturned everything.

His many songwriting credits include Stupid Cupid, a 1958 hit for Connie Francis, and Love Will Keep Us Together (Captain and Tenille, 1975.) (Is This the Way to) Amarillo (1971) eventually became a big hit for Tony Christie – aided by Peter Kay’s video – in 2005.

Sedaka’s own hits include Calendar Girl, Little Devil, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.

He kind of reinvented himself as a singer-songwriter in the 1970s with a more adult-oriented approach.

Here’s a live performance from 1975.

Neil Sedaka: Laughter in the Rain

This one was a hit for The Carpenters but this is a Sedaka performance-

Neil Sedaka: Solitaire

Though he had an earlier hit with I Go Ape this was the song which really announced him in the UK in 1959.

Neil Sedaka: Oh! Carol

Neil Sedaka: 13/3/1939 – 27/2/2026. So it goes.

Another voice from my (extreme) youth has gone. 1950s and 60s songstress Connie Francis has died.

Her prime time was mostly in the late 50s, “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Stupid Cupid,” but her hits had more or less dried up by the time the Beatles came along.

This was a no 3 in the UK but was a b-side in the US, of a song called “Frankie” of which I had never heard before looking her career up.

Connie Francis: Lipstick on Your Collar

Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (Connie Francis:) 12/121937 – 16/7/2025. So it goes.