This, That, and the Other

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday theme, Jim Adams has given us “smart” and “stupid.” I decided to reach way, way back into the past with a lightweight song from Connie Francis titled “Stupid Cupid.”

“Stupid Cupid” was written by Howard Greenfield and Neil Sedaka and became a hit for Connie Francis in 1958. Connie had become discouraged from her lack of hit songs since “Who’s Sorry Now” and was searching for a new song to get her back on the charts after her next two songs failed to make the top 40. She said, “I knew I had to come up with a hit on the third record. It was crucial.” Fortunately for Francis, “Stupid Cupid” provided a reasonably strong comeback song, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August of 1958.

Sedaka and Greenfield were two teenager wannabee songwriters with hardly any experience and had been pounding on doors trying to get their songs produced. Sedaka asked a high school friend for a referral and was directed to the offices of Aldon music, which was a new startup from music producers Don Kirshner and Al Nevins. Kirshner listened to the two songwriters’ sales pitch, then thumbed them over to the piano to show him what they had.

Kirshner insisted that songwriters like Sedaka and Greenfield were exactly the kind of talent he’d hoped to find and invited them back to meet Connie Francis. They met at Francis’ home and, thinking that slow ballads were a good match for her style, they played one slow ballad for her after another. She hated them all, commenting that they sounded “too educated” and were putting her to sleep. Neil was actually hesitant to try “Stupid Cupid,” which he thought would be better suited for a girl group, But Greenfield asked him to at least let her hear it, since she didn’t like anything else they had played for her. Neil played a few lines of “Stupid Cupid” for Francis and as soon as she heard it, she started jumping up and down and said, “That’s it! You guys got my next record!”

Here are the lyrics to “Stupid Cupid.”

Stupid Cupid you’re a real mean guy
I’d like to clip your wings so you can’t fly
I’m in love and it’s a crying shame
And I know that you’re the one to blame
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

I can’t do my homework and I can’t think straight
I meet her every morning ’bout half past eight
I’m acting like a lovesick fool
You’ve even got me carrying your books to school
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

You mixed me up for good right from the very start
Hey now, go play Robin Hood with somebody else’s heart

You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don’t feature what you’re putting down
Well since I kissed her loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don’t feature what you’re putting down
Well since I kissed his loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me

Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me