Captivated by the newfound virality of her decades-old song “Pretty Little Baby,” singer Connie Francis has joined TikTok to ride the wave with her own lip-sync version of the catchy tune first released in 1962.
“I’m flabbergasted and excited about the huge buzz my 1962 recording of ‘Pretty Little Baby’ is making all over the world,” the 87-year-old hitmaker said in her first-ever TikTok video. “To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is captivating new generations and audiences is truly overwhelming for me. Thank you, TikTok.”
@connie_francis_official First time I’ve lip-synched to this 63 year old recording of mine!
Francis then joined in the fun already being had by millions to lip-sync the now-iconic lyrics, “You can ask the flowers, I sit for hours / Tellin’ all the bluebirds, the bill and coo birds / Pretty little baby, I’m so in love with you.”
Like so many of her imitators-turned-muses, Francis sang to a pet, caressing her Imperial Shih Tzu, Lexi.
By Wednesday, the clip had 1.2 million views.
Barely a month earlier, Francis had had to ask a friend what “viral” meant and confessed that she had completely forgotten about the song, which was never released as a single, before the TikTok phenom. Since people started crooning her lyrics to pets, children, each other and the camera earlier this year, the song has been used in 17 million videos and racked up more than 27 billion views worldwide via the app, according to ABC News.
Newfound fans were delighted to get a chance to write to their idol directly.
“The Queen has finally addressed her people,” one said, punctuating that with a crown emoji. Another said Francis should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“We adore you!” said another. “Thanks for blessing our lifetime with beautiful music. That will live forever!”
