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Oh What A Night

Frankie Valli's 1976 hit reminds me of the night I almost died

By Cheryl E PrestonPublished 4 years ago Updated 2 years ago 5 min read
Second Place in Behind the Beat Challenge
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Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

Oh what a night it was, New Years Eve 1975 and about 15 minutes before midnight. I had no idea my life was about to change, and that Frankie Valli's current hit would be a part of the process. December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" is actually a song by the group the Four Seasons, with Frankie Valli as their leader. This recording was written by Bob Gaudio, the original keyboardist for the group and his future wife Judy Parker. The song featured drummer Gerry Polci on lead vocals, with Valli singing backing vocals and the bridge sections. Don Ciccone the former lead singer of The Critters played base and sang the falsetto part of "And I felt a rush like a rolling ball of thunder, spinning my head around and taking my body under." December 63 reached number one in both the UK and the United States. I recall that during my senior year in high school there was a barn dance in the gym, complete with bales of hay. Just as I walked in and sat down December 63 began to play. I'm not certain, but this may have been my first time hearing it and I loved it right away. According to Wikepedia, this was the last hit for the Four Seasons as a group, but as a solo artist, Frankie Valli had another record breaker with Grease.

Back to the night of December 31, 1976, my two brothers and I lived with my grandma, who had gone to the watch meeting at church to ring in the New Year. I had been sitting in a living room chair talking on the telephone and my youngest brother was on the couch. He was examining a 12 gauge shot gun he had found in the back of the closet under the steps. My grandmother's sister, my great aunt had asked her to keep it so that her son, my cousin would not get into trouble. As I stood up to walk across the room, my brother called my name and said, "I'm going to shoot you and he did. I heard the sound of the blast but did not feel any pain. What I did notice was that I had absolutely no feeling in my left arm. Later it was revealed that a friend had told my sibling there was no ammunition in the weapon and my grandmother had believed the same. My sibling thought he was playing a game, but it was very real.

I was wearing a blue jean jacket that night and instinctively put my right hand on my left shoulder. I called for my brother Bill to come down from his bedroom and said to him, "Go to church and get grandma, Bobby has shot my arm off". Because I could not feel anything, I actually believed my arm was hanging loose inside my jacket. I went to the phone and called my mother who lived in the nearby city. I explained what had happened and then I dialed 0 for the operator and related my story to her. Years later, people were amazed at my presence of mind at age 17, to make all these decisions after being shot. I even recalled that it was important not to go into shock so I did not take my jacket off and look at my arm. I went to sit in the chair and I could hear my brother's cassette player with music going.

I recall seeing my brother sitting at the top of the steps looking frightened and then I focused on myself. From the moment I was shot, everything became fuzzy and hazy as if I were going to black out, but I did not. I recall saying out loud, "I'm dying". The next thing I remember is hearing my grandma scream and seeing faces of neighbors and church members. I was lying on the floor in the hallway and I raised my head to look up. I had heard so many stories about people who saw deceased loved one beckoning to them, when they were about to transition into eternity, but I saw nothing. I could hear Neil Sedaka's song Bad blood ending on my brother's cassette player and the next recording was Frankie Valley singing Oh what a night, late December back in 63. I'm thinking Oh what a night I'm having in December 75, but by this time it was actually January 1976.

As the paramedic's worked on me I asked if I were going to die and I blacked out before I got the answer. I found out the pellets from the shotgun blast ricocheted of the bone in my arm and stopped three inches from my heart. Some people might say it was the distance, angle and trajectory of the gun but others have expressed their opinion that it was Divine intervention. I ended up with a collapsed lung and a breathing tube was inserted. I spent 10 days in the hospital and wore a cast on my arm for eight weeks. Every time I heard Frankie Valli's tune, I had mixed emotions. I felt embarrassed that I had gone through this ordeal, thankful I did not die and sorry that it ever happened. The first New Year's Eve after I was shot, I was visiting the young man who would become my husband. Just before midnight I crouched in the floor, afraid of the sound of fire crackers, and I remember he held me until all the noise was over. For decades I jumped at cars backfiring and other loud noises.

Now when I hear December 63, I am reminded of escaping death from gun violence which is so prevalent today. I am fortunate and blessed that those BB like pellets did not penetrate my heart and I was spared the fate of an early death that has befallen so many others. For the past decade, December 63, (Oh what a night) has been my go to song for inspiration. I randomly pull it up on the Internet, crank up the volume and sing along and dance. The upbeat tempo makes me happy and it's great exercise music. Sometimes I used to wonder why I survived being shot when so many others did not, but now I use it as inspiration. When life gets me down, I tell myself I am invincible, and no matter what comes my way I will get through it.

70s music
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About the Creator

Cheryl E Preston

Cheryl is a widow who enjoys writing about current events, soap spoilers and baby boomer nostalgia. Tips are greatly appreciated.

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