Connie Francis sings "Never on Sunday" (full title as on cover: Connie Francis sings "Never on Sunday" and Other Title Songs From Motion Pictures) is a studio album of songs from motion pictures recorded by U. S.EntertainerConnie Francis:
"Anna" (a. k. a. "El bayon", a. k. a. "El negro zumbón") from the 1951 film Anna
The album was recorded on August 10 and 11, 1961, at Owen Bradley's studio Bradley Film & Recording in Nashville. Arrangements were provided by Cliff Parman who also conducted the sessions. Background vocals came from Millie Kirkham and The Jordanaires.[1]
Francis first collaboration at Bradley Film & Recording with Parman, Kirkham, The Jordanaires and Owen Bradley's team of musicians(resulting in her first use of the Nashville Sound) had taken place in January 1961 when recording Let the rest of the world go by (which would remain unreleased until 1996) and Someone Else's Boy.[2] The latter was released as a single in the U. S. A. and failed to make the charts. But the international impact of the song was enormous. Francis recorded it in seven other languages, and with the exception of the Dutch version - which remained unreleased until 1988[3] - all foreign-language versions reached at least the Top Twenty in their respective countries, the German version even topping the Munich charts for several weeks, giving Francis her biggest German hit to date.[4]
In the wake of this success, Francis returned to Nashville several times to record further singles and albums with Bradley's highly prolific team of musicians and arrangers until her contract with MGM Records ended in 1969.[5]"Connie Francis sings 'Never on Sunday'" was the first of these album projects to be released. Another album, "Connie Francis sings Folk Song Favorites", had been recorded two days before on August 8 and 9, 1961 but was released later.
^Ron Roberts: Connie Francis 1960–1962, supplement to 5 CD Boxed Set Kissin', Twistin', Goin' Where The Boys Are, Bear Family Records BCD 16 826 AH, Hambergen (Germany) 1996