In the post for “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” I grappled with the problem of admiring The Four Seasons’ style while simultaneously being frustrated by how that style limited the variety of their early ’60s output. True, I still think “Big Girls Don’t Cry” is essentially “Sherry” redux. However, recent close listening of “Walk Like a Man” revealed an aspect of that record I hadn’t noticed before: an unexpected nastiness. Frankie Valli snarls through the verses in a manner anticipating garage rock, while lyrics like “Soon you’ll be cryin’ on account of all your lyin’/Oh yeah, just look who’s laughing now” could be excerpts from the Mick Jagger songbook. The chorus restores the group’s trademark four-part harmony punctuated by Valli’s preternatural falsetto, yet the cheery sing-a-long masks an arch sentiment. Why should you “walk like a man”? Because “no woman’s worth crawling on the earth.” There’s just a light enough touch here that it never descends into misogyny. But the fact that Valli et al. can sing about a woman’s treachery without coming across as self-pitying wimps makes it a welcome anomaly – and perhaps their best song. 7
Hit #1 on March 2, 1963; total of 3 weeks at #1
86 of 976 #1’s reviewed; 8.81% through the Hot 100
No Hard Chords 
Great post. I have to say you have an interesting take on vintage pop. The lyrics to 50s and 60s pop were almost based on a sense of paranoia. Again, always interesting.
Uh Frankie… how singing like a man?
oops meant to say how about singing like a man?