“Lipstick on Your Collar” is a song written by Edna Lewis (lyrics) and George Goehring (music) which was a 1959 hit single for Connie Francis.
Francis recorded the song 15 April 1959 in a session at Metropolitan Studio (NYC) produced and conducted by Ray Ellis. Veteran guitarist George Barnes contributed a solo to the track.
To provide a contrasting B-side for the upbeat track, a ballad from the same session: “Frankie”, was utilized. This Howard Greenfield/ Neil Sedaka composition was inspired by Frankie Avalon.
“Lipstick on Your Collar” became the first uptempo Connie Francis single to reach the US Top Ten, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1959. That summer the track also reached #3 UK and became Francis’ first Top Ten hit in Australia at #4.
“Frankie” also became a Top Ten hit in the US with a #9 peak making the “Lipstick on Your Collar”/ “Frankie” single the most successful double-sided hit of Francis’ career.
In a 1959 interview, Francis attributed her being the sole songstress then scoring rock and roll hits by saying: “Rock ‘n’ roll is a masculine kind of music” with its mindset of “‘Come on out baby we’re going to rock’..[best] suited for a man to sing…The mistake that many girl singers have made is trying to compete with the men [whereas] I’ve tried for the cute angle in lyrics, things like ‘Lipstick on Your Collar’ and ‘Stupid Cupid’.”
“Lipstick on Your Collar” was recorded in German by Conny as “Lippenstift am Jacket” which reached #131 in Germany in April 1960. That same year an Italian version entitled “Rossetto sul colletto” was recorded by Mina for her Il cielo in una stanza album.
It was the success of the German version of “Lipstick on Your Collar” that alerted Francis to her potential success singing her singles in other languages: she made her first foreign language recording, that being “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” in German, in April 1960.
“Lipstick on Your Collar” was one of several hits remade by Helen Shapiro on her 10 March 1962 album release Tops With Me.
In 1963, Hong Kong female singer CHANG Loo (張露) (1932–2009), covered this song, under title name of Lipsticks On Your Collar/妒人的口紅, in alternate English and Mandarin Chinese language, on her LP album An Evening With Chang Loo with EMI Columbia Records.
In September 1977 Australian punk rock pioneers the Saints had a single release with their remake of “Lipstick on Your Collar”.
The 1981 Elisabeth Andreassen album Angel of the Morning features a cover of “Lipstick on Your Collar”, as does the 1991 album Walking Back to Happiness by Maywood.
Dana had a 1987 single release with a remake of “Lipstick on Your Collar” which did not chart.
A Welsh version entitled “Lipstic ar dy Goler” was recorded by Angharad Davies in 1989, and included on her album “Y Ferch o’r Filltir Sgwâr”.
“Lipstick on Your Collar” was a favorite song to sing for the young Donna Summer.
The song was also used in the off-Broadway musical, “The Marvelous Wonderettes”, a revue of 1950s and 1960s songs.
In 1982 Wisk laundry detergent utilized an adaption of “Lipstick on Your Collar” as a jingle in a radio ad campaign celebrating the product’s twenty-fifth anniversary; the lyrics for the Wisk jingle version were composed by George Goehring who’d written the original song’s music (but not its lyrics).
Connie Francis’ “Lipstick on Your Collar” served as the theme song for the 1993 British television series Lipstick on Your Collar which was set during the Suez Crisis of 1956, three years previous to Francis’ hit single.
By Connie Francis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3WBOWahvI4
Lyrics
When you left me all alone at the record hop
Told me you were goin’ out for a soda pop
You were gone for quite a while — half-an-hour more
You came back and man, oh, man, this is what I saw:
Lipstick on your collar told a tale on you
Lipstick on your collar said you were untrue
Bet your bottom dollar you and I are through
’cause lipstick on your collar told a tale on you! yeah!
You said it belonged to me, made me stop and think
And then I noticed yours was red; mine was baby pink
Who walked in but mary jane, lipstick all a mess?
Were you smoochin’ my best friend? guess the answer’s ‘yes’
Lipstick on your collar told a tale on you
Lipstick on your collar said you were untrue
Bet your bottom dollar you and I are through
’cause lipstick on your collar told a tale on you! boy!
Told a tale on you! man!
Told a tale on you! yeah!