5 Classic Hits from Rock and Roll Legend Dion

Dion DiMucci burst onto the scene as one of the most successful acts to emerge from the doo-wop genre, both with his backing group the Belmonts and on his own. He managed to adjust to changing tastes to ensure a long career, developing into an outstanding songwriter along the way.

We decided to pop around to various points in his career to pick five wonderful songs that represent his versatility. Some were big hits, some weren’t. In our book, they’re all classics.

“A Teenager in Love”

DiMucci was 19 when this single, his first smash hit, was released in 1959, so he technically qualified for the title. The song was written by the legendary team of Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus, who proved with this one they could even pen one for the teenybopper set and still make it sound sophisticated and elegant. It helped they had such an amazing vocalist at their disposal. The easy thing for Dion to do here would have been to oversell it. Instead, he caresses the melody and allows the natural personality in his voice to carry the woebegone tale.

“Runaround Sue”

Even though Dion came up out of the doo-wop scene, his breakthrough hit “A Teenager in Love” was more of a straight rock ballad. “Runaround Sue,” however, showed his command of the street-corner vocal vibe. DiMucci came up with the rhythmic thrust of the song, along with the structure of the memorable backing vocals. His buddy Ernie Maresca helped him flesh out the lyrics, which tell the story of a girl who can’t be trusted to stay faithful. DiMucci’s vocal improvisations lift a solid song to another dimension.

“The Wanderer”

Since he had called out “Runaround Sue” in his previous hit single, it was only fair for DiMucci to change things up and play the role of the philanderer. Before we even talk about the song itself (written by Ernie Maresca), how about the vibrancy of the recording? Dion lords over it all with his inimitable swagger, and he’s surrounded by musicians that match him at every turn, especially Jerome Richardson with his gritty saxophone work. The lyrics might come off as boastful, but the narrator hints at an inner sorrow that no amount of girlfriends can quite douse.

“Abraham, Martin and John”

DiMucci’s life and career had fallen on hard times by 1968, as his style of the early ’60s, vocal-driven song had fallen out of favor with the rock explosion. He was fortunate enough to have this topical folk song brought to him by songwriter Dick Holler. To his credit, he understood its worth as a barometer of the troubled times, as the song touches on the premature deaths of world leaders through history. The unfortunate part of the message is how the frequency of these tragedies seemed to increase in the tumultuous ’60s, and the ache in Dion’s voice translates that unspoken part perfectly.

“New York City Song”

Born to Be with You, released in 1975, should have been Dion’s big comeback album, considering he was working with Phil Spector. Unfortunately, by that time, Spector’s reputation far exceeded what he actually brought to the table, and he encased the songs in dreary atmospherics that robbed them of their vigor. “New York City Song,” written by DiMucci with Bill Tuohy, was one of the tracks that escaped that fate, and it’s a bittersweet wonder. Dion, a New York legend, sings a tale of a guy who can’t see the lights of the city for all the tears in his eyes.

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