The DeFranco Family scored a major Billboard hit in 1973 with “Heartbeat, It’s a Lovebeat,” one of the group’s signature bubblegum pop songs that was covered by influential rock band The Replacements.
With the popularity of family-band acts such as The Osmonds and The Jackson 5 in the 1970s, the Canadian sibling group, composed of Tony DeFranco, Benny DeFranco, Nino DeFranco, Marisa DeFranco and Merlina DeFranco, had their debut single and highest-charting song landing at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Heartbeat, It’s a Lovebeat.”
While most hit songs were written by acclaimed or notable songwriters, the group’s signature track was written by Michael Kennedy who worked for McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company and his high school friend Greg Williams.
The DeFranco Family released “Heartbeat, It’s a Lovebeat” as part of their debut album of the same name.
The De Franco Family in 1960.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The song’s infectious hooks, distinctive thumping bass drum and lyrics’ theme of innocence and overwhelming puppy love, accompanied by 13-year-old Tony DeFranco’s lead vocals, made the track a quintessential 1970s bubblegum pop anthem.
Tony DeFranco once mentioned how “Heartbeat, It’s a Lovebeat” changed not just the trajectory of the group’s career, but he also compared it to a “magic carpet ride.”
“It was extreme because I went from being a little 11, 12-year-old kid in Canada who hadn’t even heard of Hollywood, to living in Hollywood! (laughs) Everywhere I went, everyone wanted a piece of you,” he told Classic Bands, adding, “It was basically a magic carpet ride. It was an extreme change.”
Following the song’s popularity, the band started making television appearances on shows such as American Bandstand, Sonny and Cher, Diana!, The Mike Douglas Show and more, while the single went on to sell more than two million copies.
In addition to the group’s massive success, Heartbeat, It’s a Lovebeat” was also certified Gold by the RIAA in November 1973.
The DeFranco Family also toured and performed in Las Vegas through 1978 before the group disbanded that same year.
Years later, “Heartbeat, It’s a Lovebeat” was given a whole new vibe after The Replacements released their rendition.
The influential alternative/indie rock band, fronted by Paul Westerberg, went for a completely different take and turned the song into a garage-punk jam.
Initially recorded as a casual, throwaway studio outtake during The Replacements’ 1983–1984 Let It Be sessions, it later appeared as a bonus track on the 2008 deluxe reissue of Let It Be.
Related: 1965 Song, Written by Neil Diamond at Brill Building, Is Still a Generational Hit 61 Years Later
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