According to the Four Seasons keyboardist Bob Gaudio, who co-wrote the song with producer Bb Crewe, it was inspired by an incident in the Hell’s Kitchen area of New York City..

Back in the day, homeless children would run into the street during red lights and clean windshields for spare change. One day,  young girl with a dirty face and dressed in ragged clothes approached Gaudio’s car–and when Bob reached into his wallet to pay her, all he had was a 10-dollar bill…so that’s what he gave her — a HUGE tip in the early ’60s.

The incident was fresh in his mind when he wrote “Rag Doll,” and the song obviously  struck a nerve with fans and radio listeners…as it climbed to #1 on the Hot 100 charts of both Billboard and Cashbox Magazines.

And here’s a fun fact for you:  Cashbox called it “a touching, cha cha beat opus,” and I’d  wager those words had never appeared in that order before, and probably haven’t y since. 🙂

 “Rag Doll:” A Great Song of 1964, and one of The Four Seasons’ very best!