Editing Connie Francis (section)

===1974–1981: tragedy and return===
After her modest success with "(Should I) Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree?" Francis began performing regularly again. While appearing at the [[Westbury Music Fair]] in [[New York (state)|New York]], on November 8, 1974, Francis was [[rape]]d at the [[Jericho Turnpike]] [[Howard Johnson's]] Lodge in [[Jericho, New York]], and nearly suffocated under the weight of a heavy mattress the culprit had thrown upon her.<ref name=Autobiography/> She subsequently [[lawsuit|sued]] the motel chain for failing to provide adequate security and reportedly won a $2.5 million judgment,<ref>Clayton W. Barrows – Tom Powers, Introduction to Management in the Hospitality Industry (9th edition), John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, 2009, pg. 319</ref> one of the largest such judgments in history, leading to a reform in hotel security. Her rapist was never found.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0203/11/lkl.00.html | work=CNN | title=CNN.com – Transcripts | date=February 7, 2001}}</ref> In the years after the incident, Francis went into depression, taking as many as 50 [[Darvon]] pills a day and rarely leaving her home in [[Essex Fells, New Jersey]].<ref>[[Nan C. Robertson|Robertson, Nan]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/09/style/connie-francis-comeback-trail-after-7-lost-years.html "CONNIE FRANCIS: COMEBACK TRAIL AFTER 7 LOST YEARS"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 9, 1981. Accessed December 26, 2016. "The rape snapped all connection with the outside world. She plummeted into depression, lying in bed for months at a time, watching television, venturing outside her house in Essex Fells, N.J., only to visit her secretary, Anne Fusari, nearby and watch more television."</ref>

In 1977, Francis underwent [[nasal surgery]] and completely lost her voice. She went through three more operations and was unable to sing for four years.<ref name="Freeman">Freeman, Paul. "[https://www.mercurynews.com/2010/10/13/connie-francis-she-will-survive/ Connie Francis: She will survive!]", ''[[The Mercury News]]''. October 13, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2020.</ref><ref name="NotSorry">"[https://lasvegassun.com/news/2004/dec/23/not-sorry-now/ Not Sorry Now]", ''[[Las Vegas Sun]]''. December 23, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2020.</ref>

In 1978, Francis returned to the recording studio to cut an album titled ''Who's Happy Now?''<ref>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=MSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT82 UA Head Warns of Increased S-O-R & Wide Discounting]", ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. September 23, 1978. p. 83. Retrieved March 10, 2021.</ref> The lead recording on this album was a [[Disco|disco version]] of "Where the Boys Are". That and other songs from the ''Who's Happy Now?'' sessions were subsequently recorded in Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and German. The Spanish and German recordings became albums of their own in as ''Connie Francis en Español'' in Spain and as ''Was ich bin'' (What I Am) in Germany. All three albums and the singles culled from them were released on [[United Artists Records]].

Francis returned again to the studio in 1981 to cut "''Comme ci, comme ça''", and "I'm Me Again", the latter of which became the title track of an album which featured the new songs.<ref>"[https://www.allmusic.com/album/im-me-again-silver-anniversary-album-mw0000961877 I'm Me Again--Silver Anniversary Album - Connie Francis]", [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved March 10, 2021.</ref> "I'm Me Again" became Francis' last single to chart on the AC charts.<ref name="MusicVF">[https://www.musicvf.com/Connie+Francis.art Connie Francis Top Songs], ''MusicVF.com''. Retrieved March 10, 2021.</ref>