In
case you missed it, December 12th was the one hundredth anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s birth. There
are a number of commemorative posts out on the blogosphere and news world. And rightly so. Frank Sinatra is I think is generally
considered the greatest American singer of all time and I concur with that. I’ve wanted to honor Sinatra for the longest
time, ever since I posted a Dean Martin appreciation way back when I started my
blog in 2013. What’s held me back is that I could never
decide what five or six songs would highlight his career. He’s got so many, and it’s a real dilemma to
choose. But, this is the critical moment
to honor Francis Albert Sinatra, and so whatever choices I make will have to be
for better or worse.
Not
only is it tough to decide which songs to select, but how do I arrange the
selection? Do I try to pick one from
each section of his storied career? I
hate to be handcuffed that way. Some of
my favorites would slip through. Do I
try to pick a song from each of the various types of songs he sings? Do I try to pick songs where I can highlight
different singing skills he displays? I
could never make up my mind. So, I’m
just going to pick what I like but are not all of the same type and go from
there. If you want to read the various
phases of his career, and the noted songs in that phase, read the Sinatra
Wikipedia entry. It seems comprehensive.
What
makes Frank Sinatra the greatest? In
a one word answer, everything. His
persona, his presence, his song selection, his arrangement, his sensitivity to
the lyrics, his emotional inflections, his articulation, his understanding of
the history of the genre he sings, and of course his vocal ability. One of his nicknames was “the Voice,” and he
really does have a great tenor voice.
But it’s not just his voice. When
Sinatra puts it all together, there is an honesty that gets communicated. Whatever he is singing, the listener believes
has happened, and that is a tribute to his artistic skill.
Let
me try to point out a few of those elements.
Wikipedia quotes Sinatra biographer, Tom Santopietro:
For Santopietro, Sinatra
was the personification of America in the 1950s: "cocky, eye on the main
chance, optimistic, and full of the sense of possibility".
Not
only was Sinatra a personification of America during his peak era, I would say
that his persona came from his “New Yorkness.”
New York City in the 1950’s was at its height, the pinnacle of the
cities in the United States (it still is, but the others have caught up) and
being in post WWII America, New York City was the pinnacle of cities around the
world. “The capital of the world” as
some called it. Americans, but
especially New Yorkers, were after the second world war brassy, sure of
themselves, dashing, and sophisticated, the very things that make Sinatra’s
persona stand out. There’s no better
example of that then “I’ve Got the World on a String.”
Now
that song wasn’t written for Sinatra. In
fact it had been around for over twenty years when Sinatra recorded it, but
Sinatra transforms it. It becomes his.
Notice
the sensitivity to the words to “The Way You Look Tonight” and how it leads to
the sense of honesty when he says, “cause I love you.”
Listen
to the articulation: the emphasis on the “k” in “look tonight;” the “v” in
“lovely;” the “wr” in “wrinkles your nose;” and the “f” in “foolish
heart.” Usually it’s the vowels that allow
the singer to express emotion, and Sinatra does that here too, but here he uses
the consonants as well. And it all leads
to a sense of conviction. Normally a
cliché such as “cause I love you” in a song generates a sense of phony artifice
or over sentimentalizing, but Sinatra makes it true. You believe him.
“The
Way You Look Tonight” is a song from what is called the Great American Song
Book, a loosely defined collection of songs from the great American composers of the
early part of the 20th century.
Sinatra’s renditions of the Great American Song Book songs almost all have
become the standard rendition. No other
version of “The Way You Look Tonight” stacks up to Frank’s.
Part
of what made Sinatra the greatest of the American singers is his conscious song
selection from American music, either from the blues and jazz of black
musicians to the popular big band that appealed to the white audiences. Here in “Mood Indigo,” a Duke Ellington jazz
classic, he captures the subtleties of American diction.
What
particularly catches my attention as I hear that are the nuances in – not sure
if this is the right word – sonority, the resonances in his sound. Sinatra uses every means available to create
different resonances. Obviously he
resonates in his vocal box, but listen how in various places he shifts the
sonority to his chest, then to deeper in his chest, to his sinuses, to his
lips, to his jowls. There is a different
nuanced emotion to every shifting resonance.
It’s amazing.
Of
all the elements to Sinatra’s singing that make him standout, I would say that
it’s his articulation of the words—that subtle accent he speaks with. He has a sort of ethnic accent,
Italian-American yes, but a Northeastern city accent. Some say New Jersey (Sinatra was from
Hoboken, NJ), some say New York, but I would say it’s a general ethnic, second
generation accent. He combines the great
American song book, which in ways traces to both black and white culture, with
the 20th century immigrant experience.
He captures it all, through song selection, arrangement, and most
important I think his articulation. His
articulation of the English language is not what I would call classic. He brings over Italian crooner sensibility, especially
that resonating tenor pitch, which gives a different texture than some of the
other American singers of his day. Listen
to the subtle nuances of his articulation in “Come Rain or Come Shine.”
Hear
the pronunciation of “came” in “came blowin’ in;” “lingered” in “lingered there;” “sand” in
“golden sand;” “new” in “the world was new,” and especially “autumn” in “the
autumn wind.” That makes it so personal
and individual and distinct. I love that
song. It just might be my favorite
Sinatra song. It simultaneously spans
the emotional range of a new romantic relationship and then the loss. Again, Frank’s singing makes it true.
I
ought to have a clip of Sinatra live where you can get a sense of his stage
presence. Here is his great Count Basie
song, sung I think with the actual Basie orchestra, “The Best is Yet to Come” where
his voice, presence, and mannerisms generate a sense of marvelous
possibility.
I’m
not a woman, but geez, I’d go on an adventure with him. By the way, the words “The Best is Yet to Come”
are on his tombstone.
Another
song that is just so Frank Sinatra is “My Way.”
One of Frank’s nicknames was “The Chairman of the Board,” which I think
is a variation from all the Duke and Count and King nicknames from the jazz
era. I think of Frank, planning his
career, strategizing his arrangements, conceiving his tonal pitches, as
Chairman of the Board when I hear “My Way.”
In this song he looks backward rather than in the future.
I
find that to be such a manly song.
For what is a man, what
has he got
If not himself, then he
has naught
To say the things he
truly feels
And not the words of one
who kneels
The record shows I took
the blows
And did it my way
Frank
again convinces with his voice dynamics and his resonances. Quick story on that song. Many years ago, as a lead engineer I was in a
competition for an effort where “the powers at be” had to pick one of two
designs, and I led one of them. It was a
couple of years work of designing, building, and testing. Going into the final competition the rumor
was they were going to pick the other design.
I braced myself for the loss by memorizing the words to “My Way” and I
kept singing it to myself all the way through the final tests. I had no regrets and took the blows going
through with the peace of mind I did it my way.
But as it turned out, we won.
I
know I said six songs, but to hell with it.
I’m going to give you two more. Mark
Styen, the Conservative columnist who started out as a music and cultural
columnist, ranks to my surprise Sinatra’s “It Was a Very Good Year” as the number one song of the 20th
century.
"It Was A Very Good
Year" captures his audacity. Half-a-century after its recording, it seems
entirely natural, made for Frank. But it wasn't, and it took a happy accident
and a transformative arrangement to match the song to the singer.
That’s
another song of looking backward, a song with lots of subtle emotions, and
Sinatra projects them all. How about a
forward looking one to end this post. Is
there a more optimistic, swaggering song than “New York, New York?”
That
song has all of what makes Frank Sinatra great.
Yes, he is, Frank Sinatra is “king of the hill.”
Gosh,
I’ve left out so many of his other great songs: “Come Fly With me,” Old Devil
Moon,” Fly Me to the Moon,” “I get a Kick Out of You.” “I’ve Got You Under My
Skin,” “Luck Be Lady,” “All or Nothing at All,” “Night and Day,” “Witchcraft,” “Nancy
(with the Laughing Face),” “Love is the Tender Trap,” “That’s Life,” “One for
My Baby (and One for the Road),” “In the Wee Small Hours,” “The Birth of the
Blues.” I can go on and on.
Tell
me, what are your favorite Sinatra songs?
I particularly like "My Way" and "These boots are made for walking!" with his daughter. Or was it "Something Stupid"?
ReplyDeleteAnyway ... different subject. I did go to the link you left on my Blog.
We'll never know for sure what Mary actually knew (or not). Personally, I doubt that God would have asked her to take on such a responsibility as being the mother of Jesus, without explaining the implications this entailed. I suspect the Angel Gabriel told her more than is recorded in the Bible. Including Christ's death and resurrection.
This is what I wrote about it five years ago:
http://timeforreflections.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/what-did-she-know.html
God bless.
I'll check it out. Thanks Victor.
DeleteMy favorites are the ones that Deano sings:-p. Sinatra does nothing for me.
ReplyDeleteI am also not a big Sinatra fan, but I do admit he could sing. I get what you were saying about his pronunciation and phrasing. He did excel at that. There was just something about his persona that turned me off. I do like his present day incarnation, Harry Connick Jr. :)
ReplyDeleteNot Sinatra fans? My goodness, where has America gone. -p. Thanks to both of you for stopping by. I always value comments.
ReplyDeleteJust cuz I'm not a fan doesn't mean I don't appreciate his talent. He did have a great voice. He's just no.....well, never mind.
ReplyDelete