Folkies VI

I’m pleasantly surprised at how what I assumed was only my passing interest in folk music has resulted in a sixth entry on the subject. In my opinion, the ingredients for a good folk song are not so different from any other genre: truth, sincerity, and a hook. Nobody wants to be preached at or dragged down into depression, so the song should offer at least a glimmer of hope or chance at resolution. Ah, but there is the rub as most of the pain of life comes from what appear to be hopeless situations without resolution. That’s maturity, for you, and if you haven’t figured out some way to help others live, or gained some valuable life lesson or insight into the human condition, then you probably should not attempt to write or play folk music- or should you? Here are some more of my favorite folk songs. Enjoy! 

The Civil Wars

01. James McMurtry – “Cold Dog Soup” (2011)

02. The Avett Brothers – “Murder in the City” (2008)

03. Ian Felice – “In the Kingdom of Dreams” (2017)

04. Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger – “This Land Is Your Land (Live)” (1993)

05. Jason Isbell and Elizabeth Cook – “Pancho & Lefty” (2013)

06. Simon & Garfunkel – “Blues Run the Game” (1965)
07. Simon & Garfunkel – “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” (1966)
08. James McMurtry – “You Got to Me” (2015)
09. The Civil Wars – “Same Old Same Old” (2013)
10. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem – “Will You Go Lassie Go (Live)” (1984)

11. Ryan Bingham – “Sunrise” (2007)
12. Simon & Garfunkel – “Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall” (1966)

Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie

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Country Grab Bag IV

Ken Burns is at it again- this time with an epic documentary on the history of country music. I’ve only seen a few parts on television and while for the uninitiated it’s sure to be quite the education, for seasoned country fans like the Jean there is not much new to learn. Still, watching it for me was like looking through an old family photo album, and there are still new yarns to hear from those who were there- and are still living. And while I try to keep up with new country, my heart remains with classic.

For me, classic country runs from the second Truman administration through the end of the Carter administration which means I was there at the tail end and can still remember watching and listening to late ‘70s and early ‘80s country crossover stars like Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell and her sisters, and, of course, Crystal Gayle. Like my next-door teenage babysitter at the time, Crystal Gayle had the longest, most beautiful hair- many women at the time wore it that way- and I think Crystal and my babysitter really influenced my attraction to a certain female look (ie. long, long, dark, straight hair). Did you know Crystal Gayle is the younger sister of Loretta Lynn? Man, I really need a haircut. Here are more of my favorite country songs. Enjoy- and hang in there!

Dedicated to John Prine

01. The Byrds – “Lay Lady Lay (Alternative Version)” (1969)
02. George Jones – “She Thinks I Still Care” (1962)
03. The Cactus Blossoms – “Stoplight Kisses” (2016)
04. Jeffrey Foucault – “Lodi” (2004)
05. Crystal Gayle – “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” (1977)
06. Patsy Cline – “Sweet Dreams” (1963)
07. Steep Canyon Rangers – “Let Me Die in My Footsteps” (2018)
08. John Prine – “Long Monday” (2005)
09. Crystal Gayle and Tom Waits – “Take Me Home” (1982)
10. Sammi Smith – “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (1970)
11. Turnpike Troubadours – “7&7” (2010)
12. Jim Reeves – “He’ll Have to Go” (1959)
13. Artists of Then, Now & Forever – “Forever Country” (2016)

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Country Music- Official Extended Trailer

Donovan & Crystal Gayle – “Catch the Wind (Live)”

Forever Country

Marty Stuart on the Mystery of Songwriting

Toast Be Damned – Part 4

The Damned are still touring and recording though for me they have not released anything listenable since Grave Disorder in 2001. Some years ago I purchased Smash it Up (The Anthology 1976-1987) that sought to improve on The Light at the End of the Tunnel by presenting songs in chronological order but this newer compilation did not do it for me. Perhaps the Damned were meant to be enjoyed as a singles band- two songs at a time (which is how they used to release songs on vinyl for kids who did not have enough money to buy the whole album); or recorded onto a scratchy cassette tape your friend gave you. The Light at the End of the Tunnel is where it all began for me as a Damned fan and- as for studio albums- Strawberries and Grave Disorder are my faves.

Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible are now in their sixties and continue to bring their Damned act on the road to spread some fun and make some money. Like Lennon-McCartney, Jagger-Richards, and Jean-Toast, Vanian and Sensible will always be linked together as frontman and guitarist. I suppose it’s too late to expect Toast to come around and give the Damned another go, or for me to share the band’s music with others and expect to gain new Damned fans. But it is only entertainment, after all, so who cares? Here are more of my favorite Damned songs- including a few by Naz Nomad & The Nightmares (a side project by Damned members and their tribute to ‘60s psychedelic and garage rock). Enjoy!

01. The Damned – “Melody Lee” (1979)
02. The Damned – “White Rabbit (Extended Version)” (1980)
03. The Damned – “Help” (1976)
04. The Damned – “Smash It Up (Parts 1 & 2)” (1979)
05. The Damned – “There Ain’t No Sanity Clause” (1980)
06. The Damned – “See Her Tonite” (1977)
07. The Damned – “The Shadow of Love (Ten Inches of Hell Mix)” (1985)
08. Naz Nomad & The Nightmares – “Just Call Me Sky” (1984)
09. Naz Nomad & The Nightmares – “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)” (1984)
10. Naz Nomad & The Nightmares – “Nobody But Me” (1984)

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Toast Be Damned – Part 3

Dave Vanian- the Damned’s Mick Jagger- is the face and voice of the band, and- through nearly a half century of never-ending line up changes- has remained the one constant member of the group. It was Vanian who steered the Damned more and more into so-called Goth territory and while this may have alienated them from their punk fans, for me it made for much more interesting music. Listening to The Light at the End of the Tunnel alone in my bedroom as a teenager included lots of new sounds for me- sounds that conjured up melancholy images involving gray, haunted landscapes, loneliness, undying love, and things that go bump in the night. You can hear for yourself why Gothic literature and monster movies fans love this stuff- and it doesn’t hurt that Vanian still dresses like a vampire on stage.

But the Damned were always too restless and creative to ever be content with being a one-trick pony. Whether it’s piano, saxophone, organ, harpsichord, or strings- not too mention Spanish guitar flourishes- the Damned’s music is always filled with little surprises and to call them punk or Goth seems too limited. Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible are the right and left eye of the Damned- they are stuck with each other- and with them in the band and writing songs it’s like you’re getting two bands for the price of one. Vanian writes a haunting tribute to horror movie icons; and Sensible balances that with a funny song about the King of Pop. The pair also team up to write a song about web surfing. This is the Damned. Here are some more of my favorites. Enjoy!

01. The Damned – “Billy Bad Breaks” (1981)
02. The Damned – “The Shadow of Love” (1985)
03. The Damned – “Street of Dreams” (1985)
04. The Damned – “Plan 9 Channel 7” (1979)
05. The Damned – “Absinthe” (2001)
06. The Damned – “Dozen Girls” (1982)
07. The Damned – “The Missing Link” (1982)
08. The Damned – “song.com” (2001)
09. The Damned – “Beauty of the Beast” (2001)
10. The Damned – “Neverland” (2001)

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The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead (Official Trailer)

Toast Be Damned – Part 2

“We’re the only band that’s got real communication between the stage and the audience. People know they can come and talk to us and pour beer over us, buy us a drink and spit at us.” 

– Captain Sensible 

Offering listeners everything from humor to horror, Goth to garage rock, and psychedelic to pop (their 1986 album was actually called Anything), to me the Damned’s music has always been tailor-made for raucous Halloween parties and celebrating both the light and dark sides of life. The Damned also have a healthy sense of humor (a British one at that) and with band member names like Dave Vanian (short for Transylvanian), Rat Scabies, Roman Jugg, Monty Oxymoron, and Captain Sensible, these fun-loving lads have never taken themselves too seriously. It’s just music, after all.

Captain Sensible, the band’s Keith Richards, is the heart and soul of the Damned and has never been afraid to push the boundaries of fun. Originally the band’s bass player, Sensible switched to guitar in the late ‘70s after the departure of Brian James- and boy can Captain shred that axe! You can hear not only Captain Sensible’s skill but also the sheer joy he’s channeling through his guitar in many of my favorite Damned songs, particularly “Love Song”, “Ignite”, “I Think I’m Wonderful”, and “Neverland”. Like Keith, Captain also sometimes sings, as on the introspective “Life Goes On”. Sensible departed the Damned in the ‘80s to pursue an improbable though successful solo career (he later returned to the Damned in the ‘90s and is still with them). Here are more of my favorite Damned songs. Enjoy!

01. The Damned – “Psychomania” (1986)

02. The Damned – “Ignite” (1982)

03. The Damned – “Is It a Dream” (1985)

04. The Damned – “Thanks for the Night (Rat Mix)” (1984)

05. The Damned – “I Think I’m Wonderful” (1982)

06. The Damned – “Lovely Money” (1982)

07. The Damned – “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” (1979)

08. The Damned – “The Portrait” (1986)

09. The Damned – “Feel the Pain” (1977)

10. The Damned – “Disco Man” (1981)

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Dave Vanian & Brian James on BBC's the One Show 9/16/16

Toast Be Damned – Part 1

My first exposure to the Damned was when I was a teenager on late ‘80s Long Island and witnessed the band’s classic “Nasty”appearance on an old episode of The Young Ones on MTV. A couple of years later, after my friend Toast and I heard “Love Song” on the Burning Ambitions compilation, I walked into my hometown record shop and- in my never-ending mission to acquire more punk music- shelled out major bread for the Damned’s The Light at the End of the Tunnel double-vinyl LP compilation (don’t ask me where I got the money; most likely Christmas, my birthday, or from my weekend job as a houseboy). With 28 songs, The Light at the End of the Tunnel was a bit overwhelming but adequately served its purpose in introducing me to the world, spirit, and music of the Damned. And I was pleasantly surprised!

Toast, however, was not so enthusiastic. While we both shared a fondness for early punk bands like the Sex Pistols, Ramones, Clash, and Angry Samoans, Toast never came around to the Damned- and I spent the next thirty years a Damned fan without a friend with whom to share them. An English band whose music became more interesting with each recording, The Light at the End of the Tunnel includes all their ‘70s and ‘80s material, and while this made for a fine overview of the band, the random, non-chronological order of the songs also made for a confused listen- and perhaps this is what initially turned off Toast to the Damned. Yet this melange of sounds only endeared the Damned to me even more and revealed all the styles of which they were capable- and I felt like I had gotten my money’s worth.

It wasn’t until years later that I realized the Damned were not playing punk music (which they helped invent) but were in fact doing their version of ‘60s American garage rock and psychedelic music- the Stooges, Love, Jefferson Airplane- and they were having fun doing it! The band’s creative energy and anything goes attitude inspired me from the start and the Damned continued to be a big influence on me during my years as a garage band singer. In fact, the title of Twinkie Force’s biggest hit “New Goat in Town” was my tribute to “New Rose”- as well as a dig at our Damned-disparaging guitarist, Toast (although this was lost on my bandmates). Here are some of my favorite Damned songs. Enjoy!

01. The Damned – “New Rose” (1976)
02. The Damned – “Alone Again Or” (1986)
03. The Damned – “Democracy?” (2001)
04. The Damned – “Grimly Fiendish (The Bad Trip Mix)” (1985)
05. The Damned – “Nasty” (1984)
06. The Damned – “Eloise” (1986)
07. The Damned – “Love Song (Single Version)” (1979)
08. The Damned – “Under the Floor Again” (1982)
09. The Damned – “Life Goes On” (1982)
10. The Damned – “Stranger on the Town” (1982)

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The Damned - Nasty (from the Young ones)

The Damned’s Dave Vanian on what 40 years of punk has taught him

Downhill After Dallas

Bob Dylan gifted listeners living under quarantine a doozy last month with a song about the JFK assassination. While many will first notice its staggering length, this is not the first time Dylan has recorded a lengthy tune. In 2012, for example, he released “The Tempest”- a song about the Titanic that was almost as long as this latest historical epic. I’ve listened to “Murder Most Foul” several times now and for me it does not feel too long or difficult to sit through unlike musical works of similar length. This is due not only to the reverent tone of the subject matter but also to the poetic, almost rap like qualities the song possesses that allow listeners to pick out and contemplate different references along the way and not hear the song the same way even after repeated listenings.

One artist’s meditation on not only the death of Camelot but also his own life as well as the sounds and images that filled the era and followed Dallas, the song is what it is; not really a free association so much as an example of what gets kicked loose when the poet is asked to ruminate on the death of the king almost 60 years later- and it all comes rushing back. At this stage, boomers have earned the right to rant about whatever they want, and perhaps the most interesting thing about this song is Dylan waited so long to sing about an event that- like many folks his age- is seared in his soul. Impending death has a way of cutting through the guff. Dylan, the aged jester, doesn’t point any fingers in the song but let us wait and see what history has to say about LBJ’s rumored involvement in “murder most foul”.

Bob Dylan in 1963

As our only Roman Catholic president, John F. Kennedy has long been a source of pride for American Catholics and while- like Jesus- JFK’s enemies killed him on a Friday, there was no Resurrection after Dallas, no hope arising from the suffering. JFK’s murder marked the end of America as a land of hope and idealism- a notion that only becomes clearer the farther we move away from Dealey Plaza, Memphis, Ford’s Theatre, the Ambassador Hotel- and that feeling is probably what Dylan and Americans his age are now recalling in their golden years. It all went downhill after Dallas, and we have finally reached rock bottom. Mention JFK and, for many, memories from their youth begin flowing fast like blood from the king’s blown apart head onto his wife’s lap. They say long-term memory is the last thing to go. Grade: A

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Executive Action – Trailer

Jimmy Breslin on JFK’s Assassination: Two Classic Columns

Oldies: Pass the Fritos VI – Part 2

Listening to oldies can make you feel, well, old. I have a friend the same age as me who in the past has expressed his displeasure at oldies music- or any music that is not current or of the moment- probably because for him life is too short to look back. Or, to be more precise, I think disdain for oldies music is based on fear that may exist because- whether we are conscious of it or not- listening to oldies- like visiting a hospital or a nursing home- forces us to confront our own mortality.

Jefferson Airplane

By contrast, contemporary music allows the listener to live in the here and now and avoid having to consider facts such as Spirit’s Randy California drowned in Hawaii in 1997 while rescuing his 12-year old son from a rip current; “To Know Him Is to Love Him” was inspired by the words on Phil Spector’s father’s tombstone; half the members of Jefferson Airplane’s classic ‘60s line up are deceased; and Dave Clark is still alive but was at the bedside of Freddie Mercury when the Queen singer died in 1991. Depending on how one looks at it, oldies can equal death or immortality; but the genre- like life- is not for the fearful or timid (who would probably be better off just listening to the latest Taylor Swift song). 

As for the Jean, I have no fear of confronting or being reminded of my own mortality and find oldies music to be inspiring and life affirming. What’s more, for me it’s always fascinating to consider just how quickly and drastically popular music and tastes changed in such a short time span in the mid ‘60s when one minute the Beatles were singing “I Want to Hold your Hand” and the next JFK was murdered and within three years the hippie and psychedelic youth movements inspired by the Fab Four and Bob Dylan not only swept the Western world but had by the end of the decade become part of the mainstream. And some people say oldies music is boring! Here are some more of my favorites. Enjoy!

The Chocolate Watchband

01. The Fortunes – “Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again” (1971)

02. Jefferson Airplane – “Come Up the Years” (1966)
03. Spirit – “Water Woman” (1968)
04. The Who – “Run Run Run” (1966)
05. The Cowsills – “Hair” (1969)
06. Spirit – “Like a Rolling Stone” (1975)
07. Spirit – “Taurus” (1968)
08. 1910 Fruitgum Company – “Indian Giver” (1969)
09. The Grass Roots – “I’d Wait a Million Years” (1969)
10. The Foundations – “Build Me Up Buttercup” (1968)
11. The Teddy Bears – “To Know Him Is to Love Him” (1958)
12. Jefferson Airplane – “Today” (1967)
13. The Dave Clark Five – “Any Way You Want It” (1964)
14. The Gants – “My Baby Don’t Care” (1965)
15. The Chocolate Watchband – “Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-In)” (1967)
16. The Chocolate Watchband – “Baby Blue” (1968)
17. Count Five – “Psychotic Reaction (Rarities Version)” (1966)
18. Blues Magoos – “One by One” (1966)
19. Kaleidoscope – “Please” (1967)
20. The Chocolate Watchband – “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” (1968)

Spirit

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Dick Clark Interviews Jefferson Airplane - American Bandstand 1967

Monterey Pop Official Trailer

Oldies: Pass the Fritos VI – Part 1

One good thing about oldies music is they’re not making any more of it, so what you see is what you get. Sure, some oldies artists continue to put out new material and there will always be remixes and releases of previously unreleased material. But, for the most part, oldies music has a definite beginning and an end that comforts and allows listeners to rummage through the bin and enjoy old favorites while making new discoveries without having to worry about any incoming contemporary distractions.

The Cake

Whether it’s ‘60s oldies, British Invasion, psychedelic, or garage rock pioneers, oldies remind us of a golden period in popular music when it must have seemed to people living through it that the hits would go on forever. I’m not one to wallow in nostalgia but I guess my message to music fans is fear not the oldies bin- there is a lot to discover and inspire you and- who knows- perhaps one day there will be an oldies inspired musical renaissance. Here are some more of my faves. BTW- glad to see the Dave Clark Five and Marmalade are finally available on Spotify. Enjoy- and hang tough during this global pandemic!

01. The Grass Roots – “Walking Through the Country” (1969)

02. Manfred Mann – “If You Gotta Go, Go Now” (1965)

03. The Cyrkle – “It’s a Lovely Game, Louise” (1970)

04. The Grass Roots – “Something’s Comin’ Over Me” (1969)

05. The Cyrkle – “Kites” (1970)

06. The Flying Machine – “Smile a Little Smile for Me (45 Version)” (1969)

07. Sandie Shaw – “Long Live Love” (1965)

08. The Love Affair – “Everlasting Love” (1968)

09. The Searchers – “What Have They Done to the Rain” (1964)

10. The Dave Clark Five – “Catch Us If You Can” (1965)

11. The Dave Clark Five – “Do You Love Me” (1963)

12. The Dave Clark Five – “I’ll Be Yours My Love” (1965)

13. Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood – “Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman” (1968)

14. Marmalade – “Reflections of My Life” (1969)

15. The Tremeloes – “Yellow River” (1970)

16. Manfred Mann – “With God on Our Side” (1965)

17. The Cake – “Baby That’s Me” (1967)

18. The Righteous Brothers – “Unchained Melody” (1965)

19. The Swinging Blue Jeans – “You’re No Good” (1964)

20. The Tremeloes – “Silence Is Golden” (1967)

The Love Affair

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Francis Albert – Part 5

“I’m supposed to have a Ph. D. on the subject of women. But the truth is I've flunked more often than not. I'm very fond of women; I admire them. But, like all men, I don't understand them.”

– Frank Sinatra 

Frank Sinatra died in 1998 leaving behind an enormous musical catalogue that is almost too much to comprehend. I sensibly started with his early Capitol recordings- Songs for Young Lovers & Swing Easy (I purchased them together on one CD) before delving into the haunting, desperate soundtrack to painful romantic break up In the Wee Small Hours. All three albums have excellent vocal quality and production and especially on In the Wee Small Hours it sounds like Sinatra is floating right there in the room with you. Classic Sinatra is all too brief but serves as a decent overview of his Capitol years.

“I used to play the phenomenal ‘Ebb Tide’ by Frank Sinatra a lot and it had never failed to fill me with awe. The lyrics were so mystifying and stupendous. When Frank sang that song, I could hear everything in his voice – death, God and the universe, everything."  

– Bob Dylan 

After surveying his many Capitol albums, only then is one ready to start exploring Sinatra’s Reprise years. The Very Best of Frank Sinatra is an excellent overview of this period. For individual Reprise albums, my favorites include The Concert Sinatra and Ring-a-Ding Ding! although Sinatra and Swingin’ Brass can hold its own at any cocktail party (or so I experienced at a gathering I hosted in Zambia). Wherever I go in the world, the music of Frank Sinatra goes with me and- who knows- perhaps it will still be with me when I leave this world. Here are some more of my favorites. Enjoy!

“My musical development stopped when Frank Sinatra died.”  

– Alex Trebek

01. Frank Sinatra – “Deep in a Dream” (1955)

02. Frank Sinatra – “I Have Dreamed” (1963)

03. Frank Sinatra – “All or Nothing at All” (1962)

04. Frank Sinatra – “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” (1954)

05. Frank Sinatra – “Stardust” (1962)

06. Frank Sinatra – “I Get a Kick Out of You” (1954)

07. Frank Sinatra – “I Would Be in Love (Anyway)” (1970)

08. Frank Sinatra – “Autumn Leaves” (1957)

09. Frank Sinatra – “The September of My Years (Live)” (1966)

10. Frank Sinatra – “Ebb Tide (2018 Stereo Mix)” (1955)

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A Swinger with Swagger

Francis Albert – Part 4

“In the mid-‘60s, AM radio, pop radio, was just this incredible thing that played all kinds of music... You could hear Frank Sinatra right into the Yardbirds. The Beatles into Dean Martin. It was this amazing thing, and I miss it, in a way, because music has become so compartmentalized now, but in those days, it was all right in one spot.” 

– Tom Petty

If he was nothing else in his long musical career then Frank Sinatra was a survivor and managed to stay relevant during not only the rise of Elvis Presley and rock & roll in the ‘50s but also the British Invasion and the hippies in the ‘60s. But back then there was more than enough room for all musical styles and tastes and the only rule was it had to sell records- and Ol’ Blue Eyes was a reliable cash cow.

A musical innovator in more ways than one, Sinatra gets credit for having invented the concept album. Sad songs belong on an album with other sad songs so as not to break the mood, thought Frank, and for that same reason happy swing songs should be on an album with only those. I’m not entirely sure about this strategy and have actually sat and listened to entire “sad” Sinatra records from beginning to end (In the Wee Small Hours and Only for the Lonely) and while I found these albums mood affecting (to say the least) the experience was also emotionally draining and scarring. Still, I suppose one can find it sort of charming (and a little sad) that back in the ‘50s there was such a big demand for these suicide-type records (and this may also explain the immense popularity of the TV show Life Is Worth Living).

Sinatra with JFK

Of course, any Sinatra fan knows the stories about the Chairman of the Board’s personal life including the infamous mugshot from his arrest as a young man for carrying on with a married woman. But if one is going to believe the gossip about Sinatra’s connection with organized crime, his many infidelities, and his hot temper, then one also has to believe the many more stories people tell about the man’s kindness, generosity, and class. Here are some more of my favorite Frank Sinatra songs. Enjoy!

01. Frank Sinatra – “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” (1961)

02. Frank Sinatra – “Just One of Those Things” (1954)

03. Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra – “Somethin’ Stupid” (1967)

04. Frank Sinatra – “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” (1961)

05. Frank Sinatra – “I Love Paris” (1958)

06. Frank Sinatra – “Soliloquy” (1963)

07. Frank Sinatra – “Ring-a-Ding Ding!” (1961)

08. Frank Sinatra – “This Town” (1967)

09. Frank Sinatra – “When I Take My Sugar to Tea” (1961)

10. Frank Sinatra – “Cycles” (1968)

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Andy Rooney discusses the Frank Sinatra Documentary

Jerry Lewis on Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert – Part 3

Born Francis Albert Sinatra to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, the Voice, Ol’ Blue Eyes, or the Chairman of the Board, casts a long shadow over twentieth century music- and the man didn’t even write music. He was just a singer- and an okay actor- but Sinatra’s musical interpretations connected with listeners all over the world and he possessed what is among singers that rarest of gifts: he could make people feel what he felt- or whatever he wanted them to feel.

Sinatra’s cameo in Around the World in 80 Days

I enjoy listening to Sinatra’s ‘60s re-recordings of his ‘50s Capitol era songs as much as the next fan (his 1956 version of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is good, but the way Sinatra in the 1963 Reprise version just turns the song inside out and chops it up is amazing). For me, comparing Sinatra’s Capitol and Reprise years is like comparing two different men: the skinny, sensitive, and wounded lover in his late thirties and early forties searching for meaning versus the brash, bitter, and carefree rake in his late forties and early fifties just looking for a good time. I started my Sinatra appreciation with the former but the older I’ve become I’ve also learned to appreciate the latter. Both are hopeless romantics.

Frank Sinatra was hugely popular in a century when most Americans still wanted to appear smart and sophisticated and men not only sang Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hart songs but other men enjoyed listening to them. I’ve heard it said about Sinatra that women wanted him and men wanted to be him but based on Sinatra’s four marriages, I have my doubts. As his fellow Rat Packer, Dean Martin, humorously said, “When Sinatra dies, they’re giving his zipper to the Smithsonian” and “It’s Frank’s world, we just live in it.” Perhaps if women desired Sinatra then it was not only for his smooth voice and good looks but also for his combination of sensitivity and masculinity; and if men wanted to be him then it was not only to get women but also for Sinatra’s combination of culture, masculinity, and ordinary Joe appeal.  

Sinatra with Ronald and Nancy Reagan

Whether you’re riding high or down on your luck, there exists a Sinatra song to enhance every mood and event in your life- and to even offer you the occasional nugget of wisdom, such as this memorable yet questionable bit of philosophical advice:

Your castles may tumble, that’s fate after all
Life’s really funny that way
No use to grumble, smile as they fall
Weren’t you king for a day?

Perhaps to suit my own Christian view, I would translate the above lyrics as:

You will encounter suffering, that’s life after all
Adam and Eve disobeyed
No use to grumble, a savior has come
Jesus Christ is the way!

Here are some more of my favorite Frank Sinatra songs. Enjoy! 

Sinatra and his fourth wife, Barbara

01. Frank Sinatra – “The Lady Is a Tramp” (1957)

02. Frank Sinatra – “Come Fly with Me” (1965)
03. Frank Sinatra – “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams” (1954)
04. Frank Sinatra – “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” (1963)
05. Frank Sinatra feat. Antônio Carlos Jobim – “Wave” (1969)
06. Frank Sinatra – “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (1963)
07. Frank Sinatra – “My Funny Valentine” (1954)
08. Frank Sinatra – “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” (1955)
09. Frank Sinatra – “My Way” (1969)
10. Frank Sinatra – “Anything Goes” (1956)

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Recommended Links:

Frank Sinatra and the Fifth Dimension – “Sweet Blindness”

Lt. Columbo Roasts Frank Sinatra (1978)