Songs of the Day

The Year of Tony Bennett wishes the Sinatra family and his fans everywhere a happy 100th birthday to a musical legend: Frank Sinatra.

We’re going to depart from our usual format to share a handful of Sinatra’s recordings that I, personally, do love.

First up is a 1944 song by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn: “Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night of the Week)”

From In The Wee Small Hours, released in 1955, is “Last Night When We Were Young” by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg.

The next year, 1956, saw Songs For Swingin’ Lovers, with my favorite of all of his recordings: Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” featuring a brilliant arrangement by Nelson Riddle.

And finally, by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, “Come Fly With Me,” from the album of the same name, released in 1958.

Well, these are a few of my favorites. I hope you enjoy them.

And I haven’t forgotten our video.

About Today

By the 1980s, Sinatra was still going strong, performing all over the world, donating much time and money to charity and receiving numerous honors, including a Kennedy Center honor and many more. However, he did collapse on stage in 1986 and it was some time before he returned to performing. His last public performance was in 1995 at an 80th birthday celebration, where he sang a chorus at the end of a celebratory concert.

Frank Sinatra died on May 14, 1998 from a severe heart attack.

Frank Sinatra’s legacy continues and will like continue for many years to come. Sirius XM radio has a jazz vocals station named for him, which features his daughter Nancy frequently. Tony Bennett named the high school for the arts his foundation supports for Frank Sinatra. His music has been with us for nearly 80 years and is still going strong. I can remember a couple of Presidential elections ago where the candidates were asked to name their favorite songs: they each had a Sinatra song on the list. Personally, I love the movies as well: I seldom pass up a chance to watch On The Town or From Here to Eternity. Like us all, he had his flaws and, perhaps, more than most. But the music. As Tony Bennett often sings: ‘The music never ends.’