comment about Sinatra and his respect for songwriters
Sept 3, 2016 18:23:47 GMT -6
Martin John Butler, kcatthedog, and 1 more like this
Post by chasmanian on Sept 3, 2016 18:23:47 GMT -6
I love all music.
one of my main influences for many decades now is Frank Sinatra.
not long ago I heard and then bought an album called Watertown.
2 songs on it, that I find incredibly powerful, incredibly moving are For a While and Peter & Michael.
the album has an interesting story (or 50), about it.
here's a wiki to it.
followed by stuff I read in an article from which I will quote and then link to.
and last I'll add a review that I find fascinating. the album came out the same year Frank did My Way (which I read he did not like), and this review was just written a couple years ago.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watertown_(album)
and now from the article I'll link to:
"EO: What do you remember about the recording sessions with Sinatra?
JH: I can remember a couple of things very, very well. One was the respect Sinatra showed us as writers. I was very much taken with that. Here I am this little guy from nowhere, and he would come up to me with a lric and say, "Can I change this 'the' to an 'and?" Or he would say, "This isn't working: should this be the way?" I was absolutely blown away by his respect for lyricists and songwriters. He is a real aficionado of songs. The other thing I remember about him was his way with a song. He didn't sing a song to show how well he could sing. He always got into a song. He would sing the words because they mattered to him. A lot of contemporary singers sing to show you how great they can sing. The thing I respected most about Sinatra as a singer was his commitment to the song, as opposed to his own voice. It was a very honest thing which I think is the key to his success as an artist."
www.watertownology.com/jake.html
www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/03/14/blue-eyes-in-watertown/
and just a parting comment about Frank.
he was such an effective interpreter of songs. his ability to feel, and to feel deeply , and then communicate that feeling in an exquisite magical way is to me in some ways unparalleled.
if he was a baseball player at bat, and he hit the ball, one could say that "he got all of it", as the ball sailed way over the fence for yet another resounding grand slam shot.
his ability to powerfully and beautifully sing about the human experience, the ups and downs, the love, the sadness, the joys and ecstasy, and the blues and the pits.....well, he was damn good at it.
his swaggering, and commanding and courageous yet vulnerable style reminds me of a couple other people:
Capt James Tiberius Kirk of the Starship Enterprise and Elton John.
ok, now I need sleep.
one of my main influences for many decades now is Frank Sinatra.
not long ago I heard and then bought an album called Watertown.
2 songs on it, that I find incredibly powerful, incredibly moving are For a While and Peter & Michael.
the album has an interesting story (or 50), about it.
here's a wiki to it.
followed by stuff I read in an article from which I will quote and then link to.
and last I'll add a review that I find fascinating. the album came out the same year Frank did My Way (which I read he did not like), and this review was just written a couple years ago.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watertown_(album)
and now from the article I'll link to:
"EO: What do you remember about the recording sessions with Sinatra?
JH: I can remember a couple of things very, very well. One was the respect Sinatra showed us as writers. I was very much taken with that. Here I am this little guy from nowhere, and he would come up to me with a lric and say, "Can I change this 'the' to an 'and?" Or he would say, "This isn't working: should this be the way?" I was absolutely blown away by his respect for lyricists and songwriters. He is a real aficionado of songs. The other thing I remember about him was his way with a song. He didn't sing a song to show how well he could sing. He always got into a song. He would sing the words because they mattered to him. A lot of contemporary singers sing to show you how great they can sing. The thing I respected most about Sinatra as a singer was his commitment to the song, as opposed to his own voice. It was a very honest thing which I think is the key to his success as an artist."
www.watertownology.com/jake.html
www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/03/14/blue-eyes-in-watertown/
and just a parting comment about Frank.
he was such an effective interpreter of songs. his ability to feel, and to feel deeply , and then communicate that feeling in an exquisite magical way is to me in some ways unparalleled.
if he was a baseball player at bat, and he hit the ball, one could say that "he got all of it", as the ball sailed way over the fence for yet another resounding grand slam shot.
his ability to powerfully and beautifully sing about the human experience, the ups and downs, the love, the sadness, the joys and ecstasy, and the blues and the pits.....well, he was damn good at it.
his swaggering, and commanding and courageous yet vulnerable style reminds me of a couple other people:
Capt James Tiberius Kirk of the Starship Enterprise and Elton John.
ok, now I need sleep.
