Sinatra's signature songs

I'm not sure if I'm using the word "signature" right here. What I'm wondering about is the one song (at any given time) that was most associated with Frank, in the sense that "Thanks for the Memories" was associated with Bob Hope for many, many years. As a singer, it could be expected that Frank's song changed as he kept recording.

In my memory, back to the mid-sixties, it seemed like Frank had four songs that successively became the one song that was most associated with him. Those songs were My Kind of Town, Strangers in the Night, My Way, and New York, New York. Is that right? Also, what songs preceded them? I'm thinking that "All or Nothing at All" might anchor the list in the 40s, and that it might have been supplanted by "Young at Heart" and "All the Way" in the 50s. Were there other songs in there? "One for My Baby"? "Love and Marriage?" "Come Fly with Me?"

Thanks!

I could only name you two songs off the top of my head, New York,New York and My Way so i guess those two..

Don't know if there is only one song. New York, New York is definitely "HIS." Then again I think "It Was A Very Good Year" belongs only to Sinatra as well.




TIS

Well, MP. I saw Sinatra eleven times in between 1976 and 1994. And he usually closed his show with one of those "signature" songs that you just mentioned. By the early '80s, he closed almost every show with "New York, New York" exclusively. But towards the end, he added one more to that list.

He closed a lot of his later shows (early '90s) with "Mack the Knife." I had the chance to speak to Eliot Weisman (who managed Sinatra for awhile towards the end) about this once, and he told me it was because it took less out of Frank than "New York, New York."

Now I'm not a singer, and I know nothing about "breathing techniques." But it seems to make sense because "Mack the Knife" gave him the opportunity to get his bearings while the band played.

Here's Frank's studio version with Qunicy:

I hadn't imagined that! I was wondering if the Married with Children connection ever gave a late bump to "Love and Marriage."

And I can see why. It was an '80s cover (from the 1984 "L.A. is My Lady" album) of a song that had been recorded literally a hundred times before.

If you hadn't caught him live towards the end (and it was honestly kinda sad, almost like seeing an old Muhammad Ali get beat up), you probably never would have thought of it as one of his "signature" songs. And like I said, it was more out of necessity to give him time to breathe, than it was out of popularity.

Although I personally enjoyed the song (but it can't touch Bobby Darin's iconic 1959 number one version ).

Glad you said that PB. I can see it is a Sinatra style song BUT Darin owns Mack The Knife IMHO!!!




TIS

You know I love Bobby, Tis. Bronx Italian. Just like me. And it's no coincidence that he hit it big in 1959. Because that's the year I was born .

Here's a live version of one of my favorite Darin songs:

personally, I favor dean martins version of mack the knife. I think its better than darins, dean recorded it in 1959.

Very nice PB. I forgot about that song. What a shame he was taken at such a young age.




TIS

How about The Lady is a Tramp.

Yea, that's a good one too Oli.

Not sure IF Sinatra had the original hit on this, but what about "I've Got You Under My Skin?" Then again, if we are talking "Signature Songs", I'd still go with My Way, NY NY or It Was A Very Good Year.



TIS

That doesn't make her a bad person, Oli. You're such a holier-than-thou Texan.

I would include "The way you look tonight" as one of his signature songs.

This is one of the really classic recordings: Ella Fitzgerald did a concert in Berlin in 1960. "Mack the Knife" had just become a hit, and it's the English version of a German song, so Ella thought it'd be nice if she learned the song for the German audience. That didn't work out too well, and so she had to improvise for almost three minutes:

I didn't say I didn't prefer her that way.

[/quote]
Well, MP. I saw Sinatra eleven times in between 1976 and 1994. [/quote]
Aww I would have loved to have seen him. I bet it was fabulous.

Personally I love Sinatra, he had so many songs but if your going "signature" then I would say " that's life"or " New York New York"

Ha ha ha! I never heard that before. That is great!! What a pro. She didn't miss a beat.


TIS

I imagine that Sinatra might have picked "All or Nothing At All" as his early career signature, and "My Way" as the late one.

My favorite early Sinatra is "I Think of You" (beautiful arrangement, too); later one is "The Best Is Yet to Come."

I would choose "My Way" as his signature song. But I can easily see how other of his songs could be his "signature" song.

What a unique voice he had. Is there no one, that ever had such a voice as Frank ? ?

Here's a Joe Piscopo send up of Frank doing Rock'n'Roll:

Of course all the songs everyone has mentioned. And I would also add Fly Me to the Moon

God I remember watching that it was so funny.

"Summer Wind" is my favorite followed by "Oh look at me now"