Frank Sinatra

I'd like to pay tribute to Frank Sinatra for my "Exploring the world of music" series today.

While I heard some of Ol' Blue Eyes' crooning around the holidays and in the many mob movies I grew up watching as a kid, it wasn't until high school that I really started exploring his music and learning about his life and career. I think it all began when I picked up a biography of Sinatra written by Kitty Kelley one day, and I was hooked. It's entitled, His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra, and it was originally published in 1986. Read it cover to cover - twice. I remember his passing. It was 1998, and I was still in high school. I remember being pretty bummed out about it.

Anyway, the first recording is a fun one called, "Luck Be A Lady," performed live. The next one is called, "Summer Wind." For me, this song invokes memories and images of carefree summer days and evenings - baseball games, barbecues, walking the beach, enjoying the State Fair, outdoor dining, and lounging in the backyard. The song features prominently in one of my favorite films of all time, The Pope of Greenwich Village.

The last two recordings get a little more philosophical. "That's Life" talks about the ups and downs, the joys and challenges, of daily life. "My Way" looks back on the narrator's life, which is presumably coming to an end. It's all about originality - standing out as an individual, being one's true self, no regrets worth mentioning.

Enjoy!