Tomorrow is Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday, a man who truly did it his way from start to finish and became a force unlike any other in American entertainment.
In 1965, when he was 50-years old, his “September of My Years” won the Grammy for best album, and one of its singles, “It Was a Very Good Year,” was a both a Pop and Top-40 hit.
I hadn’t listened to “It Was a Very Good Year” in ages, but when I did, today, Sinatra grabbed me at the opening note and didn’t let go until his last regretful sigh: the silky tone, the control, the restraint, the lilt, the breath, the feeling, the intelligence, the emotion– it was a jolt to recall just how good he was.
Which is odd, because IRL (In Real Life), when I was a teen, I wasn’t a Sinatra fan. He was before my time. My guy was Johnny Mathis, but even back then, I was aware that Sinatra was “The Chairman of the Board” –that he set the bar.
“It Was a Very Good Year” is 50 years old but the self-reflection and the heartfelt lyrics reach across generations, and it’s as truthful and revealing today as it was in 1965.