The role of Frank Sinatra as a performer
Introduction:
There are some musicians whose names are universally known;
Frank Sinatra is doubtless one of them. Almost everyone is at least somewhat familiar
with his music, whether it be from Christmas music, active listening, tv, film, or having
simply heard him once on the Radio. One thing a lot of people may not be aware
of, though, is that a large amount of his popular music wasn’t actually written
by him. Even though he didn’t write his music, he still became incredibly famous
for his singing. Before I analyze his music, I will briefly look at how he got
to where he did.
Career Biography:
Frank Sinatra’s mother in 1935 was able to convince a trio of
musicians known as the Three Flashes to let Frank join, giving him a start
to his musical career. Soon after, the band got through an audition to appear
on the show Major Bowes Amateur Hour. While on the show, they won the
prize of a contract to perform on the radio and in person across the U.S. for
half a year. This gave Frank Sinatra, who quickly became the group’s lead
singer, his first major exposure as a musician. He made his first solo studio
recording in 1939 when Frank Mane, who had heard Frank on a local radio station,
got Sinatra an audition, which he won, to record “Our Love”. Over the
next few years, Frank would release his first few records, which sold poorly,
and he would change bands twice, first to the Harry James band, and then
to the Tommy Dorsey band. During his time with the Tommy
Dorsey band, he released over 40 songs, which led to him
gaining more and more popularity. Sinatra’s time and gained recognition
with the Tommy Dorsey band inspired him to go solo in early 1942.
The beginning of Frank Sinatra’s solo career marked his rise
to fame, for example, just a few months after his opening show in December 1942,
over a thousand fan clubs for him had been created. Just a few months later, he
was signed by Columbia Records. His fame just climbed and climbed as time went
on, to the point he started to act in movies, and in 1946, he was performing
over 40 times a week. In 1949, his popularity had started to heavily slip, partially
because of controversy about his personal life. In 1953, his career was revived
by his role in the movie From Here to Eternity, from then on, he would
enjoy a consistently popular career until his final performance in 1995.
Written by Paul Anka and performed by Frank Sinatra in America in 1969.
Analysis:
I chose these songs because I feel like they demonstrate his
best skills excellently. One of his strongest skills is his vocal
dynamics. In the beginning, My Way, his voice is soft in a way that can effortlessly
convey all the different somber emotions of a conclusion to life. As the song gets
around a third through, his voice quickly and immensely picks up in dynamics
and tone, instead shifting to beautifully display the feeling of pride in
having lived life by your own terms. I just can’t imagine another singer who could
so easily convey so many different emotions through the lyrics, even if he didn’t
write it, he is instrumental to the emotions of it.
Another thing he adds to songs is his phrasing; one great
example of it is in the song Luck Be A Lady. In the song, he is able to
go through very long phrases with seemingly no breaks during them that would
give plenty of musicians pause. He also infuses a certain rhythm into the
phrasing that makes them feel very high energy and gives them a certain bounce.
Personal reaction:
Even though Frank Sinatra’s music is very different than what I would normally listen to, it would be hard for me not to acknowledge the skill in his singing. I love hearing the way his voice and tone shift so much within any of his songs. With every song he has sung, it’s hard for me to imagine anyone else being able to sing the same songs nearly as well as him or be able to draw out all the emotions from each lyric. He may not have written most of his songs, but he contributes beautifully to them. Frank Sinatra has remained an icon in Western music for decades, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Citations:
“Frank Sinatra.” Wikipedia, 8 Dec. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra#Music_career.
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Hello Drake,
ReplyDeleteI like how you focused on Frank Sinatra’s ability to interpret songs and make them feel meaningful even though he didn’t write them. Your explanation of his phrasing also stood out because it shows how his style adds character and flow to the music. I felt like this brings emotions and personality that connects the audience to the song in a deeper way.
It really shows that a performer can completely shape how a song feels. Your point about Frank Sinatra's phrasing in Luck Be A Lady stood out to me, especially how he can stretch long lines and make them feel energetic without losing control. It made me think about how much timing and delivery matter in singing, not just the lyrics, and why Sinatra’s voice has stayed so iconic for decades.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post about Frank Sinatra, and especially enjoyed your choice in song. My Way is a very special song and I think you're spot on with how it showcases his vocal range. I've always loved that song and was particularly amused when it became relevant again for a while on social media. It's very powerful, lyrically and in the way Frank performs it.
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