MUSIC OR DIE #7–Frank Sinatra, "Songs for Swingin' Lovers!" (1956)

The original cover + the reissued extra creepy cover

Part 7 of my 1000+ part series
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

When last we saw our hero, he was battling that mood indigo, but here he makes his triumphant return to the top. 

TL;DR:

More after The Cut>>>



The songs:

1.) You Make Me Feel So Young
A pretty self-aware, dare I say tongue-in-cheek song choice for Sinatra to open the album, especially since many considered him at 40 to be past his prime. Given the success of this album, that is clearly NOT the case, and nowhere is it more evident than on this track. It's so light and fun that you too will want to go "running across a meadow"

Suck it, haterzzz

2.) It Happened in Monterey
Our story crosses the border to tell of a romance that happened in...wait for it...Monterey. "I left her/And threw away the key to paradise" he sings of his ill-fated romance. Despite the topic, don't expect any In the Wee Small Hours-type dirges. It's still an upbeat track with Latin-flavored trumpets to lead us in and take us out. 

3.) You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me
"Every kiss, every hug seems to act just like a drug", he croons over this mid-tempo beat. He compares his love to an addiction, saying that he can't get on without it. Reminiscent of a track later on the album (SPOILER ALERT), "I've Got You Under My Skin." 

4.) You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me
Opens with some sultry saxes for a sultry track. "And if the sandman brought me dreams of you/I'd wanna sleep my whole life through", he promises in this song of slavish adoration to his "queen". 

Yes, I'm positive this is the queen he meant.

5.) Too Marvelous for Words
First, can we talk about that title? Because that title is everything. Just reading that makes you feel happy. 
OK, now that we're in agreement on that, this is another chipper one about how awesome you are–"You're much too much, and just too very very/To ever be in Webster's Dictionary". 

It comes across as slick without being sleazy in the way that Sinatra excels at. And that last note. Yesssss.

6.) Old Devil Moon
Another great title for a slower song about your seductress ways because of that "devil moon" in your eyes. You're too hot to handle! The supporting musicians shine in this, from the trumpets to the 'bewitching' violins. I'm "flying" to this "razzle dazzle".

7.) Pennies from Heaven
Talk about 'the Great American Songbook' (they used the Louis Prima version in Elf, for crying out loud)! This is a classic, and boy is it great from that first captivating sweEEELLLL of music. Not as swingin' as Prima's, but Sinatra does what he's best at: delivering smoooooth vocals and selling every word. The arrangement is also fantastic. 

8.) Love Is Here to Stay
The line "The radio and the telephone and the movies that we know/May just be passing fancies, and in time may go/But oh my dear, love is here to stay" might as well be a prophecy. I love the BA-BUM BA-BUM BA-BUM bassline, and Sinatra's sugar-sweet vocals. Like Sinatra sings, those things may go, but my love for this song ain't goin' nowhere.

And so it was foretold, along with something about the seventh month, blah blah...I may have spaced out a bit.

9.) I've Got You Under My Skin
Sooooo this is probably in my Top 5 Sinatra songs. Guys, this is serious business. There is literally nothing I'd change about it. The coy, somewhat risqué lyrics ("I tried so not to give in", etc etc etc) and the baritone sax set the scene brilliantly. It never settles on one mood, though, going from the seductive way he sings "I've got you under my skin" to the buildup around 2:20 leading up to the final lines "But each time I dooOOOO/Just the thought of you makes me stop just before I begin", then creeps back down "'Cause I've got you under my skin". 

Soooo yes this is one of my go-to reaction gifs

10.) I Thought About You
Another great bassline with some flute opens this number. 
No matter where he goes or what he does, he's thinking about you. Constantly. 

Well, that escalated quickly.

I especially like the flute combo around the 1:50 mark that seems to be mimicking a train whistle (fitting given the lyrics about him being on a train, yes yes).

11.) We'll Be Together Again
A slower track, and a longer one comparatively (4:30-ish vs. 2:00, 3:00-ish). After the highs of the previous tracks, this does slow the pace, but without slowing the momentum, especially given the great instrumental break-down around starting just after the two minute mark. Despite its slower tempo, it's still ultimately a hopeful track, in keeping with the album as a whole. Reminds me in a great many ways of the similarly-titled "We'll Meet Again", which Sinatra also sang on another album.

QUIT BREAKING MY HEART, STEPHEN!

12.) Makin' Whoopee
And the award for least subtle title of the '50s goes to...

Subtlety.

A cautionary tale: IF YOU MAKE THE WHOOPEE, GET READY TO MAKE THE BABY CLOTHES TOOOO. Frank freakin' Sinatra of all people singing this song is too rich, especially given his (in)famous lifestyle. But that irony is precisely what makes this track so great. You can imagine him rolling his eyes while singing it.

13.) Swingin' Down the Lane
Oh my gosh, it's like Noah's Ark up in here: everyone hand-in-hand prancing about. Get the hose already. Seriously, though, Sinatra's wondering why you're not getting with the program and getting with him. Then you can be one of those couples single people want to turn the hose on. #lifegoals

14.) Anything Goes
I can't hear this without being reminded of the awesome rendition by Sutton Foster at the 2011 Tonys:

The times, they are a-changin'. Women showing ankle is no longer controversial (in most places at least), night's become day, and anything goes now. Imagine if he had seen some modern videos.

AKA, "Back in MY day...". This reads as another tongue-in-cheek choice for Frank, given his 'advanced age' at the time (smh) and his notoriety. It's a fun one.

What do you mean 'that's not Miley'?

15.) How About You
We've sadly reached the end of the album. It feels a little bit like online dating: "I like potato chips, moonlight motor trips/How about you?" There are some dated references (i.e., James Durante, Gershwin songs), but despite it all, there's a youthful exuberance about it. It's a great closer.
And YES YES, I like all those things tooooo (except New York in June is muggy as fuuuuck, let's be real)

Mmm...potato chips

FINAL THOUGHTS:
This album is a 180º from a lot of the other albums that I've been reviewing, like Elvis or Fats Domino, and definitely meant to be. Sinatra wasn't denying his somewhat 'dated' feel, but embracing it by singing these tunes from 10+ years prior. Still, apart from some lyrical references, the songs don't feel dated, thanks in large part to the fantastic arrangements by Nelson Riddle, who once said, "In working out arrangements for Frank, I suppose I stuck to two main rules.  First, find the peak of the song and build the whole arrangement to that peak, pacing it as he paces himself vocally.  Second, when he's moving, get the hell out of his way."
It's an awesome, awesome album, for swingin' lovers and everybody else.

Personal standout tracks:
"You Make Me Feel So Young", "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me", "Too Marvelous for Words", "I've Got You Under My Skin"....really, every song, but especially these