Sinatra

Michael Feinstein’s five essential Frank Sinatra songs

Frank Sinatra was “a consummate interpreter of lyrics,” says Michael Feinstein, the performer and most prominent champion of the Great American Songbook. Feinstein, whose albums include “The Sinatra Project” and “The Sinatra Project, Vol. II,” shared with The Times his five essential Sinatra songs. (Note: Videos below do not necessarily correspond with the specific recordings Feinstein references.)

Story: Story: Michael Feinstein's favorite Sinatra tunes

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
“You Make Me Feel So Young”
“All the Way”
“Fools Rush In”
“Nice ‘n’ Easy”

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin”

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” by Cole Porter, as recorded in 1956: I love that as much for Nelson Riddle’s arrangement as for the vocal performance. The two are inextirpable. So much of what made Sinatra great was the arrangements. In the case of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” I think that is the supreme collaborative example of the best of Nelson Riddle and Frank Sinatra where one fed off the other.

“You Make Me Feel So Young”

“You Make Me Feel So Young” music by Josef Myrow, lyrics by Mack Gordon, as recorded in 1956: It’s a song from a [1946] movie called “Three Little Girls in Blue.” It was a delightful movie song, but again with Nelson Riddle’s arrangement, it became another thing entirely. That is an example of where Sinatra’s ‘50s swagger is so perfectly suited to what the song says, reinvigorating a song that was 10 years old and making it absolutely immediate.

“All the Way”

“All the Way” (music by Jimmy Van Huesen, lyrics by Sammy Cahn), as recorded in 1957: It is an eloquent expression of romance. It is the pinnacle of the collaboration between Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Huesen. It was written for Sinatra. “All the Way” is a song of yearning, of striving for the affection for another person — that deep need to share your life with someone.
Click the photo below to listen to “All the Way.”

“Fools Rush In”

“Fools Rush In” (music by Rube Bloom, lyrics by Johnny Mercer), recorded in 1940, 1947 and 1960: “Fools Rush In” is something he reinterpreted through the decades. It became much deeper. In his later recording, he goes for a high note that was almost off the charts. I hear that section of the song and it always opens my heart and makes me feel that moment of joy when one realizes another person has transformed their existence.
Click the photo below to listen to “Fools Rush In.”

“Nice ‘n’ Easy”

“Nice ‘n’ Easy” (music by Lew Spencer, lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman), recorded in 1960: “It is an example of how he could sing — he could do a medium tempo, laid back swing performance that just bubbled with energy, but still had a lazy confidence about it. That song in the hands of anybody else would not have had that unspoken gravitas that Sinatra brought to it. On the surface it’s “Hey, babe, what’s your hurry,” but underneath you feel this woman’s [he’s singing to] goose is cooked!

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