Transcript www.lipscomb.umn.edu

As a group we collectively decided to do Frank
Sinatra on the spot. He was not only an
influential artist of his time but his songs
today are still being covered and played
throughout the world. He is an artist on the
softer side of rock and we would like to
analyze this style a bit further.
● Born on December 12, 1915
o Weighed 13.5 lbs!!!
o Nearly died when born
o Born in Hoboken, NJ
o Born deaf in one ear leading to him
not being able to get drafted in
WWII
http://www.sinatra.com/timeline
● Musical Exposure
o His mother sang the Italian bel canto style at family gatherings
o He loved to sing along to songs heard on the radio
● Dropped out of high school his senior year
o Wanted to pursue a career in music even though his parents
wanted him to become an engineer.
● Tommy Dorsey (November 19,
1905 - November 2, 1956)
o Trombone player for the Dorsey Band
o Carried himself well and dressed
nicely
o Sinatra copied him and tried to learn
from him
 Even copied his cologne and
toothpaste
 Learned breath control from
Dorsey
http://cpsstatic.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/
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?partner=allrovi.com
● Soft ballads with smooth voices
for slow dancing were popular
during the 1930s and 1940s
● Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 October 14, 1977)
o Smooth baritone singer
o Had an intimate singing style that
influenced Sinatra’s style
o Sinatra (In 1935 after watching Crosby)
“...After seeing him that night, I knew I
had to be a singer.”
http://www.doctormacro.com/movie%20
star%20pages/Crosby,%20BingAnnex.htm
● September 1935- Appeared on Major Bowes’ Amateur Hour with the
Hoboken Four
o The group won the radio show contest and toured with Bowes
● Was heard in 1939 by Harry James and Tommy Dorsey
o Dorsey hired Sinatra in 1940 and they began recording
o Sinatra was featured on 16 Top 10 Hits
http://www.last.fm/
music/Tommy+Dor
sey/The+Genius+o
f+Tommy+Dorsey
http://www.thefranksinatra.com
/articles/the-hoboken-four
● Sinatra tested a solo career in 1942
o Left Tommy Dorsey band in September that year
● Meanwhile RCA Victor had released Sinatra songs with Tommy Dorsey
o “There are such things”- Hit #1 in January 1943
o “In the blue of the evening”- Hit #1 in 1943
o “It’s always you”-Hit #5 in 1944
o “I’ll be seeing you” reached Top Ten in 1944
● Columbia records released “All or nothing” (Originally a James song)
o Released it under Frank Sinatra with Harry James and his Orchestra
o Hit #1 in September 1944
● Sinatra signed with Columbia Records in 1944
o Resulted in four Top Ten Hits
● Was hired by radio series Your Hit Parade
o Performed from February 1943-1944
● Also began the Songs by Sinatra Show
http://www.amazon.com/Frank● 1943- Made first appearance on Reveille with Beverly
Sinatra-Sings-Youro Sang “Night and Day” in the motion picture Parade/dp/B004D0SH6C
● In early 1950s
o Sinatra was dropped from Columbia Records
o He also lost his MGM motion picture contract
● In 1953 he returned to the limelight
o Won an Oscar award for his role as Maggio in the film From Here to
Eternity
● Was a movie star through 1950s
Sinatra with his wife and his
o Played a drug addict in The Man With first Oscar for From Here to
Eternity
The Golden Arm
http://thunderbird37.com/franksinatra-best-years/
● Sinatra faced many personal and musical setbacks in
the 1950s
o He divorced his wife and actress, Ava Gardner 1950
o Two years later, his singles failed to reach the top
30 hits
● In the 1950s Sinatra changed his persona from the
dreamy singer of his past to a new bad boy persona
o Personified the eras loss of innocence from the transition of the
crooners in the 1940s to the swingers of the 1950s
o Was known for partying and drinking
o Allegedly was involved with the Mafia
● Developed a new swagger
o Swung a raincoat over his shoulder
o Wore his signature fedora and tailored suits
● Sinatra changed his vocal timbre and his
performances became an expression of his
personality and moods
o Expressed emotions like anger, which were not before included
in pop music
● 1953 Sinatra made a comeback as a jazzier singer
with a rougher voice and used more aggression
● In 1959, Sinatra left Capitol Records and opened his
own company, Reprise in 1961
● Served as a headliner in 1965 Newport Jazz Festival
http://rateyourmusic
.com/label/reprise_r
ecords/
● Had a 1965 Thanksgiving TV Special: A Man and his
Music
o Won an Emmy award for this and had one television
special every year for the next four years
● In 1965, he also won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement
Award
http://cdn2b.examiner.com/sites/default/file
s/styles/image_content_width/ha
sh/ac/64/grammy_RESIZED_PP
_2.jpg
● Performed at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas throughout the 1960s
● From 1966 to 1968 he covered young artists’ work and was highly
http://www.rottentomato
es.com/m/frank_sinatra
successful
_vegas_live_from_caes
o One successful song he covered was “My Way” by Paul Anka inars_palace/
1968
http://pattypowersnyc.com/
2013/01/19/the-upside-ofshame/
● In 1970, Sinatra announced the end of his musical
career
o Was given a big farewell on June 13, 1971
● In 1973, he changed his mind!
o Released Ol’ Blue Eyes is Back
o Performed at the Nixon White House
http://upopjazz.music.coocan.jp/eolblueeye.html
● Sinatra continued to perform through the 1980s and
early 1990s
o Also kept appearing in movies and on television
● In 1994, collapsed on stage in Virginia
o Nevertheless, he finished his tour that year
http://upopjazz.music.coocan.jp/eolblueeye.html
● Sinatra passed away on May 14th, 1998
o He died of cardiac arrest and was 83 years old
● Although Sinatra has passed, he has left his mark on the pop musical
industry and will remain one of the greatest pop artists of all time
http://www.death2ur.com/ratpackgravesites.htm
● Defined the sound and style of pop pre-Beatles
● Revived the swing pop music and brought a new level
of sophistication to the pop market
● Helped to establish and popularize the entertainment
business of Las Vegas
○ Sinatra had a rhythmic belting sound that was associated with Vegas
● He influenced artists including Sara Bereilles, John
Legend, John Mayer, Bono from U2, and Michael
Buble.
● Knew how to produce the sound of loneliness in songs
o May have been related to his many insecurities
 During childbirth doctor’s forceps left scar a down his face
 Had acne scars from his teen years
 Wore elevator shoes (was only 5’7”)
 Had multiple suicide attempts
● Had a signature vocal stutter during his slow ballads
● Incorporated emotion into his songs
o Sang about romance with hints of lust
o Sang about his frailty with the sound of vulnerability
● Many of Sinatra’s young female fans grew up
during the Great Depression (from 1929-1941)
o As teens they now had money
o Followed Sinatra and were called “bobby-soxers” due to
their white ankle high socks
● Bombing of Pearl Harbor (1941)
o America was in distress
o Sinatra had to take whatever work he could find
● War World II (1939-1945)
o Sinatra’s emotional songs were popular with those who had
http://images.fineartamerica.com/im
loved ones overseas
ages-medium-large/bobby-socksankle-high-often-thick-or-everett.jpg
1930s
- Young people enjoyed going to dance to the “big bands”
- Many popular and famous Broadway musicals were produced
- The Federal Music Project (FMP) was formed, with the goal, “ to
employ professional musicians registered on the relief rolls...To
establish high standards of musicianship, to rehabilitate musicians
by helping them to become self-supporting, to retrain musicians,
and to educate the public in the appreciation of musical
opportunities.” 1
- Benny Goodman. Duke Ellington. Glenn Miller. Tommy Dorsey. 2
1940s
- Bing Crosby. Dinah Shore. Kate Smith. Perry Como. Charlie
Parker. Billie Holiday. Ella Fitzgerald. Bing Crosby. Woody Herman.
3
1950s
- Early Rock ‘n’ Roll and Crooners were popular
- Teenagers and young adults enjoyed watching and dancing to
Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.4
- Music was much more accessible as it was now on the radio.4
- Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Nat King Cole.
1960s
- British Invasion, Motown, Surf Music, Protest Rock.
- Bob Dylan. The Rolling Stones. The Beatles. The Beach Boys.
Aretha Franklin. Four Tops. James Brown. The Temptations. The
Supremes. Stevie Wonder. The Mamas and the Papas. Simon &
Garfunkel. The Byrds. Otis Redding.5
● Duple meter with triple subdivision
● The musical form is AABA form with a I-vi-IV-V Progression.
● The musical texture is melody and accompaniment homophony
o The main melody is with Sinatra’s singing while the backup singers,
trumpets, and organ play a simpler melody in the background.
● There is a backbeat with the snare drum
● The backup singers harmonize chords with each other
● There is a key change near the end of the song
● The song ends with a nice cadence from the organ
● Tempo is relatively slow and the rhythm is kept through the drums,
trumpet, and organ
A
a. That's life
a. (That's life)
b. That's what all the people say
b. You're riding high in April, shot down in May
c. But I know I'm gonna change that tune
c. When I'm back on top, back on top in June
A
a. I said that's life
a. (That's life)
b. And as funny as it may seem
b. Some people get their kicks stomping on a dreams
c. But I don't let it, let it get me down
c. 'Cause this old world, it keeps spinnin' around
B
a. I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a
king,
a. I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing,
b. Each time I find myself flat on my face,
b. I pick myself up and get back in the race
A
a. That's life
a. (That's life)
b. I tell you, I can't deny it I thought of quitting,
b. baby but my heart just ain't gonna buy it,
c. And if I didn't think it was worth one single try,
c. I'd jump right on a big bird and then I'd fly
B
a. I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a
king,
a. I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing,
b. Each time I find myself layin' flat on my face,
b. I just pick myself up and get back in the race,
A
a. That's life
a. (That's life)
b. That's life and I can't deny it,
b. Many times I thought of cutting out but my heart won't buy it,
c. But if there's nothing shaking come this here July,
c. I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball and die, my, my
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g/220px-That'sLife.jpg
Kaplan, J. (2010, October 1). The Night Sinatra Happened . Vanity Fair .
Sinatra, N. (n.d.). Frank Sinatra Timeline. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.sinatra.com/
Holden, S. (1998, May 16). Frank Sinatra Dies at 82; Matchless Stylist of Pop. The New York Times, pp. 1-6
Timeline | Sinatra Live. (n.d.). Timeline | Sinatra Live. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.sinatra.com/timeline
.Frank Sinatra. (n.d.). . Retrieved , from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000069/
Gardner, E. (2008, May 12). Sinatra 10 Years Later: To Young Stars, Ol’ Blue Eyes is an “All-Timer”. USA Today. Retrieved from
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-05-11-frank-sinatra_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Ruhlmann, W. (n.d.). Frank Sinatra Artist Biography. All Music. Retrieved from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/frank-sinatramn0000792507/biography
Robertson, R., & Guerinot, J., & Robertson, S., & Levine, J. (2013). Legends, Icons, and Rebels: Music That Changed the World.
Toronto, Ontario. Tundra Books
Frank Sinatra Biography | Rolling Stone. (n.d.). Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/frank-sinatra/biography
The Life and Career of Crooner Frank Sinatra. (n.d.). About.com 20th Century History. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from
http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Frank-Sinatra.htm
Sinatra, N. (1985). Frank Sinatra, my father. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.
Havers, R. (2004). Sinatra. New York: DK Pub..
Rojek, C. (2004). Frank Sinatra. Cambridge: Polity.
1 New
Deal Programs: Selected Library of Congress Resources.(2010, July 30) The Library of Congress. Retrieved July 1, 2014,
from http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/newdeal/fmp.html
2 Sutton,
B. (1999). 1930-1939. American Cultural History. Lone Star College-Kingwood Library, Kingwood, TX. Retrieved July 1,
2014, from http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade30.html
3 Goodwin,
S. (1999). 1940-1949. American Cultural History. Lone Star College- Kingwood Library, Kingwood, TX. Retrieved July
1,3014, from http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade40.html
4 Bradley,
B. (1998). 1950-1959. American Cultural History. Lone Star College-Kingwood Library, Kingwood, TX. Retrieved July 1,
2014 from http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade50.html
5 "Music
Played in the 1960's Popular Music From the 60s." (n.d.). The People History Site. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/60smusic.html