Professor David Peimer
The Unique Life and Voice of Frank Sinatra

Professor David Peimer | The Unique Life and Voice of Frank Sinatra

- Okay, so thanks very much, Jess. Hi everybody, and hope everybody is well, sorry, just checking something. Hope everybody’s well everywhere, and keeping, yeah, healthy and good. So from a surprisingly, very sunny, warm Liverpool moment it is to say. Welcome, and we’re going to look at something very different. As you know, August, we are doing lighter content overall. Thursday, I was doing work and cancel, which is not culture, which is not light. But anyway, back to what we were doing for August. And interestingly, we chose, as one of them would be Frank Sinatra, and to be frank, right from the beginning, to use a bad pun. But anyway, to be honest, right from the beginning, I never used to be a fan of Sinatra growing up. I always thought, “Hmm, never quite felt that easygoing, smooth, croon of voice, et cetera, et cetera. I only grew to appreciate this extraordinary individual, a quite remarkable and unique voice. What he did with his work, working on his voice, and also, and the life that he lived, his incredible support for Jewish people, for Israel, for, for African Americans, for anybody who was either born into poverty or born into a tough life, and, you know, anybody spoke in any hint of antisemitism, how he would speak out against it. There are so many aspects to his life. The people he worked with, Black, white, mixed race, everything. The extraordinary span of one life in a way, you know, I have this phrase, "It’s not just my way, but he lived many ways,” mixing with the mob, allegedly with the mafia, and so on. There are so many aspects to his life, and in addition, he was a perfectionist as a singer.

And how he tried to move and change with the times, going from, you know, the, basically the 20th century, you know, going through from, you know, from early times, blues, jazz, that easygoing jazz style, vocal style, you know, through then rock and roll comes. Anyway, all the people he worked with. So I came later in life to appreciate the uniqueness of his voice, the life he lived, and how he contributed in a way to culture. Obviously, American culture, but globally, I think, and the image that he gave. So I want to share some of that, and interweave aspects of his life together with… We can all enjoy clips from seven or eight of his songs as well. Some of the great classics, and some of the slightly less known ones, which I’m going to play as we go along also. When he turned 80, there was a big celebration concert, and believe it or not, Bob Dylan went, and Bob Dylan played a Sinatra song. And afterwards, all the purists said to Dylan, “What, how could you play Sinatra? Who is he, different generation,” and all the rest, et cetera, ‘Cause they had stereotyped Dylan and Sinatra. And Dylan simply answered them, he said, “Just listen to that voice.” And Dylan spoke about quite a few really famous stars or entertainers about the voice. He said, “The greatness of John Lennon, of course, were the ideas, but listen to that voice.” And he said the same about Sinatra. And of course, there were others as well, and he’s being known as the voice, you know, Frank Sinatra.

But there is something quite incredible, and I’m going to try and tease out some of the techniques that he consciously employed to develop his voice with virtually no training, no musical training, could barely read music, anything like that. He comes out of that whole generation, the Billie Holiday generation, who he called the greatest singer of his era, Billie Holiday, you know? And we’re talking about segregated America of those times, you know, the early times, the 30s into the 40s even. So, you know, the kind of idols, the way he understood singing, voice, culture, nuance, with melody, sound, tune, music, instruments. He put it together in a way that those original greats did, and they did it without formal training. And he’s one of them as well. Of course, he has this sort of smooth crooner, vulnerable Italian American become tough guy image, of course. And we love that about it. But the reality of what he’s doing in his life and his voice is still something I think quite remarkable. And here we are, you know, 24 years into the 21st century, still listening to Sinatra and why. Okay, can we show the next slide, please? So this is another, I like this image. I’ve always liked it. Sinatra in the movie, “Tony Rome.” It’s a little known film that he made, 1967, of course, I haven’t even spoken about. I’m going to talk a bit about today. You know, his ability as an actor and a singer and to understand, you know, and in culture, you know, mixing with presidents and ordinary people, all range. This is a very little, well, a minimally known movie, which he accidents.

I like this image, 'cause there’s something, it’s just something very human about it. Something very down to earth, 'cause it’s got a Bogart influence and others, et cetera. But this is 1967, and you know, we see something of an older Sinatra, a realist, a more adult man compared to the smooth charmer, you know, which he was, brilliant charmer, and of woman. And we’re going to talk about that, and what his wife said about the impact he had on women. So I think it’s an image which is just something a bit more real and human. I can imagine meeting this guy and having coffee with him somewhere, you know? And it’s one of the detective stories, you know, he played quite a few detectives, as you all know, but let’s just think for a second. We imagine he’s acting, he’s singing, he’s teaching himself singing, music, jazz, blues. He’s spanning almost the whole 20th century. He’s doing songs by The Beatles. He’s playing with Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, the Count Basie, the entire range of jazz, blues. Musicians trying to understand. He has duets with Elvis. He sings “Yesterday,” The Beatles, you know, one of The Beatles classics and many, many others trying to keep up with his times as an entertainer, as a persona. So for me, there’s the voice, which I want to tease out. There’s the persona, and I’m going to talk quite a bit about his breath, how he trained his breath, and we listened to it carefully. You’ll see it how he used his breath quite uniquely as a singer, and as we interweave the life with some of the songs. Okay, if we can go on to the next slide, please. This of course which I’m going to come into today, talk about him.

And I’m going to use the word alleged, 'cause there’s nothing legally proven as far as I researched, I could be wrong, but as far as I know, about his work with or friendships with, or shall we say, collaborating with the mafia. And of course, one of the main ones was Lucky Luciano, who, quite a few, had worked with Meyer Lansky and others, you know, and so on, Bugsy Siegel. Yeah, there’s a whole range of them. And Sinatra’s quoted as saying, he adored Bugsy Siegel. Anyway, I’m going to talk about his relationship with the mob and the mafia as well, and how we can’t help almost to romanticise in a way, because the persona that he created of the vulnerable Italian American skinny kid, New York, New Jersey, growing up and becoming the smooth charmer, you know, succeeding, you know, strong Italian American, Italian immigrant, you know, we can’t help that. And together with that, of course, goes a possible link with the mafia and we can’t help romanticise aspects of all of that as well. And why not? He was nicknamed the Chairman of the Board, or Ol’ Blue Eyes, as we know. Not Luciano, obviously, but Sinatra. He was one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century. He sold a 150 million copies of his records. And that, remember, this is going way back, records and vinyl, 150 million, which was an extraordinary number for his time. Born of Italian immigrants in New Jersey. He began, during the swing era, influenced by that easy listening vocal style, especially of Bing Crosby, his greatest influence.

And later, in his own words, his greatest competition was to updo Bing Crosby, and the Big Band style that we all know. A film actor. He wins an Academy Award for “From Here to Eternity.” You know, the film about the soldiers in Hawaii a couple of months before the Pearl Harbour attack. So he wins an Academy Award for a supporting actor there. That’s 1953. He’s in “The Manchurian Candidate,” one of the really good movies, 1962. He acts in “Guys and Dolls.” “Tony Rome,” the movie I showed the slide of a minute ago, 1967. He wins the Golden Globe, he gets the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He wins 11 Grammy Awards. That’s extraordinary. We think about it for a second, 11 Grammys. Time magazine voted him one of the 20th century’s 100 most influential people, not just artists or entertainers. One of the hundred most influential people voted by Time magazine, Sinatra. Quite an incredible achievement for a kid from New Jersey that the heights that he reached, how far he pushed himself, what he achieved. In his early life, he said he had to counter his mother’s steel, and his mother had a steel will, and that he had to develop his own, which, ironically, kept him at the top of his game. And his wife, Barbara, quotes him on that a number of times. And she belittled, his mother belittled his choice of career. So he’s fighting a parental, a little parental battle there as well. But he gets a steel will, of course, as we do whatever we get from our parents at the same time, to never stop and to have this ambition. Sorry, that was Sinatra’s daughter, Nancy, on Sinatra’s mother. His father was a boxer in her Hoboken, and he then worked Bantamweight boxer. And then his father worked, was illiterate, works in the fire department and worked his way up to become captain. Sinatra never learned to read music.

He learned by his ear, as I said before, so many of them. Insatiable desire to succeed like so many of his generation, the Billie Holiday, all the others of that generation. Insatiable hunger got to succeed, ambition determined, something about that era drove these people so hard without the benefit of formal education, certainly of university education of any kind. In 1941, he topped the singer polls. 1941, he’s at the top of the singer polls and there was the phrase, Swoonatra, and the voice, he became known as. And the image, as I said, of the vulnerable, shy Italian American, tough childhood, tough neighbourhood, New Jersey, but makes good and becomes this incredible, smooth, successful adult male charisma and charmer. If we go on to the next slide, please. So this is from one of the movies that he acted in, “Cast A Giant Shadow,” and you can see the individuals. There’s John Wayne, Yul Brynner, Kirk Douglas. You know, and then on the right-hand side, we see Sinatra. “Cast A Giant Shadow,” and I’m sure many know it, one of the many films that he acted in. He only had a small role, and it was about the life of Colonel Mickey Marcus as he became known, who, in essence, helped develop the IDF and helped with the early evolution of the IDF. And certainly, fought in the 1948 war and was killed. And I’m sure many people know the film. Anyway, Sinatra has a small role in it. And at the time, he was paid $50,000 for his cameo role as it was known.

And in those days, of course, a lot of money. He donated all of it to Israeli and obviously, Jewish causes in Israel itself. He didn’t take $1 for himself of the salary for this film. He’s the only one, he donated it all to causes in Israel. Just one example I want to give of his commitment to Jewish people, to his absolute disdain and dislike and serious antisemitism, whether it vitriol or whether it be lighter, you know, committed to be so supportive of Israel and Jewish people anywhere. And that’s just one of the many films that he acts in. I mentioned some of the others. To show the ambition and the drive of this guy, 1945 and 1946, he did a 160 radio shows. So in one and a half, two years, a 160 radio shows singing, he recorded 16 times, sorry, 36 times, and he made four movies. So in the space of two years, that’s what he does. The achievement, the drive, the ambition, the workaholic. He only slept four hours a night, according to his wife, Barbara, for most of his adult life. But we can’t underestimate that still, that, you know, his daughter said, inherited from his mother, to succeed, to achieve things to do. And I mean, you know, not easy to go from being an entertainer, a singer without any formal training at all into being a hugely known actor in many ways. I mean, he’s in “Guys and Dolls,” there he is with, you know, one of the great musicals. And in so many of the other movies that I met, “The Manchurian Candidate,” you know, and others. In the mid to late 40s, he was selling up to 10 million records a year, which is an incredible amount. We’ve got to think back to the mid late 40s, 10 million records today per year. I mean, with the internet, it’s, you know, you look at hundreds of millions or whatever.

But this is going way back to those times, an extraordinary amount of work. He buried himself in his work with recordings, movies and live concerts, and TV shows and radio shows, never stopped working to achieve his ambition. In 1966, this is the height of the 60s, of The Beatles, obviously, The Rolling Stones, and so many, many others. You know, the middle of the 60s, he releases the album, “That’s Life,” and it becomes one of the bestselling albums of the year behind The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper.” I mean, what an incredible achievement for this guy. This is in the mid to late 60s, he’s achieving… He’s on a level with The Beatles, but he’s starting way back before them in a totally different era and different music genre styles. 1966, “Strangers In The Night,” which we all know so well is the top of the billboard for many, many, many, many weeks. The album, “That’s Night” was regarded as one critic as, and I’m quoting, “A blend of Bossa nova, swinging jazz vocals, and a mood of romance and regret.” And I think what he does capture as he grows older and matures with his voice and his persona that I mentioned, you get the sense of romance and regret. From Billie Holiday, he gets it, from Ella Fitzgerald, he gets it, from Louis Armstrong, from so many of the great jazz and blues, artists from the earlier period going into his own period. That dramatic tension between romance and regret is so powerful and so evocative today, or when he played and sang. Let’s go on to the next slide, please. 1962, so it’s before the Six-Day War.

Here he is in Israel watching a parade of the IDF. He went to visit Israel many times, and I’m going to talk about some of his trips and what he did for Israel and for the Hebrew University as well. We’ll get to that a little bit later. But here he is just watching an IDF parade, Sinatra in 1962 before the Six-Day War. I mean, Israel’s only established in ‘48, you know, and here he is, you know, invited and going. Nobody says he has to, nobody insists, it’s his own choice. Okay, if we can go on to the next one, please. Okay, this is a picture of, in Israel, of Sinatra on the right, Teddy Kollek in the middle. And as I’m sure many remember, Teddy Kollek was the mayor of Jerusalem, and he is giving him an award. Sinatra gave millions to Israel and to Jewish causes in America. He set up the Frank Sinatra room at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. And it was part of the cafeteria, which four years after his death was tragically bombed by a suicide bomber. Seven people were murdered. That’s a separate story. He gave money for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for a building at the Hebrew University called after him, and to other projects in Israel, to other youth centres in Israel as well. And he has Teddy Kollek in Jerusalem, giving him an award to say thank you. Okay, if we go on to the next one, please. All right, this is the first song we’re going to play, “Strangers In The Night.”

♪ Strangers in the night ♪ ♪ Exchanging glances, wondering in the night ♪ ♪ What were the chances we’d be sharing love ♪ ♪ Before the night was through ♪ ♪ Something in your eyes was so inviting ♪ ♪ Something in your smile was so exciting ♪ ♪ Something in my heart told me I must have you ♪ ♪ Strangers in the night ♪ ♪ Two lonely people ♪ ♪ We were strangers in the night ♪ ♪ Up to the moment when we said our first hello ♪ ♪ Little did we know ♪ ♪ Love was just a glance away ♪ ♪ A warm, embracing dance away ♪ ♪ And ever since that night ♪ ♪ We’ve been together ♪ ♪ Lovers at first sight ♪ ♪ In love forever ♪ ♪ It turned out so right ♪ ♪ For strangers in the night ♪

Thanks, Jess, if we can hold it there, please. Okay, so I want to show you, of course, Ol’ Blue Eyes couldn’t get a better picture, could he? So I wanted to start with this, because just listen to how long he can hold a word, just how long he can stretch out one word or a syllable or a couple of syllables with that voice. He used to swim a huge amount, and he used to practise his lyrics while he was swimming. The reason that he swam, aside from keeping a bit fit, was to improve his breath control, and how long he could hold his breath, because he realised that the breath was so crucial to the ability to hold a note, to hold a syllable, to play with the words together with the music. And fascinatingly, he was one of the first to link length of breath or shortness of breath to the ability to vary a tone, to vary his voice, from the low to the middle, to the higher register. And later, a lot of people, a lot of scholars, critics wrote about, you know, how he had a lower, a middle and a higher register in his voice, but it comes through the breath, and it comes through as he knew consciously, swimming every day. So for all of us, want to be singers in the shower, you know, we got to swim if we want to hold, we’re going to learn it. He taught it himself, you know, and it’s a fascinating thing to learn. And he himself, he understands how crucial the breath is to being able to move between low, middle and higher register. And our crucial breath is in creating that sense of how the voice, what the voice really can do. Okay, I want to move on to the next, which is a fascinating short speech by Ronald Reagan.

His greatest friend, in terms of presidents. He was friendly with Ford, who gave him the presidential medal. He was friendly with Reagan, he was friendly with Kennedy, he was his greatest friend, perhaps the Catholic upbringing or similarity. But also from the very ordinary people to Jewish causes to Israel to causes for underprivileged African Americans, giving money everywhere. He also donated four million to Reagan’s presidential campaign. But listen to what a president once upon a time used to sound like, the humour of the wit. This is a speech that Reagan gave in honour of Sinatra. If we can play it, please.

• Frank is innovative. His mind is always working, but he’s also willing to admit when he is wrong, like wanting a comic like Pat Henry to open for him when he addresses the joint session of Congress. And he realise, speak to Congress the real comics are in the audience. Thank you, Dean. I’m pleased to be here tonight, honouring my very dear friend, Frank Sinatra. I must say that when this programme was being planned, the producer hadn’t decided what political figures would participate. It was a choice between me and Governor Brown and I lost again. Seriously, this is Frank Sinatra’s night and I’m here out of gratitude. Frank worked for me in all my campaigns. He was with me all the way to the governor’s mansion. Without his help, who knows? I might have been president. It’s my considered opinion that the two gentlemen who flanked me would make quite a political ticket. Frank is president, Dean is his crawling mate. Why would Frank Sinatra make a good president? Well, let’s look at the facts. He has many friends, and I’m sure he’d appoint only the most qualified to his cabinet.

Who better than Sammy Davis Jr., as Secretary of Health Education and Jewellery. Because in politics, there’s always gossip and ugly rumours. I’m happy to expose one for the falsehood that it is. He has not granted a Pizza Hut franchise at Camp David. It’ll be in the White House, where it belongs. Frank Sinatra will make a president, who is strong on defence, but again, will have concern for humanity. Scientists at his urging have developed an intercontinental ballistics missile that is not a weapon of mass destruction. It only hits photographers. I asked him what he thought of the energy bill, he didn’t hesitate a second, he said, “Pay it.” Frank is innovative. His mind is always working, but he’s also willing to admit when he is wrong, like wanting a comic like Pat Henry to open for him when he addresses the joint session of Congress. And he realised, speak to Congress, the real comics are in the audience. He won’t have any trouble with Congress, they’ll pass all the legislation he sends over just to get his autograph. And he’ll settle that canal business too. And ‘em all wants a canal, he’ll give them Venice. Well, you probably get it by now, I think, Frank Sinatra would make a fine president, but I don’t know whether we can get him to run. Is it worth it, if you have to give up being a king?

• Okay, thanks, you can hold it there. So I wanted to play this not only 'cause it shows a different world and a different era, which is mostly forgotten today. And I’m not being pro or anti-Reagan about this, but a president able to joke, be humorous, be light, be witty, be quick and sharp is awesome. Well, Sammy Davis Jr… I mean, look at the people there who are attending, you know, at the table there. And look how Reagan is mocking himself inside all of this as well. Obviously, it’s well-written, it’s well-scripted by somebody else and so on. And he’s an actor, Reagan, so he can perform it. But nevertheless, there’s just something about it, which is a sense of generosity, I guess, would be the simplest word. And a sense of of believable friendship, you know, and a kindness in that way. Okay, so we go on to… He recorded works in the 60s by Paul Simon. I said The Beatles already, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, he worked with all these individuals. Later, he did work comedy with his great friend, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis. He does comedy, he does acting, he does singing, recording all of the things that I mentioned in his extraordinary career. The award that he was given, another award was called the Scopus Awards by the American Friends of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, President Ford awarded Sinatra, the International Man of the Year Award. He also performed at the Egyptian pyramids for President Sadat. He performed in the Maracana Stadium in Rio. It was the largest live paid audience ever for a solo performer at the time. He performed with Quincy Jones in 1984, Crimea River. He loved classical music, inspired in particular by Pacini. As his great friend, Tony Bennett said, “He has far more voice than people think. He can vocalise to be flat on top in full voice. Far more voice than people think.” Let’s listen to an example and can we play the next one, please? “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

• Cole Porter, by way of Nelson Riddle.

♪ I’ve got you under my skin ♪ ♪ I’ve got you deep in the heart of me ♪ ♪ So deep in my heart that you are a part of me ♪ ♪ I’ve got you under my skin ♪ ♪ I have tried, so tried ♪ ♪ Tried, not to give in ♪ ♪ I have said to myself ♪ ♪ This affair is not going to move so well ♪ ♪ But why should I try to resist ♪ ♪ When, baby, I know damn well ♪ ♪ I’ve got you under my skin ♪ ♪ I’d sacrifice anything come what might ♪ ♪ For the sake of havin’ you near ♪ ♪ In spite of a warnin’ voice that comes in the night ♪ ♪ And repeats, and repeats, and repeats, and repeats ♪ ♪ Don’t you know, little fool ♪ ♪ You’re not going to win ♪ ♪ Use your mentality ♪ ♪ Wake up to reality ♪ ♪ But each time I do ♪ ♪ Just the thought of you makes me stop before I begin ♪ ♪ ‘Cause I’ve got you under my skin ♪

• And hold it there, please, Jess. ♪ Leave some place to ♪ All right, so look at the difference here from a younger to a maturing Sinatra. There’s that more of that, a certain viral masculinity, but it’s got a calm, self-assured quality. But it’s got a bit of that cynicism that Bogart portrays, and he portrays in some of the movies. It’s not only romance and regret, there’s something of a more mature sense of, you know, what I felt, what I feel in love or past or to now, memory, of hope and this hope, and loss, of romance and loss, desire and loss, is something of a little bit of a more mature, older sense in that voice. And the second thing in that voice is to see… If you listen carefully in a phrase, he goes from low to middle to high register and then back down again. It’s that splitting up of the syllables and the words. It’s constantly like, that ripples or waves in the sea. And it’s so apparently effortless, but my God, he worked hard in it. Not only his breath, but rehearsing, and practising the number of hours this guy put in, you know, in order to make it appear so effortless and so charming. His voice had a top register. This is another person writing about his voice.

There is so many of them. His voice has a top register, which is a smooth lyrical sound in the middle register, and then a tender sound in the low. And everything he does, of course, has got a subtle sexuality, a subtle sexual charming tone. But he moves that between low, middle and high register, you know, as he’s seducing us all the time as well. An amazing achievement or a voice, and I don’t think I’m idealising or romanticising. There’s a reason why he achieved so much of what he did besides incredible hard works. Also, notice that he grew up with a very heavy New Jersey accent. We don’t hear it in the singing. His accent is barely audible. He’s worked on that also. Tommy Dorsey, 'cause he worked a lot with Tommy Dorsey. He said he brings a subtle excitement to the lyric, Dorsey went on. He would take a musical phrase, he play it without breathing for eight 10 bars. He had exceptional breath control, which came from his swimming. I mean, the guy’s in the music business, of course, knew Tommy Dorsey, you know? And think of the lyrics and increasing and the breathing power that can release and give. And also the control as an adult and the masculinity, the control it gives, 'cause he knows he can control his breath, therefore, he can control his voice, so he can control the singing with the music. He was a perfectionist. He spent weeks preparing for a recording of just, of one song even, or for concerts, and many other radio shows. Many things. He wins an award, as I said, an Academy award for Best Supporting Actor, “From Here to Eternity,” 1953. The movie set in, before the attack on Pearl Harbour. He acts in “High Society” in 1956 with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. Of course, he directed, we all know the great commercial hit, “Von Ryan’s Express” acts in it. 1965, the mid 60s already. Huge success.

He became a radio star of radio shows of his own, the great Abby Mann, who wrote “Ship of Fools,” the great Jewish writer, one of the brilliant best screenwriters certainly of that whole first half of that, and into the first half of the 20th century. And later, he wrote so many brilliant films, “Ship of Fools” and others. Abby Mann, who wrote for the Frank Sinatra show for ABC, for the TV to use. And he did a TV specials called, “Welcome Home Elvis” in 1960. He’s trying to work with Elvis even, not only all these other people I’ve mentioned, but Elvis, you know? I mean, could you get more difference between Elvis and Elvis’s sexuality in him? But it’s also, again, the voice of Elvis, I think, that makes Elvis last so much. And of course, it’s completely sexual in a totally different way to Sinatra, but it’s the voices that keep us going. They’re musical instruments, like Billy Hardy in a totally different way and others. He performed a duet with Elvis’ “Love Me tender.” He’d been critical of Elvis and rock and roll. He originally described rock and roll as, and I’m quoting, “Deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac.”

And then he apologised to Elvis, and he apologised to all rock and roll players as he completely turned around 180 degrees about rock and roll itself. He had the honesty to be wrong, and admit it and say it. He obviously, as we know, a great lover, a true gentleman. And this is what his wife, Barbara, said I’m quoting Barbara, “Frank, attracted woman. Just look at the way he moved, how he behaved, not only as a great lover, but as a true gentleman. He adored women. He knew how to treat them. He made me his wife feel so safe and loved.” And you get that feeling when he is singing. He’s the part of familiars, he is able to be in self-control, self-assured, not going crazy, not losing it, but always got that sense of self-assurance. I’m going to link it to breath control, but in the singing and in the persona. I’m not saying in his daily life, but in the persona that he creates on stage an extraordinary achievement. Okay, the next one I want to play is of course, the great classic, which we have to play. Can we play it please, Jesse, thanks.

• We will now do the national anthem, but you need to rise.

♪ And now, the end is near ♪ ♪ And so I face the final curtain ♪ ♪ My friend, I’ll make it clear ♪ ♪ I’ll state my case ♪ ♪ Of which I’m certain ♪ ♪ I’ve lived a life that’s full ♪ ♪ Travelled each and every highway ♪ ♪ More, more than this ♪ ♪ I did it my way ♪ ♪ Regrets, I’ve had a few ♪ ♪ But then again ♪ ♪ Too few to mention ♪ ♪ I did what I had to do ♪ ♪ I saw it through without exemption ♪ ♪ I planned each charted course ♪ ♪ Each careful step along the byway ♪ ♪ And the more, much more than this ♪ ♪ I did it my way ♪ ♪ Yes, there were times ♪ ♪ I guess you knew ♪ ♪ When I bit off more than I could chew ♪ ♪ And with it all ♪ ♪ When there was doubt ♪ ♪ I ate it up ♪ ♪ And spit it out ♪ ♪ I grew tall through it all ♪ ♪ And did it my way ♪ ♪ I’ve loved ♪ ♪ Laughed and cried ♪ ♪ I’ve had my fill ♪ ♪ My share of losing ♪ ♪ But now, as tears subside ♪ ♪ I find it all so amusing ♪ ♪ To think I did all that ♪ ♪ And may I say ♪ ♪ Not in a shy way ♪ ♪ No, no, not me ♪ ♪ I did it my way ♪ ♪ For what is a man ♪ ♪ What has he got ♪

• Him. ♪ If not himself, then he has naught ♪ ♪ To say the things he truly feels ♪ ♪ And not the words of one who kneels ♪ ♪ The record shows I took the blows ♪ ♪ And did it my way ♪

• And hold it there, please, Jess. So obviously, this is the one song I was had to play all the way through. We know it so well through him. What I wanted to show here was he’s singing it at an older age. And as I said, you know, he goes from low to middle to higher register. He goes from tender softness to a much more strident or, you know, but there’s always a sense of a calm self-assured masculinity, a calm virility as a man and sexuality. It’s so powerful, and yet it has that beauty of the tenderness and that steely determination, possibly of his youth as well. Romance and loss, regret and hope, despairs, all the things of life. As an older guy, he’s singing it and he’s being honest to his age as he’s singing it, he’s not pretending to try and sing it again as if he was 25 or 30 or 35 or 40 even. He’s singing it honestly according to the age that he is at, and trying to convey a complete whole different meaning. You know, when we look back with the regrets and the achievements and the happiness and the despairs of our life. As Arthur Miller said, and I can’t help quoting him at the moment, but when he was asked in a film by his daughter, he said he hoped that he would die with the right regrets. It’s an extraordinary phrase if you think about it. Arthur Miller, he hoped that he would end his life with the right regrets. And that always has stuck in my mind, echoed whenever I hear the song by Sinatra. Sinatra, he was obviously with Ava Gardner, he was married.

The engagement to Lauren Bacall, marries and divorces, Mia Farrow has an affair with Marilyn Monroe. I mean, the woman connection as his own wife knew was so powerful. We’re trying to understand the persona so different to the Elvis generation that comes after and then the 60s with The Beatles, and then with so many, you know, after that as well. Michael Jackson in a much more recent times, and many, many, we can go on and on. But trying to understand that persona. And as his wife, Barbara, said as well, that not only did he have a sense of style, he used to buy expensive tuxedos. He had stylish pinstripe suits, but he was the personification of America in the 50s. She said, “He was cocky, he had the eye on the main chance, but was optimistic always. His sense of danger that he exuded, always underlay the tension inside that calm persona.” That’s his wife speaking. And amazing, her way of just putting these simple, these words together so insightfully and articulate beautiful. His alleged… And I’m using that word thoughtfully, organised crime lengths or the mafia, Lucky Luciano. He was a stereotype of the, you know, as I said, the tough working class Italian American, grew up in New Jersey, all the rest of it. Willie Moretti was his godfather, and he was also the underboss of the Genovese crime family. He helped Sinatra to… In exchange for some kickbacks, he got Sinatra out of his contract with Tommy Dorsey, which he had difficulty with. Sinatra was also at the Mafia Havana Conference in 1946. He was there with Lucky Luciano. He was a very good friend of the other mobster, Sam Giancana, and he quote, I’m quoting him, he said, “I adored Bugsy Siegel.” I give that as a context for another aspect of many ways of my life. Many ways of one life. The FBI had 2,403 pages on Sinatra. The FBI, because of his mafia ties, his friendship with Kennedy, and it was suspected about so many of the other things as well. But 2,400 pages, the FBI had on Sinatra, let’s just think about that for a moment.

We would never assume that. He was under surveillance for five decades by the FBI from the 1940s, not only because of the possible mafia connection. He started to lose esteem with the mafia, of course, as he grew closer to the Kennedy Brothers and their cracked down on organised crime. But Sinatra was quoted at the time as saying, “Any report that I fraternised with goons or racketeers is a vicious lie.” Well, whether it’s true or not, we don’t know. That’s one day the files will come out. 1960s, he bought a 50% share in a casino hotel on the shores of Lake Tahoe. And in 1963, Sam Giancana was seen there and other mafia mobsters. Under pressure from the FBI, Sinatra agreed to give up his share of the casino. So this was part of the myth, the romance, the truth mixture of it all, which just adds another aspect to this guy’s extraordinary one life lived with, but it seems like so many lives in one. He was outspoken against racism, towards Black people, I said, towards Jewish people, Italian, many others. He campaigned against racial segregation in the 1950s. He was invited by… He often invited Kennedy to Hollywood. I mentioned his connection with Reagan, and that Reagan presented Sinatra, sorry, it was Reagan not Ford, with a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

And Reagan spoke not only in that speech, but later in another speech of his love of country and generosity for the less fortunate. And I think Reagan is right. There is a generosity, there’s an understanding of what it means to be less fortunate. He was a lifelong supporter of Jewish causes. He was also awarded the Holzer Memorial Award by the Los Angeles Jewish community. He did concerts in Israel in 1962. I said already he donated his salary for “Cast a Giant Shadow,” all of it to the Youth Centre in Jerusalem, the Hebrew University. He raised $6,500,000 in 1972 alone, he raised $6,500,000 for Israel. He was given the Medallion of Value by Menachem Begin. He created the students, the Frank Sinatra Student Centre at the Hebrew University. We can go on and on, but publicly, privately engaged in generosity, in giving, and particular to those who are less fortunate than himself, and in so many of these ways and completely supportive of Jewish people and Israel. He had a major role in the desegregation in Nevada hotels in the 1950s. So something as specific as hotels in Nevada. He was anti-segregation and played a major role in helping to end that. You know, we can go on with this. 1961, benefit show at Carnegie Hall, where it was partly for the Martin Luther King. We can go on with all different stories about his, this whole other part of his life. Okay, interweaving again, the next song, if we can play it, please, Jess. I’m sure everybody’s going to recognise this one-

• Now we have a-

• About the Big Apple.

• A brand new song for you. Brand new, first time. ♪ Kyoto ♪ ♪ Start spreading the news ♪ ♪ I’m leaving today ♪ ♪ I want to be a part of it ♪ ♪ New York, New York ♪ ♪ These vagabond shoes ♪ ♪ They are longing to stray ♪ ♪ Right through the very heart of it ♪ ♪ New York, New York ♪ ♪ I want to wake up in that city that doesn’t sleep ♪ ♪ And find the king of the hill ♪ ♪ Top of the heap ♪ ♪ My small town blues ♪ ♪ They have drifted away ♪ ♪ I’m going to make a brand new start of it ♪ ♪ In old New York ♪ ♪ If I can make it there ♪ ♪ I’ll make it anywhere ♪ ♪ It’s up to you ♪ ♪ New York ♪ ♪ New York ♪

• Thanks. We can hold it there, Jess. Okay, one of the great classics, which you all know, but look at the older, more mature adult persona here. Again, the low, middle and higher register and how the voice and the breath are constantly in control, constantly surfing the wave of the music. He donated money to, Sinatra’s… Full of it, he donated, Sinatra School of Arts in Queens, and many others in L.A., many other places. Not only Jewish causes, but others that I mentioned. It was 1972 that Menachem Begin awarded him the Israel Medal of Honour. Begin, 1972. And he spoke about how impressed he was with Begin. There’s lots of quotes about this. And he said about Israel, that I’m quoting, “A little country with large accomplishments.” Obviously, people know that, you know, there’s a character that’s possibly modelled on him in “The Godfather.” He said it wasn’t, it was, we don’t know the actual details. It’s obvious though, you know, from this… But the bigger picture is the whole life. Okay, if we can show a little bit of the next clip. This is Richard Burton. I wanted to show just a minute or two. Richard Burton, how he could use his voice giving a tribute to Sinatra.

• Yeah, yeah, okay. This way. Yeah, yeah.

• Do sit down, please. I’m on the serious spot of the programme. Very serious. I have never sung a song with Frank Sinatra, never acted with it, shared his stage, nor been a member of an orchestra under his baton. Nor was I there when he was presented with either of his Oscars, his Emmy, or any of his nine Grammys on those memorable occasions. We are, however, old friends of some 30 years, and I have risen to my feet to applaud his blazing artistry at numerous charity performances, raising countless millions for the victims of the world. All over the world. This is a party for him as friend, not a tribute to him as humanitarian, and his own insistence I might add, but I’m compelled to say out loud, here and now, what a few of us have known for years, fully aware is what he likes to hear least and discourages most. Some several years ago, I looked at a call sheet of a film I was doing, and to my astonishment, saw that the two-day small part was being played by one of the greatest stars of my time. I had long fought him retired. I asked him how things were going, he said, the difficulty was he couldn’t get work. I asked if there was anything I could do to help. He said, “No, no, you know who is taking care of me.” Frank is a giant, among the givers of the world. He stands among the tallest, he more than paid rent for the space he occupies on this planet, forged as he is from legendary loyalty and compassion, carefully hidden. Hidden, because he has so ordered it. Other than himself that is no one who knows of the magnitude of his generosity.

He has chosen to be the sole anonymous keeper of that knowledge. Mr. Anonymous, you have asked to be. Mr. Anonymous, you shall be called. At the risk of further offending you, Frank, I appear as the herald of grateful multitudes, who have opened those unexpected envelopes, special delivering answers to their prayers. Those awakened by late night phone calls, which remedied their problems, only unconditioned, they shared your covenant of secrecy. Those who were surprised by signed checks with amounts not filled in, those performers down on their luck, who landed that role they never expected, and still don’t know whom to thank. And for untold other beneficiaries of the caring and kindness of this splendid man, who truly is his brother’s keeper. And they are legion, those whose lives took a turn for the better, because this man, who 50 years ago tonight, was a skinny 18-year-old high school dropout, unloading cargo ships by a day on the jersey waterfront, and singing at night on a Hoboken corner outside Hillman’s Hall, a street corner poet, burnt to the bone with the fury of his own ambition, hoping, hoping desperately someone would notice him. And they did. They did notice you, Macho. , Blue Eyes. God bless you, Mr. Anonymous.

• Thanks, thanks, Jess. We can hold it there.

• An extraordinary speech, not only with Richard Burton’s voice, of course, and the fact that he was friendly with him, and so friendly. Look at this range of life, of friends, connections, generosity, understanding, from music to concerts, to radio shows, to films, to travelling, to supporting the less fortunate of the world, all different… Anyway, it’s an amazing speech, which I think speaks for itself by Richard Burton. I want to play out just a couple of bars. This is Sinatra with Ella Fitzgerald, “The Lady Is a Tramp.”

♪ I’ve wined and dined on mulligan stew ♪ ♪ And never wished for turkey ♪ ♪ As I hitched and hiked and drifted too ♪ ♪ From Maine to Albuquerque ♪ ♪ Alas, I missed the Beaux Arts Ball ♪ ♪ And what is twice as sad ♪ ♪ I’ve never been to a party where they honoured Noel C'ad ♪ ♪ Social circles move too fast for me ♪ ♪ My Hobohemia is the place to be ♪ ♪ She gets too hungry for dinner at eight ♪ ♪ Loves the theatre, but she never comes late ♪ ♪ I never bother with people I hate ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady is a tramp ♪ ♪ Doesn’t dick nice games with barons and earls ♪ ♪ I won’t go to Harlem in ermine and pearls ♪ ♪ She won’t dish the dirt with the rest of those girls ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady is a tramp ♪ ♪ I like the free, fresh wind in my hair ♪ ♪ Life without care ♪ ♪ I’m broke ♪ ♪ That’s oke ♪ ♪ Hate California, it’s cold and it’s damp ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady is a tramp ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ ♪ I go to Coney ♪ ♪ The beach is divine ♪ ♪ I go to the Dodgers ♪ ♪ Ha, the Bleachers are fine ♪ ♪ Still follow Winchell ♪ ♪ And she reads every line ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady is a tramp ♪ ♪ I like a prizefight ♪ ♪ If if isn’t a fake ♪ ♪ I like the rowing ♪ ♪ Where ♪ ♪ On Central Park Lake ♪ ♪ She goes to the opera ♪ ♪ But she doesn’t stay awake ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady is a tramp ♪ ♪ She likes the green grass under her shoes ♪ ♪ What can I lose ♪ ♪ I’m flat ♪ ♪ That’s that ♪ ♪ I’m all alone when I lower my lamp ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady, she’s a tramp ♪ ♪ I get too hungry for dinner at eight ♪ ♪ She go like the theatre ♪ ♪ But she doesn’t get there late ♪ ♪ I never bother with people I hate ♪ ♪ That’s why, that’s why, that’s ♪ ♪ why, that’s why, that’s why ♪ ♪ She is the tramp ♪ ♪ I don’t like crap games with barons and earls ♪ ♪ She’ll never go to Harlem dressed in ermine and pearls ♪ ♪ I don’t dish the dirt with the rest of the girls ♪ ♪ That’s why this chick is a tramp ♪ ♪ I like the free, fresh wind in my hair ♪ ♪ Life without care ♪ ♪ I’m broke ♪ ♪ She’s broke ♪ ♪ That’s oke ♪ ♪ Hate California, it’s cold and it’s damp ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady ♪ ♪ Is a tramp ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady is ♪ ♪ The lady is ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady is a tramp ♪ ♪ A tramp, a tramp, a tramp, a tramp, a tramp ♪ ♪ That’s why the lady is a tramp ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪

Okay, thanks very much, Jess. We can hold it there. Thank you so much. And to everybody, I can’t say anything more after seeing those two together like that. Okay, going to go into questions. And here.

Q&A and Comments:

Okay, Naomi, thank you. There’s some loud background noise. I’m not sure about that.

Okay, Leonard, “My Way was written by…” Yeah, the Canadian, Paul Anka. Absolutely, Leonard. Interesting songwriter, he wrote for quite a few others as well. Absolutely. You know, a really, really good Canadian, well, really good songwriter from Canada, Paul Anka.

Yep. Madeleine, “Supposedly, Bing Crosby set up him. Sinatra had a voice that comes along once in a lifetime. But why does it have to be my lifetime?” That’s a brilliant line, thanks. It’s almost like a Woody Allen line.

That’s great. Rita, thank you. “I don’t have appreciation of Sinatra, The Beatles generation.” Yeah, so was I. “My late brother, a professional musician, the time to explain why he was such an important artist.” Yeah, I know. As I said at the beginning as well, Rita, I also didn’t, I dismissed him as a young guy. And it took a bit of time, as I said at the beginning of today, to really grow on me, to realise the extraordinary range of the voice, why it lasts, and the many lives that he lived, and what he achieved.

Mitzi, “I’m guessing like my father, he was powerfully influenced by the depression.” I’m sure, absolutely. Without a doubt, would’ve been that part of that generation, thank you.

Rochelle, “The recognition of talent commencing around the time of The Beatles generation surrounded musicians, who created them their own music. So dramatically different, because he made an enormous amount of wealth out of others who created.” Yeah, well, exactly. I mean, others created, but he was able to interpret, I guess similar… You know, that generation, Ella Fitzgerald, and so many others. Others wrote and they sang part of a generation before it became right, and sing your own stuff really, I guess. Jean, “Teddy on the left, not in the middle.” Ah, okay. Thanks, Jean, I appreciate.

Heather, “Teddy Kollek on the left.” Everybody’s right. Okay, he’s giving the award. You’re absolutely right. I got it wrong, you’re absolutely right. Heather, thank you.

And, Alan also says it.

Okay, Ann Nikki, oh, you’re all right. Ann, Veronica, everybody says it. Yep, you’re right. Joan, “His…” Thanks for that, by the way. “His mother was abusive. He had a scar on his face from a beating.” Yeah. Like many of the children, but he was devoted to her. Yeah, you know, like many, not any of that generation, but other generations. But his wife, but his daughter, sorry, Nancy did say that she gave him a certain steel will because he was determined, I suppose, ironically, to do better than her, you know? It gave fire in his belly to his ambition. Others might be the opposite.

Romaine, “It’s not to ever talk about what motivated his philanthropy.” That’s a great question, Romaine. Yeah, I think he just, not specific, I’m paraphrasing here, but it’s a bit what Richard Burton said, you know, for those less fortunate. Anybody who was less fortunate than he was, growing up as he did. I mean, his father was illiterate and to work his way up really hard and for a long time to become captain of the fire department in Hoboken. But the early days, not. He just had a feeling for the less fortunate, you know, whether they be Italian American or African American or Jewish people, Israel, anybody he saw as the underdog, you know, in a real way. Not just the contemporary cliched way. Not in a, you know, coming from that world.

Rita, “Teddy Kollek’s on the left.” Yes. Okay. Thank you. Donna, “Is there a reason why he was so devoted to Israel?” Well, as he said, you know, little country, large accomplishments. There’s no specific, from what I research, there’s no specific speaking about the Holocaust or about huge amount of history. But there’s more sort of table talk anecdotes, which I’m often hesitant to include. But, you know, anecdotes of speaking about how he admired Jewish people for, obviously, being persecuted and being downtrodden, to put it mildly, for so many centuries, millennia, and yet, came out of such horror of the Second World War and created something like Israel. But he was pro Jews even before 1948. So it’s before and then it’s after. And then, you know, going on during his life. He was a practising Catholic, and he died as a Catholic. Well, practising on and off. I mean, I don’t think he was devoted to religion in that, in a more evangelical way at all, from what I understand. But somehow, I don’t know if it was a biblical connection that he felt, but I think he felt that connection to anybody who, well, to the Jewish people, you know, and for the reasons that I mentioned.

Joan, “There are many stories about how he financially assisted, even casual friends when they had problems.” Yes. That’s what Richard Burton’s talking about, that somebody would arrive, and a check would come, from who? And he made sure that, you know, people didn’t say it. It’s exactly what Richard Burton speaks about in that speech that he wanted to be called a friend, not a humanitarian. He would just give to, as Burton says, Richard Burton says, people you know, less fortunate.

Q: Alan, “Did smoking help his breath control?”

A: That’s a great question. I don’t know. I don’t know, genetic, luck or what, but I do know that he consciously swam as often as he could, and practise singing or practise his lyrics, and holding his breath while he was swimming, for the reason that I mentioned during the talk.

Carol, “While studying at the technical in the 60s, I was fortunate to attend a performance in Haifa.” Oh, that’s fantastic. “Students’ been crazy with his singing.” Yep, I can imagine.

Q: Lorna, “Who wrote his songs over the years?”

A: Oh, that was many. Paul Anka wrote as we discussed before. He was a Canadian who wrote “My Way,” and then, you know, all different others wrote, you know, the other songs. We have to remember it was part of that generation, even for Elvis as well. You know, coming out of the 40s, the 30s, 40s, 50s, you would have a distinction between the writer and the singer. And it was pretty accepted. It was pretty much the dominant norm. You know, that changed during the 60s, I think, with the emergence of folk singers, rock bands, and many, many others who would create their own work.

Rita, “Sinatra recorded by many, from Rodgers And Hart, to Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Vaughn.” Yes. “And many others. They weren’t singing, they were the writers.” They were the creators, exactly. And even George Harrison, Paul Simon. He sang Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday.” Many others, yep.

Ron, great to see you. Hope you’re well. “My Way” is originally a well-known French song. Yes, and it was rewritten with the English lyrics by Paul Anka. Yeah, exactly, and he slightly adapted the melody as I understand it. But it was originally a very, very well-known French song. Quite a few famous songs were actually taken from French, let’s call it folk songs, and Irish and others. It wasn’t seen as it might be today, you know, as stealing intellectual property. It was seen as well a part of the evolution of you took from an Irish folk songs, from ancient Scottish ballads, from English ballads, you took from French, from wherever, and adapted and moulded and shaped and you know, that kind of thing. It wasn’t seen in the same way as it was today, but it’s a great point you’re making, Ron. Today, it would be much more, well, I guess, intellectual property.

“Sammy Cahn wrote some of the possible songs.” Exactly. “The Great American Songbook,” yes, exactly. “Particularly, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart,” yep. Lorna, thanks. About his dancing. Oh, well, I can’t get into that. I wish I had time, Lorna. It was time not to get even to get into the movies, really. You know, and he even, whether it’s a cameo or larger role in the films. So focus on the singing and the voice.

Claire, “I remember the movie, "Man with the Golden Arm.” Yep, that was one of his most famous, and he did give a superb performance. Stewart, “The Reagan speech was a roast.” Yep. It was arranged by Dean Martin. Yep, exactly, exactly. But it’s a pleasure to listen to a, you know, a leader, whether we’re pro or anti-Reagan is a separate issue, but a leader being, you know, calm, articulate, witty, just playful, just, you know, leading in a simple human way.