Quincy Jones

Fly Me To The Moon

By |2017-06-10T00:19:39+03:00June 3rd, 2011|Categories: Songs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There are many singers that recorded Fly Me To The Moon before Frank Sinatra, but it was Frank Sinatra who made the song famous, and even, a classic. Fly Me To The Moon was written by Bart Howard in 1954, and Frank Sinatra included it in his album “It Might As Well Be Swing” in the year 1964 with Quincy Jones’ arrangement. Fly Me To The Moon was performed by Sinatra great many times in his concerts and on TV, so we really have many options when choosing which version to listen to. I would never hesitate to include this song in my “Top 5” list, because it is really one of the best songs of all times. A perfect swing song, and always a pleasure to hear. Fly Me To The Moon was also included in the album Duets II, with Antonio Carlos Jobim.

fly me to the moon frank sinatra

An interesting fact is that Fly Me To The Moon was played on the Moon and also in the space during Apollo 11 and Apollo 10’s missions.

The following performance of Fly Me To The Moon is from 1985 Japan concert of Frank Sinatra. I believe this to be the best version of the song, because despite his age, Sinatra looks and sounds wonderful. He is full of life and just in the right swing mood for the song. I should also mention the amazing tenor saxophone solo that makes the song even better.

Finally, before moving to “What did Sinatra say about this song?” section, I would like to include Andy Williams and Peggy Lee’s short duet of Fly Me To The Moon. If it were longer, it would probably become boring but this way it is worth listening. They only sing:

Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars
And let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, darling kiss me

What Did Sinatra Say About Fly Me To The Moon?

Though Frank Sinatra sang this song many times, he usually made no comments before singing Fly Me To The Moon. Here are two notable comments of Sinatra.

Frank Sinatra: This next song I’ve been singing for quite a few years, and during the time of one of our space shots, like all of us in country I was watching the television report, and in the middle of the reporting, and there were pictures coming through I heard myself singing this song from up there. And I want to tell you it was a great thrill, it really was. I’ve been in some altitudes but never that high, never that high. It was really a great honor to have them choose this song. (1973 White House Concert)

Frank Sinatra: Earlier this year ladies and gentleman I had one of the greatest thrills of my life. I watched three men fly to the moon. And imagine their surprise when they found out that I was there two nights ahead of them. And so to all the gallant and bereaves, man, the astronauts who made this mission impossible, possible, I respectfully dedicate the following. (xx-xx-19xx)

 

L.A. Is My Lady (Album, 1984)

By |2017-06-10T00:19:40+03:00June 3rd, 2011|Categories: Albums|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

L.A. Is My Lady is the album Frank Sinatra recorded in the year 1984. Quincy Jones contributed to the L.A. Is My Lady album as the arranger and producer, and the album is released by Warner Bros. This is the last solo album of Frank Sinatra, since the following albums are the Duet albums.

Frank Sinatra L.A. Is My Lady Album Cover

The songs in L.A. Is My Lady album are as following:

1. L.A. Is My lady
2. The Best Of Everything
3. How Do You Keep The Music Playing
4. Teach Me Tonight
5. It’s All Right With Me
6. Mack The Knife
7. Until The Real Thing Comes Along
8. Stormy Weather
9. If I Should Lose You
10. A Hundred Years From Today
11. After You’ve Gone

Some of the songs are really nice in L.A. Is My Lady album.

LA Is my Lady: Nice performance, definitely worth listening. But i would go for the 1985 Japan concert version to get the most out of the song.
The Best of Everything: Could sound a lot better if it was recorded 15 years ago, but still very nice.
How Do You Keep The Music Playing: In my opinion, the best song in the album, and this is the best version of this song as well. It couldn’t be any better at all, and this song itself is enough to make the album worth listening. Tony Bennett sang this song as well but his version is not as good as Frank’s version, as expected.
Mack The Knife: Good song, but not an album song i think, this is a performance song. The album version is hardly bearable, but the 1985 Japan Concert version is simply fascinating. If you will listen to this song, again go for the Japan performance, like L.A. Is My Lady.
Stormy Weather: Sinatra recorded this song three times in his career, this version being the last one. I can’t decide whether Capitol version or this one is better, all are beautiful. Stormy Weather is a very nice song both music and lyricswise.

I don’t know why but when it comes to studio recordings, some Sinatra performances are really bad. But few years later, in a concert, Frank Sinatra sings the same song much more better. L.A. Is My Lady is a good example of this.

You can listen to the album version of How Do You Keep The Music Playing in the L.A. Is My Lady album from the video below.

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