Frank Sinatra

By: Madison Hahn, Jacob Tessman, Jayda Palmer, Naomi Ollila,

and Brie Rowan

Why we chose Frank

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.

Background pt. 1

●  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

Background pt. 2

●  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.

Musical Influences

●  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://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/330/MI0001330154.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

Musical Influences

●  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%20star%20pages/Crosby,%20Bing-Annex.htm

Early Musical Career

●  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.thefranksinatra.com/articles/the-hoboken-four

http://www.last.fm/music/Tommy+Dorsey/The+Genius+of+Tommy+Dorsey

Early Musical Career pt. 2

●  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

Musical Career

●  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

●  1943- Made first appearance on Reveille with Beverly

o  Sang “Night and Day” in the motion picture

http://www.amazon.com/Frank-Sinatra-Sings-Your-Parade/dp/B004D0SH6C

1950s Musical Career

●  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

o  Played a drug addict in The Man With The Golden Arm

Sinatra with his wife and his first Oscar for From Here to Eternity http://thunderbird37.com/frank-sinatra-best-years/

Setbacks in 1950s Career

●  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

The Reinvention of Sinatra

●  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

The Reinvention of Sinatra

●  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

New Start to Sinatra’s Career

●  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_records/

1960s Career

●  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://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/ac/64/grammy_RESIZED_PP_2.jpg

1960s Career

●  Performed at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas throughout the 1960s ●  From 1966 to 1968 he covered young artists’ work and was highly

successful o  One successful song he covered was “My Way” by Paul Anka in 1968

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/frank_sinatra_vegas_live_from_caesars_palace/

http://pattypowersnyc.com/2013/01/19/the-upside-of-shame/

The End of Sinatra’s Legacy

●  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/e-olblueeye.html

The End of Sinatra’s Legacy

●  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/e-olblueeye.html

Sinatra’s Death

●  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

Sinatra’s Musical Impact

●  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.

Musical Style

●  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

Historical Influences

●  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

loved ones overseas

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/bobby-socks-ankle-high-often-thick-or-everett.jpg

Music of the Era

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

Analysis of “That’s Life”

●  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

Microstructure pt. 1

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

Microstructure pt. 2

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

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/66/That'sLife.jpg/220px-That'sLife.jpg

Bibliography

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-sinatra-mn0000792507/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.

Bibliography pt. 2

Bibliography pt. 3

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