Obviously a classic, but I’m curious as to how much of his popularity was due to his voice, his style, his persona, his looks, etc. I realize any opinions will be very subjective, but I’m most curious as to how unique his voice was.
Have you listened to him sing? He could sing the crap out of a song.
His right cross was far more unique.
He started singing with Big Bands with Harry James. He trained his breathing to match that of the trumpet, producing a style of singing that hadn’t been heard before, using his voice as an instrument. That, plus crooning was still new and a more intimate type of performance, causing young girls to swoon.
He had those chiseled good looks in his youth, and those huge blue eyes that women go for. He literally created the “New York sound” with his voice and phrasing. He killed on the ballads and smoky lounge songs, but could carry off a goofy tune like The Coffee Song. On top of that, the guy was right at home in chirpy musicals like On The Town or in heavy dramas like The Manchurian Candidate.
Hell, I think even hetero guys swooned over him.
Smart marketing.
There’s no doubt Sinatra was a great singer, but there were other great singers of the time. What put him over the top was the Paramount Theater shows. Sinatra’s publicist packed the theater with bobbysoxers – his fanbase – whose reaction turned him into a phenomenon (Sinatra knew nothing of the ploy). The story of the concert made him into a legend and was the basis for his popularity. It faded a bit for a few years, but he was able to make a comeback because the concert made him a star.
If Coach had only prayed before he left home… :rolleyes:
Sinatra was more emotionally direct in his performances than most male singers at the beginning of his career. This was part of his appeal to young women at the time - he sounded like he was singing directly to them.
BTW, crooning was not new by the time Sinatra came around. It became popular in 1925 with the invention of electrical recording. With microphones and amplification, singers didn’t have to project in order to make themselves heard. Also, I don’t know that I would call Sinatra a crooner. Bing Crosby was definitely a crooner, Sinatra not so much.
Some years ago, the local PBS station ran a few of his old shows from 1959–60. He was definitely at his peak then. Listening to him sing was like watching Fred Astaire dance — what he did was amazing and he made it look effortless.
BTW I have heard the term before but how does one define “crooning”?
Never cared for his singing. It did not turn me off either. I guess I am neutral about his singing.
I recently watched a movie, The Detective, where he did not sing and rather liked it.
One of my dearest childhood memories was hearing my mother singing along with her little radio in the kitchen. This was back in the 50s, and they played a lot of Sinatra. But years later I saw him perform live. It totally blew me away. I had the feeling he was singing directly at me . . . and I later heard other people who felt the same way.
He’s not my favorite male singer of that genre . . . that would be either Nat King Cole or Johnny Mathis . . . but add all the other non-musical aspects of his life, and he comes out on top.
I love his early big band stuff and the 1950s comeback material (“One For My Baby” is an astonishingly good song the way Sinatra sings it). I can happily do without the cheesy Vegas-style Sinatra of his later years.
Cole and Mathis were both crooners with a totally different style than Sinatra, of course. I never really cared for Sinatra back in the day, as I despised his arrogance and wannabe gangsta lifestyle, but have come to appreciate him more in recent years.