Inspired by my radio player coming up with Elvis singing My Way in the live from Hawaii concert.
It occurs to me that some singers can “get away with” singing My Way, and others can’t. Granted it’s generally considered Frank Sinatra’s signature, but I don’t know that Elvis singing it towards the end of his career is an affront of any kind.
I don’t know if Tony Bennett or Mel Torme ever do it in concert, but I suppose they could. I don’t necessarily want to hear Britney Spears try it. Or even Mick Jagger for that matter.
But what’s the distinction? It’s not even necessarily a pop or non pop thing, because I think it’d be kind of presumptive of Harry Connick Jr to try it.
Mel Torme passed in 1999, don’t know where he is doing his concerts now.
In my music collection I only have Sinatra singing it. I agree with you a man needs to have “lived” before he can sing it without getting laughed off the stage.
I thought I heard of Willie Nelson making a recording of this but I could not find it.
A person really needs some pretty heavy-duty personal gravitas and a record of taking blows and going their own way to make that song work. IMO, that is. It always seemed silly to me when Elvis sung it, given his relative youth, easy fame, and that he was so much under the thumb of Col. Parker. Willie Nelson, who CT_Damsel mentioned, could pull it off I think. I’d have trouble coming up with anyone else.
I know Jay-Z sampled the “My Way” for his own version on the Blueprint 2 album.
I didn’t mind it much at all.
Of course, I just recently heard it so it makes sense now. Maybe not as much then.
Incredible. I still get a shiver up my spine watching this. There’s something so raw and visceral about his performance of the song. I love Sinatra’s singing but on this one Frank loses out, Sid has him beat into a cocked hat.
Besides Willie Nelson on my fantasy list singing My Way I want: Theodore Bikel, Joe Cocker and maybe Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan and my “no longer with us list” is James Brown, Johnny Cash (as suggested by winterhawk11) and Robert Goulet.
I like the Gipsy Kings version (A Mi Manera). It was used as the closing theme for an abyssmal Pierce Brosnan flick, but song is fantastic. I play it as much on my ipod and I do Frank’s version.
