Frank Sinatra My Way Essay

Frank Sinatra carried a strong and impactful personality which complemented his career and his perpetual success. His jazz-inflicted phrasing formed a connection with his audience, whether buoyant or sorrowful, that still resonates with contemporary listeners. Sinatra’s cover of “My Way” has particularly resonated with me because he sings about taking pride in both his shortcomings and triumphs at the symbolic end of his era, and he subtly alludes to symbolism that would otherwise remain inconspicuous if the lyrics were not relatable. “My Way” was originally written by Paul Anka. He set this song to the music of “Comme d’habitude,” which was a French song co-composed and co-written by Claude François and Jacques Revaux. Anka aimed to weave Sinatra’s prideful personality and prodigious success into the lyrics of this song

The ball-room orchestral rhythm in the background makes the listener feel at peace and tranquility, and Sinatra piggy-backs off these emotions to remind the audience that his regrets are “too few to mention” and miniscule with respect to the accomplishments he “saw… through with exemption.” He acknowledges that his reactions to fortunate and unfortunate events were “amusing” because hardships eventually shaped his character and his ultimate accomplishments. Sinatra incorporates trumpets and vibrato whenever he speaks about taking pride in success, which stand out over the rest of the musical background and accentuate the overarching message of the song. I feel the live version of this song varies distinctly with the studio version because Sinatra takes on a conversational tone. He seems to be reaching out to his audience more intimately, which is inevitably difficult to do over a studio recording. Although his underlying appreciation for self-reliance is conveyed independent of the