New York New York

New York New York has become a well-known song and theme for New York City. The song debuted in the 1977 Martin Scorsese film New York New York. Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb wrote the song for the film. “Composers Kander and Ebb stated on the A&E Biography episode about Liza Minnelli, that Read More

Song Story: Pennies from Heaven

Pennies from Heaven is one of my personal favorites and I recently heard Regis Philbin singing the song and thought this would be a great song to explore. Pennies from Heaven was written by Johnny Burke {lyrics} and Arthur Johnson {music}.  The song was first introduced in the 1936 film Pennies from Heaven, which introduced Read More

Song Story: Fly Me to the Moon

Close your eyes and it’s not hard to hear Frank Sinatra singing, Fly Me to the Moon. Fly Me to the Moon was originally titled In Other Words. The song was written by Bart Howard in 1954.  Later that year, Kaye Ballard made the first recording of the song. Howard, who had been pursuing music Read More

Song Story: Moonlight Mood

Moonlight Mood is another song on Moonlight Sinatra.  There is also a song known as In a Moonlight Mood, but I’ve not been able to conclusively determine if they are the same song or not.  The song was written by Peter De Rose and Harold Adamson. Sony Music published the song in 1942. Sinatra recorded Read More

Song Story: Moon Love

While working on this series of moon songs, I came across Moon Love.  Although a huge Sinatra fan, I’d not heard this song before.  I’m so glad I came across the song. Moon Love made it’s way onto Frank Sinatra‘s album, Moonlight Sinatra. The song was based on Tchaikovsky’s Souvenier d’un lieu cher for violin Read More

Profile of a Performer: Elvis is Back!

    After serving two years in the Army, the time had come for Elvis to return to his public.  Would he be able to make the comeback he hoped for? Elvis returned to the United States and was honorably discharged in early March 1960. Less than three weeks later he was in the recording Read More

Profile of a Performer: Frank Sinatra—The Hollywood Years

Frank Sinatra was making a name for himself with the Tommy Dorsey band.  The teenage girls of the day, also known as bobby soxers, were his biggest fans. With World War II underway, Sinatra was classified as 4F for a perforated eardrum.   He did support the war effort through USO tours. In 1943, he signed Read More

Story Behind the Song: My Way

Frank Sinatra is best known for his hit, My Way.  To all who heard him sing the song, the song seemed to fit him.   Some even believed he may have written the song himself, but he didn’t. So it’s not surprising, that the song was written specifically for him by Paul Anka. Paul Anka was Read More

Behind the Song: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was almost cut from the film that made it popular. The song was sung in the 1944 MGM musical, Meet Me in St. Louis.  In the film, Judy Garland’s character sings the song to her despondent little sister, played by Margaret O’Brien. The song was written by Hugh Martin Read More

Frank Sinatra—The Early Years

Frank Sinatra was the biggest star of his day.  He suffered numerous ups and downs throughout his career.   Yet, how did it all begin? Francis Albert Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915. From all accounts his birth was extremely traumatic and he almost did not survive.  He had a scar on his left ear, Read More