50 years ago: Frank Sinatra charted with “My Way”

My Way Frank Sinatra

Writer(s): Jacques Revaux (music), Giles Thibaut and Claude François (original French lyrics), Paul Anka (English lyrics) (see lyrics here) First Charted: March 21, 1969 Peak: 27 US, 29 CB, 17 GR, 28 HR, 2 AC, 5 UK, 28 CN, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 1.05 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 3.0 radio, 286.8 video, 314.67 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “My Way” originated as a song composed by Jacques Revaux in 1967. It originally was called “For Me” and had English lyrics about a couple falling out of love. Revaux shopped the demo around to Petula Clark, Claude François, and others. François worked with Giles Thibaut to give the song new French lyrics. The song was retitled “Comme d’habitude” (“As Usual”). It was released in November 1967 and reached the top of the French pop chart. WK Paul Anka heard the song on the radio while on holiday in France. He liked it so much that he bought adaptation, recording, and publishing rights for one dollar, under the condition that the composers of the melody retained royalty rights. After Anka had dinner with Frank Sinatra in Florida and Sinatra announced that he was quitting the business, Anka re-wrote the original song with Sinatra in mind. He said as he wrote it he thought, “If Frank were writing this, what would he say?” WK Sinatra recorded the song on December 30, 1968. It was released as a single in early 1969 and while it only reached #27 on the Billboard Hot 100, it became his signature song. It peaked at #5 in the UK, but set a record for spending 108 weeks in the top 40 WK and became the most popular song to play at funerals in the UK. LW According to Sinatra’s daughter Tina, he came to hate the song, thinking it was self-serving and self-indulgent. WK Other artists who have charted with the song include Brook Benton (#25 RB, 1970), Dorothy Squires (#10 UK, 1970), Elvis Presley (#22 US, 6 AC, 2 CW, 9 UK, 1973), Sid Vicious (#7 UK, 1978), and Shane MacGowan (#29 UK, 1996). David Bowie, Aretha Franklin, Pearl Jam, the Platters, and Nina Simone are among the other artists to record the song. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Frank Sinatra LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 130. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/25/2022.

Frank Sinatra's Top 100 Songs

Frank Sinatra Top 100 Songs

Singer born Francis Albert Sinatra on 12/12/1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Died 5/14/1998. “Ol’ Blue Eyes” is one of the premiere pop crooners and traditional pop artists of all time. His personal life was tabloid fodder thanks to several high-profile marriages and divorces and his alleged association with the Mafia. He began professionally singing as a teenager. Worked with the Hoboken Four (35-39), the Harry James’ Orchestra (39), and Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra (39-42) before going solo on 9/3/42. On 6/1/43, he signed with Columbia Records and on 3/13/53 to Capitol Records, where he recorded a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful themed albums. He was a residency performer with the Rat Pack in Las Vegas in the early 1950s and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity. Formed his own record label, Reprise Records, in 1960 and sold it to Warner Brothers in 1963. “I’ll Never Smile Again,” which featured Sinatra on lead vocals with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953. Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Frank Sinatra DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Tommy Dorsey DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Harry James DMDB profile page for Frank Sinatra official site Facebook Wikipedia Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists”

Awards:

Top 100 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Notes: TD = Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra. Sinatra landed 40 songs at #1 on various charts, including the U.S. pre-Billboard pop charts (US), Hit Parade (HP), adult contemporary charts (AC), the UK charts (UK), the Canadian charts (CN), and the Australian charts (AU). DMDB Top 1%: 1. I’ll Never Smile Again (w/ TD & the Pied Pipers, 1940) #1 US, HP 2. All or Nothing at All (w/ Harry James’ Orchestra, 1939) #1 US, HP 3. Strangers in the Night (1966) #1 US, AC, UK, AU 4. There Are Such Things (w/ TD & the Pied Pipers (1942) #1 US, HP 5. My Way (1969) DMDB Top 5%: 6. Five Minutes More (1946) #1 US, HP, AU 7. Somethin’ Stupid (w/ Nancy Sinatra, 1967) #1 US, AC, UK, CN, AU 8. You’ll Never Walk Alone (w/ the Ken Lane Singers, 1945) 9. Theme from ‘New York, New York’ (1980) 10. One for My Baby and One for the Road (1949) 11. White Christmas (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1949) 12. In the Blue of the Evening (w/ TD, 1942) #1 US 13. Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week (1944) 14. They Say It’s Wonderful (1946) #1 HP 15. Stardust (w/ TD & the Pied Pipers, 1940) 16. Learnin’ the Blues (1955) #1 US, HP, AU 17. Young at Heart (1954) #1 HP, AU 18. Night and Day (w/ Axel Stordahl’s Orchestra, 1942) 19. I’ve Got You Under My Skin (1956) 20. Oh! What It Seemed to Be (1946) #1 US, HP 21. I Couldn’t Sleep a Wink Last Night (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1944) #1 HP 22. Oh, Look at Me Now (w/ TD, Connie Haines, & the Pied Pipers, 1941) 23. All the Way (1957) 24. I’ll Be Seeing You (w/ TD, 1940) #1 HP 25. How About You? (w/ TD, 1942) 26. Almost Like Being in Love (1947) 27. Autumn in New York (1949) 28. Love and Marriage (1955) 29. But Beautiful (1948) 30. I’ve Got a Crush on You (w/ Bobby Hackett, 1948) 31. A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1944) #1 AU 32. Goodnight Irene (w/ the Mitch Miller Singers, 1950) #1 HP, UK 33. Mam’selle (1947) #1 US, HP, AU 34. Some Enchanted Evening (1949) #1 HP 35. Time After Time (1947) 36. People Will Say We’re in Love (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1943) #1 HP 37. You’ll Never Know (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1943) #1 HP 38. This Love of Mine (w/ TD & the Pied Pipers, 1941) 39. Nancy with the Laughing Face (1945) 40. Call Me Irresponsible (1963) 41. Love Is the Tender Trap (1955) 42. It Was a Very Good Year (1965) #1 AC 43. Stardust (1962) 44. Begin the Beguine (1946) DMDB Top 10%: 45. Oh, What a Beautiful Morning (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1943) 46. Everything Happens to Me (w/ TD, 1941) 47. High Hopes (w/ A Bunch O Kids, 1959) 48. September Song (1946) 49. Sunday, Monday or Always (w/ the Bobby Tucker Singers, 1943) #1 HP, AU 50. Three Coins in the Fountain (1954) #1 HP, UK, AU 51. Imagination (w/ TD, 1940) #1 HP 52. Polka Dots and Moonbeams (w/ TD, 1940) 53. It’s Always You (w/ TD, 1943) 54. I Get a Kick Out of You (1953) 55. Witchcraft (1957) 56. Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread (w/ TD, 1940) #1 HP 57. Summer Wind (1966) #1 AC 58. My Funny Valentine (1954) 59. Here’s That Rainy Day (1959) 60. It Started All Over Again (w/ TD, 1943) 61. Dream (When You’re Feeling Blue) (1945) #1 HP 62. That’s Life (1966) #1 AC 63. Come Fly with Me (1958) 64. Nature Boy (1948) #1 HP 65. If I Loved You (1945) 66. Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time) (w/ the Ken Lane Singers, 1945) 67. I’ve Got the World on a String (1953) 68. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me) (w/ TD, 1940) #1 HP 69. The Second Time Around (1961) 70. It Only Happens When I Dance with You (1948) 71. I’m Walking Behind You (1953) #1 HP, AU 72. Just As Though You Were Here (w/ TD, 1942) 73. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning (1955) 74. Day by Day (1946) 75. The Way You Look Tonight (1964) 76. Take Me (w/ TD, 1942) 77. Nice ‘N’ Easy (1960) 78. I Only Have Eyes for You (1949) 79. Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town) (1957) 80. All of Me (1948) 81. I’m a Fool to Want You (1951) 82. Fly Me to the Moon (1964) 83. They Can’t Take That Away from Me (1954) 84. Nevertheless I’m in Love with You (1950) #1 HP 85. Granada (1961) 86. Do I Worry? (w/ TD, 1941) 87. You and I (w/ TD, 1941) 88. Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me) (1958) 89. New York, New York (w/ Gene Kelly, 1949) 90. Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy (1950) #1 HP DMDB Top 20%: 91. I’ve Got You Under My Skin (w/ Bono, 1993) 92. Dolores (w/ TD, 1941) #1 US 93. I’ll Be Seeing You (re-recording w/ TD, 1961) 94. All Through the Day (1946) #1 HP 95. Be Careful, It’s My Heart (w/ TD, 1942) 96. What’ll I Do? (1948) 97. Say It Over and Over Again (w/ TD, 1940) 98. Me and My Shadow (w/ Sammy Davis, Jr., 1962) 99. The Birth of the Blues (1952) 100. Our Love Affair (w/ TD, 1940) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Frank Sinatra DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Tommy Dorsey DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Harry James Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 12/12/2015; last updated 12/6/2023.

50 years ago: Paul Anka hit #1 with “Diana”

Diana Paul Anka

Writer(s): Paul Anka (see lyrics here) Released: July 2, 1957 First Charted: June 29, 1957 Peak: 11 US, 3 HP, 2 CB, 13 HR, 12 RB, 19 UK, 11 CN, 18 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 1.25 UK, 10.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 73.9 video, 50.78 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Paul Anka may be best remembered for writing “My Way,” which was a hit for Frank Sinatra in 1969 and became what many consider to be his signature song. However, Anka had an extremely successful career of his own as a recording artist. From 1957 to 1975, he landed ten songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Three of them – “Diana,” “Lonely Boy,” and “You’re Having My Baby” went to #1. It was the first, however, which really launched Anka’s career. As a teenager, Paul Anka had a crush on 20-year-old Diana Ayoub, who he occasionally saw at church and other functions. She also babysat for his younger siblings. SF She was several years older and not interested. As Anka said, “She was a little out of my league…She really didn’t want anything to do with me, which made it even worse.” SF Distraught over being rejected, he wrote her a poem, which he later set to music. FB He won a trip to New York City in 1956 by collecting Campbell’s Soup wrappers and was so taken with the city that he went back later that summer with four songs he’d written, including “Diana.” He went to see Don Costa at ABC-Paraomount Records, who was so impressed he told Paul to have his parents come to New York immediately to sign a contract. FB The first single, “I Confess,” was released in 1956 but went nowhere. The follow-up, however, went to #1 when Anka was the ripe old age of 16. It went on to become an international hit, topping the charts in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. At the time, it was the biggest-selling single in UK history. SF After he toured the world to support it and came home, Diana reached out to him, but he’d lost interest by then. FB Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Paul Anka FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 25. SF Songfacts TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 23. WK Wikipedia First posted 2/13/2021; last updated 3/25/2023.