Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back (and Toxic)
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Believe it or not, Frank Sinatra - the king of crooners, the Chairman of the Board, perhaps the greatest American pop singer of the 20th century - made his share of duff recordings. Few in number for sure, but there's definitely the whiff of toxicity to that handful of missteps/clinkers.
Since it's the first St. Patrick's Day to fall on a Toxic Tuesday, you might think that I'd spend a post deriding "The Unicorn" by the Irish Rovers or some other musical blarney. But no. That stuff is hater-proof. So holiday be damned! Sinatra it is.
Those clunky patriotic hymns to America that crept into Frankie's songbook late in his career? Peanuts. Don't fuss with his feeble attempt to cobble together a sunset-years ode to Los Angeles that would stand with the big-swing, Sinatra-identified city songs "New York, New York" and "Chicago." Really, "L.A. Is My Lady" sounds like a Martin Short parody of the man, not the real deal. As bad as that stuff can be, I contend that the worst will always be the corn syrup of "High Hopes," which was featured in the ineffectual 1959 film comedy "A Hole in the Head."
Hollywood was attempting to make the notoriously hard-partying, sometimes surly singing idol palatable to a family audience. What better was than to team Ol' Blue Eyes with freckle-faced child actor Eddie Hodges in "A Hole in the Head" and have them sing a duet on "High Hopes" - in all its ridiculously, naively optimistic glory?
Sinatra was a lot of things, but one thing he was never meant to be was cute and kiddie-safe. Meanwhile, we have the studio version of "High Hopes," without Hodges who was marginally less off-putting than the shrill, tremulous boy on the record. If you're not immediately soured by the saccharine kiddie chorus that opens the song, or the brat who whose wimpy solo line in the final verse sounds like it was overseen by stern nuns waving switches, Sinatra's false joviality seals the deal.
The record is polluting the red button on top of the post, and the vintage clip below shows Frank to be the kind of guy who'd wear a tux to a PTA meeting. And I don't mean that in a good way.
Comments (15)
i liked edward g, robinson in that movie...
If i were looking for something to pound on Frankie, i'd pick the Incest Song...
have to agree, I have to be in the right mood to like listening to him but when he did it right, man he was untouchable
This is probably the singer that I miss the most, since it was so much fun to watch yhat group, I had a stack of his stuff that was,AHEM!!!, borrowed.
Thanks for airing this.
Knowing what we do about Frank, that video is somewhat creepy. The song? Yecchhh!
You know, this song isn't so bad if he did it just by himself w/o the kids!
downhome: Maybe if Eddie G. had sung "High Hopes," I'd have liked it more. Nah.
fairportfan: I don't know that it's toxic. I'd just call it something stupid.
Rawk: Yes indeed. His Songs for Young Lovers is one of my favorite records ever. But even the greats aren't perfect. When you think about it, Michelangelo didn't turn out more than one Sistine Chapel, but Frank was bangin' out the killer sides for decades.
elmanolete: You're welcome. Although he's gone, he lives on.
Jonh: Couldn't have said it better meself.
August: I dunno. It's pretty sing-songy, and the pie-eyed message of empowerment that it's selling makes me shudder. As I hear it, even Frank - plus Ellington, Basie, and Riddle - couldn't polish this turd.
Sinatra isn't really my strongest point in music history, so any tips on any clonkers he made is always appreciated. Helps in conversation when someone says "Sinatra was the best" "Yes he was, he made some duff ones though." ;)
Do I correctly infer from this that Frankie had a teeny aunt?
I kept waiting for him to backhand one of the urchins.
toxicity levels reach a formidable 4.4 average on this post
Mike,
With my apologies for being one day late, I think you will get a kick out of this:
Now, Don't you wish you were in NYC so you could go see this?
SA: No one can deny his greatness - or his hubris...
dermahrk: Ha! That would've been killer, but I think he was more inclined to slap around his own underlings or an inept waiter than an annoying child. Then again, I might raise a hand at the li'l squealer on the "High Hopes" cut.
scotfree: The Russian and French judges agree.
Fasted7: Toxie! On the Great White Way (or thereabouts)! Awesome!
As a person who has a very soft spot for Sinatra, I have to say that I am deeply wounded by this song, previous knowledge of which I did not posses.
Frank, HOW COULD YOU!
Even Frankie is vulnerable in your hands, Mike! I love the squinty eyed kid on the first set of urchin choir scans by the camera - classic 60's era look!
Anna: Let me reiterate: I love the bulk of Sinatra's catalogue, particularly the '50s stuff. Its brilliance cannot and should not be disputed. And it still sounds fresh and exciting. But, lurking in a few tiny corners of this treasure trove, there are one or two dollops of treacle or silliness to be avoided. A mustache on the Mona Lisa? Not quite. Maybe an unsightly mole...
p-wagz: Just havin' a little fun with a supposedly unassailable icon. And yeah. those kids are a trip, aren't they? To quote Dave Grohl, "Whatever happened to innocence?"