Frank Sinatra

I think I am a bit of an “old soul”. My parents were older when I was born and while I cannot say that I EVER liked watching Lawrence Welk or Hee-Haw (two of television’s all-time worst shows, and unfortunately favorites of my parents), I do feel a connection with The Beatles, and Big Band music, and some early jazz. So last Saturday evening, Scott and I went to an Akron Symphony event-- “Simply Sinatra”. And can I say…it was simply FABULOUS. I didn’t know this, but Frank Sinatra recorded over 1200 songs—the guy is a legend! The Symphony invited a guest artist, Steve Lippia (a Sinatra sound-alike) to guest perform with the 75+ piece orchestra. This guy was good…really good. I looked around the theatre and I saw old, gray-haired people tapping their feet, and bobbing their heads, and having a really great trip down memory lane. And I realized that I was tapping and bobbing and loving it too!

And I don't even think I am that old!!Lippia talked about song lyrics being the heart of music. The old songs of Sinatra and his contemporaries were really about romance and love. The lyrics of today’s artists are not really about love or friends at all. In fact, we looked at last week’s top songs. Josh told me that the #1 Song was a “beat song”—(whatever that means), the #3 Song was about drinking and drugs, and #4 Song was about sex. Hmmm. Great influences, huh? So I did a little research—I found the lyrics of a Sinatra hit and then lyrics from the #2 Hit from last week. (I couldn’t use the lyrics from the #1 Hit—I need to keep my blog G-Rated...and besides I don’t think I even knew what some of the words meant??!)

Poker Face (sung by Lady GaGa, 2009)
I wanna hold em' like they do in Texas Plays. Fold em' let em' hit me raise it baby stay with me (I love it). Love Game intuition play the cards with Spades to start, And after he's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on his heart...Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh. I'll get him hot, show him what I've got. Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh,

I'll get him hot, show him what I've got.

“The Way You Look Tonight” ( as sung by Frank Sinatra)
Some day, when I'm awfully low, When the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you... And the way you look tonight. Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm, And your cheeks so soft, There is nothing for me but to love you, And the way you look tonight. With each word your tenderness grows, Tearing my fear apart... And that laugh that wrinkles your nose, It touches my foolish heart.
Lovely ... Never, ever change. Keep that breathless charm. Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight. Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,

Just the way you look tonight.

Call me crazy, but I would much rather picture Scott serenading me with Sinatra over Lady GaGa. It would seem that the older generation just "gets it"--they seemed to have a grasp on what love was about. So, why my soapbox about “the oldies”? Well, maybe he was trying to sell his albums, but Lippia challenged us to introduce our kids to some of the oldies which are full of great lyrics and melodies. I’m going to try it. I’m sure my kids might roll their eyes and think that their mom is having a middle-age crisis, but this is great stuff…