I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her (Frank Sinatra)

It's such a shame that this song, from the musical "Skyscraper", got hidden away on a pick-up album of assorted leftovers, for it is a wonderful recording of a beautiful song, whose lyrics are open to endless interpretations. It's a song I have returned to a lot over the last couple of months since Dad passed away (despite Sinatra singing about a woman); it somehow manages to evoke the feelings one goes through remarkably well.

The recording itself foreshadows Sinatra's diversions into Latin-American material in the late 1960s, and the singer is in sublime form here (despite the tinny sound of the youtube clip). Just a great, forgotten recording I wanted to highlight.

It's such a shame that this song, from the musical "Skyscraper", got hidden away on a pick-up album of assorted leftovers, for it is a wonderful recording of a beautiful song, whose lyrics are open to endless interpretations. It's a song I have returned to a lot over the last couple of months since Dad passed away (despite Sinatra singing about a woman); it somehow manages to evoke the feelings one goes through remarkably well.

The recording itself foreshadows Sinatra's diversions into Latin-American material in the late 1960s, and the singer is in sublime form here (despite the tinny sound of the youtube clip). Just a great, forgotten recording I wanted to highlight.

It's so stunning that he could essentially throw away such fine music, such was the glut of fine output he was creating by 1965. It was the b side one of the more enjoyable of his many attempts to re-crack the pop singles market - this time "Ev'rybody Has The Right To Be Wrong".

The bit where he sings "things I found hard to praise right now would seem sublime" is just heartbreaking. The man was a miracle-worker, and could tap into that emotional reservoir we all have so extremely well.

I've always really enjoyed "Golden Moment", from this same session and first released on that 'My Kind Of Broadway' album.

Sorry about your dad.

Thank you, Pete.

And yes, such music, if it runs deep enough, calls up all sorts of related associations. It's a song about loss. So, for the listener, if not necessarily for the singer or even the composer, the association with a particular loss is clear. (I suppose there are cases where the association of the listener and artist are basically similar, but it really doesn't mater. It can't matter, because usually, you're not supposed to know what the artist is thinking about, or even care. It's what you're thinking about that should matter, and how well the song helps to illuminate your own feelings.)

I'm sure many Sinatra fans would say they know who he's singing about, or play a parlor game and guess. And that is SO beside the point: it's what the listener is thinking about that matters. The former is irrelevant.

Thanks again.

rjm (and it's the middle of the night, and I shouldn't be here)

It's such a shame that this song, from the musical "Skyscraper", got hidden away on a pick-up album of assorted leftovers, for it is a wonderful recording of a beautiful song, whose lyrics are open to endless interpretations. It's a song I have returned to a lot over the last couple of months since Dad passed away (despite Sinatra singing about a woman); it somehow manages to evoke the feelings one goes through remarkably well.

The recording itself foreshadows Sinatra's diversions into Latin-American material in the late 1960s, and the singer is in sublime form here (despite the tinny sound of the youtube clip). Just a great, forgotten recording I wanted to highlight.

It's so stunning that he could essentially throw away such fine music, such was the glut of fine output he was creating by 1965. It was the b side one of the more enjoyable of his many attempts to re-crack the pop singles market - this time "Ev'rybody Has The Right To Be Wrong".

The bit where he sings "things I found hard to praise right now would seem sublime" is just heartbreaking. The man was a miracle-worker, and could tap into that emotional reservoir we all have so extremely well.

I've always really enjoyed "Golden Moment", from this same session and first released on that 'My Kind Of Broadway' album.

Sorry about your dad.

Bizarrely, Everybody has the right to be wrong is from the same musical as I Only Miss Her. But yes, a stunning recording.