American Popular Song 4

Although he wasn’t always the first one to record a particular song, once he did it was his from then on. Frank Sinatra recorded “It Was a Very Good Year” for his 1965 album September of my years. The song was written by Ervin Drake in 1961 and recorded that year by the Kingston Trio for their album Goin’ Places. Their version inspired Sinatra to record the song, Sinatra’s recording using a very similar arrangement (Sinatra’s chart was written by Gordon Jenkins). As usual, Sinatra’s interpretation and vocal technique bring the nostalgia of the piece to life – a man looking back at the special women he knew throughout his life. He won a Grammy for best male vocal performance. And rightly so.

I love this lyric and it’s form. The last four lines of each verse are rhyming couplets that describe the memory of the singer beautifully. Here are the lyrics followed by Sinatra’s recording. 

It Was a Very Good Year

When I was seventeen

It was a very good year

It was a very good year for small town girls

And soft summer nights

We’d hide from the lights

On the village green

When I was seventeen

 

When I was twenty-one

It was a very good year

It was a very good year for city girls

Who lived up the stair

With all that perfumed hair

And it came undone

When I was twenty-one

 

When I was thirty-five

It was a very good year

It was a very good year for blue-blooded girls

Of independent means

We’d ride in limousines

Their chauffeurs would drive

When I was thirty-five

 

But now the days are short

I’m in the autumn of the year

And now I think of my life as vintage wine

From fine old kegs

From the brim to the dregs

It poured sweet and clear

It was a very good year