Sinatra_and_Vicious__My_Way_Done_Their_Way

Sinatra and Vicious: My Way Done Their Way According to Wikipedia, a cover tune or “cover version” is defined as a “new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song” (“cover version”). When proposed to write a paper describing and comparing an original song to a cover version, I wanted to choose two versions that completely differed in sound and style. By choosing “My Way” performed by Frank Sinatra and ten years later by Sid Vicious, I found what I was looking for. Both songs, derived from the same song, could not be any more different from each other. Even though Frank and Sid came from and performed for two very different worlds, both cultural icons represent that “bad boy” image of their time. Beneath Frank Sinatra’s reserved exterior laid a rebellious spirit trapped in a conservative world while Sid Vicious spewed rage and rebellion, reflective of his troubled past as well as his embodiment of the anti-establishment movement of the London music scene. Many do not know (including myself before this project) that Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” (1969) was written by Paul Anka for Frank and that Anka actually based his version on a popular French song he heard while on vacation on the Riviera in 1967. The original song by “Gillis Thibault, Jacques Rebaux, and Claude Francois, the last of the trio being a chanteur who introduced it in Europe under its first title Comme d’Habitude” (“As Usual”)” (Friedwald, 1997, p. 446) in 1968. According to the website Naked Translations, the English translation of Francois’s version “conveys his melancholy and disillusion with life and love”. Although Paula Anka’s “My Way” had different lyrics, he stated that he “instantly connected with the melody” and after running into Frank Sinatra who “mentioned retiring sometime soon, he asked Paul when he was going to write something for him” (“My Way”). Paul did write that song for Sinatra and that song was the classic “My Way” which became an instant hit, delaying any thought Sinatra had of retiring. Frank Sinatra was born Francis Albert Sinatra in the working class, Italian-American neighborhood town of Hoboken, New Jersey on December 12, 1914 as the only child to Martin and Natalie (Dolly) Sinatra. His parents were first generation Italian immigrants. His father was a fire-fighter for the city of Hoboken and his mother was and amateur singer who sang at local social events. She was also involved in local Democratic politics and a trained midwife who was accused of performing illegal abortions in her home. Although Sinatra grew up comfortable he also grew up in a tough neighborhood where he learned early how to fight, taking up boxing in high school but dropping out with desires of being a singer. His first break came in September 1935 on the radio, when he and his group, the “Hoboken Four” appeared “on a leading NBC talent show called Major Bowes and His Original Amateur Hour” where they won first prize and a six month contract to perform across the United States (Rojek 39). In 1939 he began working on the New York City radio station WNEW with the bandleader Harry James who “hired him as his boy singer paying him seventy- five a week” (Zehme 176). That same year Sinatra married his first wife, Nancy Barbato who was a cousin of someone connected to Willie Moretti in the northern New Jersey mafia. “Moretti championed Sinatra in the 1940’s, securing several concert bookings for him” (Zehme 78). Sinatra’s connections to mafia leaders would haunt him for the rest of his career. Frank and Nancy eventually had three children together. Continuing on his path to stardom, Frank joined Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra which gained him even more popularity. This of course was the height of WWII and Frank was a breath of fresh air for the stressed families being separated by the effects of war. He would stay with Dorsey’s band from 1940-1942, as well as begin playing roles in films. He began his solo career in 1942 and was ready to retire by 1969 when Paul Anka offered Frank “My Way” (1969). Although “My Way” is one of Sinatra’s most memorable songs and probably one of the most memorable songs of all time, Frank had his own opinions of the song. According to Songfacts.com, Sinatra’s daughter Tina once mentioned at an interview on the BBC show Hardtalk, “He always thought that song was self-serving and self-indulgent. He didn’t like it. That song stuck and he couldn’t get it off his show”. Frank did not hide his true feelings either. During many concerts, Frank voiced his opinion of the song before audiences while introducing the song. At the Caesars Palace in 1979, Sinatra said “I hate this song – you sing it for eight years, you would hate it too” (Busciglio). He also knew the song was good to him and probably kept his career going through the 70s and 80s, stating that this song had been “very good to me – and singers like me” (Busciglio). Sinatra performed My Way was recorded in 1968 and released early 1969. The lyrics describe a man at the end of his life, looking back and having no regrets. It is a powerful, yet somber song. President Richard Nixon was just elected and the Vietnam War was in full swing. The country was confused and feeling battered from the effects of the war. I think that at this time, the American public could identify with the emotion behind the song and was probably longing for a simpler time Frank Sinatra’s early days represented. The song is a ballad which was so much different than the popular music that was being recorded at the time. It seems to cry out for a time gone by. “Fueled by the belief that Sinatra is singing about his own life, telling us his own story, his concert audience extracts a doubly cathartic response from My Way” (Friedwald 446). There are no chorus’ in this song, only the repeated refrain, “I did it my way” (Anka) after each verse. The tempo of the song remains Andante throughout giving it a reflective tone, but the dynamics of the song move from Pianissimo to Fortissimo as the song progresses, emphasizing the passion behind the lyrics. The lyrics are somber and reflective but as Sinatra moves through the song his pride and confidence shine through. As the Dynamics of the song increase so does the amount of instruments added to each verse, giving it a fuller sound. As the song comes to a close, so do the Dynamics, beautifully moving across a bridge that connects the last climb to the Pianissimo coda. Through the years so many artists have covered Sinatra’s My Way including the infamous punk rock legend, or should we say “myth”, Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. I am sure that both Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka could never have imagined such a wild version of Sinatra’s signature song. The Telegraph.co.uk reported Paul Anka admitting he was “somewhat destabilized by the Sex Pistols’ version. It was kind of curious but felt he was sincere about it” (referring to Vicious). After listening to and viewing the Vicious version of My Way (1979) many times over, I too feel that Sid was sincere when he sang his outrageous rendition of a classic song. Sid Vicious was born John Simon Ritchie on May 10, 1957 to Anne and John Ritchie in England. His mother Anne fled “a loveless family” and “joined the Air Force at eighteen, married hastily, then jumped into the arms of Ritchie” (Savage 117). John Ritchie left Anne and little John penniless in Ibiza. She was somewhat of a free-spirit and instilled that attitude into her son telling him at a young age, “You are you; you can do anything you like providing you don’t hurt anybody else while doing it. You should be able to do what the fuck (sic) you like” (Savage 117). John aka Sid’s mother also had one other marriage which ended in divorce. At this time, young John Ritchie took on his step-father’s name and became John Beverley until his last name and identity change, to Sid Vicious. The constant moves and abandonments from male figures in Vicious’ early life had to have played a major role in his self-destructive behavior both on stage and off. It was soon after his step-father left in 1974 that young “John” met John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) and began his downward spiral with drug use and destructive behavior. After a few involvements with bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees and remaining close to Sex Pistols front man, Johnny Rotten, he then replaced the bass player, changing his name to Sid Vicious. Sid was not much of a musician, but the outrageous antics he displayed on stage gave him notoriety beyond his limited talent. In fact, according to the Encyclopedia of Road Subculture “not only was Vicious musically talent less, but the Pistols vision had virtually nothing to do with him; he wasn’t even present when much of the groups material was conceived and written”. During live shows, his bass was often turned down and his singing replaced by other band members. The Sex Pistols had already made their anarchic stamp on the young punk scene in England, but with Vicious’ arrival, the antics grew more intense, adding more attention to the band. John Lydon/Johnny Rotten was actually a very good song writer and musician, but with management by the calculating Malcolm McLaren, who did not have their creative interests at heart, they fell apart during their first tour in the US. Even though the Sex Pistols are probably the most recognizable Punk Rock bands, they were actually a manufactured band, designed and manipulated by McLaren. By this time Vicious had already become involved with Nancy Spungen who was “a notorious American groupie and heroin addict. Sid’s heroin use – together with Nancy striking his ego – saw him go from a fun loving, intelligent kid to a belligerent junkie, desperately trying to live up to the name Vicious” (“Sex Pistols – Sid Vicious Biography”). With the rest of the band split up and back in Europe, Sid remained in New York City, where he was infatuated with the punk scene now in full swing. He also remained with the controlling Malcolm McLaren who got him involved in recording a cover of Sinatra’s classic “My Way” for a “fictionalized satire of the Sex Pistols story” (“Sex Pistols – Sid Vicious Biography) called The Great Rock n Roll Swindle (1980). The movie was filmed in 1978 and released in 1980. By this time Vicious did not want anything to do with McLaren and Nancy wanted full control over Sid’s career. “Sid would only do My Way if he got Malcolm to sign this note saying, Malcolm McLaren is no longer my manager” (Savage 502). Sid decided to do the song along with a couple of other covers, but My Way “proved to be his cultural epitaph” (“Sex Pistols – Sid Vicious Biography). Sid and Nancy lived in the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York City where their drug use and downward spiral accelerated. On October 12, 1978, Nancy Spungen was found dead in her hotel room with one stab wound. The knife was still in the room, with a distraught Sid Vicious roaming the halls of the Chelsea Hotel remembering nothing of the incident. There are many stories as to how she may have been stabbed including a struggle she may have had with a drug dealer while Sid was in a drug induced stupor to stories of Nancy stabbing herself accidentally and bleeding to death while high on heroin, tuinal and dilauded. Sid was charged with second-degree murder and released on bail. He never made it to his trial as he died of a heroin over-dose on February 2, 1979. Reports of whether it was a deliberate suicide or an accidental over-dose are also conflicting, but most of the reports say it was an accident. An interesting part of Vicious’ performance in The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle with this hard core version of the Sinatra’s classic My Way, is that Sid was not alive to see the release of the film. Vicious definitely did this song “His” way and in the movie version of the song, he is performing before what we find to be, a very conservative audience who is cheering his mocking tone. The song rides in on and introduction that is mainly orchestral-based in the movie version and more of a synthesizer sound in the recorded version that was on the album Sid Sings (1978). In the movie version, the audience grows silent before the guitars roll in with thunder, Vicious changes his stance to one that is harsh and rude, and the Dynamics of the song goes from Piano to Fortissimo with a ride on a musical bridge of sliding guitars and orchestral strings. Vicious lets us know quickly the intent behind this song with his body language and hard-drive throughout the entire song after the almost parodic introduction. With each climb of the song Vicious’ voice and the instruments grow louder and the tempo speeds up, then back to the dynamics and tempo of the previous verse for the next. This song also utilizes the refrain “I did it my way” (Anka) after each verse and climb and drags each one out more and with more intensity as the song progresses. One of the significant differences in this version of the song compares to Sinatra’s, besides the obvious explicit lyrics replacing some original, is how the song ends. In Sinatra’s version of My Way, he ends with one last refrain, holding the note at “way” until the instrumental bridge of the song takes over and brings it to the coda, closing with a decrescendo from Piano to Pianissimo and then to fade. Vicious’ ending is quite different in that he ends with a full blast of Dynamics in the last refrain, but then moves to the outro of the song with the takeover of a lead guitar in a Presto tempo along with the other instruments. The outro is aggressive and ends with a sustained, fading note on the lead guitar. In the movie version of the song, Vicious takes out a gun during the instrumental outro and begins shooting and killing unsuspecting audience members before dropping the gun at the last note of the fading guitar, and giving everyone a snarly “finger”, and walking back up the stairs he came from in the beginning of the performance. Sinatra’s original is much more of a ballad, presented in a refined voice quality throughout. His version expresses of acceptance of what has been and the life he led. Vicious, on the other hand, was expressing extreme disdain for conformity as a damaged narcissist, who runs amok and does not care. For the purposes of this paper, I did analyze the recorded version of this song, but the visuals in the movie performance combined with the many layers of Sid’s history, downward spiral, and mythological status make this performance a work of art imitating life. Sid died soon after the filming of The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle (1980) and many feel it was Sid’s unconscious way of “signing off”. Both Frank Sinatra aka Francis Albert Sinatra, aka “ole Blue Eyes”, aka “Chairman of the Board” and Sid Vicious aka John Simon Ritchie/Beverley are cultural icons in their own right. Each holds a place in history, reflecting a part of our cultural and historical inner workings. Sinatra’s 1969 My Way came at a time when the country was yearning for and mourning the loss of a simpler time. Vicious’ version was at the tail end of a music scene that was like an explosion of energy held in for over a decade, ready for a change. According to eSSORTMENT.com, Punk rock was started as a deliberate reaction to the mass commercialism of music”. Sid Vicious was a product of his surroundings and by the time he died the mass explosion of Punk Rock was also dead. These two examples of one song evolved from a French ballad cannot be more different in style, sound, and message, but at the same time speaks from the heart, becoming the signature song for each performer and a sort of national anthem for a specific time in history. *See Attached: Musical analysis of each song* Works Cited Anka, Paul. “My Way”. Warner Bros. Records. 1969. Busciglio, Rick. “Frank Sinatra and His Signature Song My Way”. Examiner.com. Clarity Digital Group, 2 Jun. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. Friedwald, Will. Sinatra! The Song is You: A Singers Art. Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 1997. Print. Friedwald, Will. “Sinatra vs. My Way”. Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal, 2 Jun. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. “History of Punk rock: Origins and Significance.” eSSORTMENT.com. eSSORTMENT. n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. McCormick, Neil. “Paul Anka: One Song the Sex Pistols Won’t be Singing.” Telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph.co.uk, 8 Nov. 2007. Web. 22 Nov. 2009. “My Way.” Naked Translations. nakedtranslations.com. 16 Jul. 2004. Web. 22 Nov. 2009. “Paul Anka: One Song the Sex Pistols Won’t be Singing”. Telegraph.co.uk. 8 Nov. 2007. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. Rojek, Chris. Sinatra. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2004. Print. “Sid Vicious”. digihitch.com. digihitch. n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2009 “My Way by Frank Sinatra.” Songfacts.com. Songfacts. n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. Savage, Jon. England’s Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols. Punk Rock, and Beyond. New York: Macmillian, 2002. Print. “Sex Pistols – Sid Vicious Biography.” Sexpistolsofficial.com. Sex Pistols. n.d. Web. 27 2009. The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle. Dir. Julien Temple. Perf. Paul Cook, Steve Jones, John Lydon, Malcolm McLaren, and Sid Vicious. Warner Bros, 1979. VHS. Thibault, Gillis, Rebaux, Jacques & Francois, Claude. “Comme d’Habitude”. Zehme, Bill. Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin’. New York: Harper Collins, 1997. Print.