“SINATRA” TV SPECIAL (1969)
By Mahnuel Muñoz
On November 5, 1969, the television special “Sinatra” was broadcast, with which the singer closed the cycle of musical programs that he had starred in annually since 1965.
The show is directed by Tim Kiley and the musical direction and arrangements are by Don Costa.
Frank Sinatra displays an extraordinary repertoire, composed mostly of songs from “Cycles“, “My Way” and “A Man Alone“, his latest LPs, characterized by a somber tone very consistent with the personal moment of the artist, whose problematic personal life It already made him ruminate on the idea of ​​retiring from the world of entertainment.
Apart from an iconic performance of “My Way“, the most special moments of the show come with the fragile and introspective ballads, “Little Green Apples“, “A Man Alone” and “Didn’t We“, written with the blood of heartbreak and abandonment; two “power ballads” provide a necessary visceral counterpoint, “Forget To Remember” and “Goin Out Of My Head“, which demand everything from a Frank whose voice has deteriorated somewhat at times, a condition that, far from harming, adds emotional value to his performance.
A fun segment in which Frank jokes about his film career takes away the dramatic weight of the program, and as always, there is no shortage of classics from Sinatra’s more rhythmic side, “Please Be Kind“, “Street Of Dreams” and “Fly Me To The Moon“, from his albums with Count Basie.
In short, a musically balanced and emotionally very intense program, a reflection of a crucial moment for our man.
