“I SING THE SONGS”
By Mahnuel Muñoz
It is 1976 and Frank Sinatra continues to prioritize his concert activity over studio work. This year the singer will make slightly more serious attempts to generate material for a new album, recording eight songs and leaving another half-finished.
The first session of the year is dated February 5 and produces three pieces. One of them is “I Sing The Songs“, composed by Bruce Johnston, member of the wonderful group The Beach Boys. The song is actually titled “I Write The Songs“, and was popularized by Barry Manilow, who took it to number 1 on the North American charts in January 1976. The song, written in 1975, had already been previously recorded by the teen idol David Cassidy and the group Captain & Tenille. The song made a huge splash at the time, winning a Grammy Award for Best Song in 1977. No wonder old Frankie wanted his piece of the pie. The change in the title has a more than obvious reason.
However, the song should not be interpreted as a monument to a singer’s ego; Sinatra would not have chosen it if it had been that way – in fact, if he never liked “My Way” very much, it is precisely because he considered it a self-indulgent song. Author Bruce Johnston says it’s a tribute to the creativity in all of us, and that the “I” in the song refers to God.
I think Frank Sinatra recorded it mainly for commercial reasons, but even so, he seems to like it, offering a sincere and powerful performance, adequately supported by Don Costa‘s arrangement. He deserved better commercial luck, and for me, it is an issue to take into account in these autumn times for Frank.
After languishing in singles and low-profile compilations, the fourth volume of “Reprise Rarities” makes it available to everyone.
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