Artist: Frank Sinatra
Year: 1957
Genre: Traditional Pop
Grade: A
A contrast in styles — backed by a virtuosic Hollywood String Quartet, musically, Close to You is Frank Sinatra’s most interesting LP, a somber orchestral affair that harkens back to the magical, late-night qualities of Songs for Young Lovers. Lyrically, it’s Sinatra’s funniest, full of self-deprecating humor that paints himself as a romantic failure and a sucker for love.
Whether he’s overstepping boundaries and telling you to “Blame It on My Youth,” or finding a juicy pair of tits “Easy to Remember (But So Hard to Forget),” Sinatra is simultaneously sinful and subdued. “Everything Happens to Me,” but “It Could Happen to You,” too. Don’t believe him when he claims he’s in bed by nine.
Every album Sinatra released during his Capitol years is pretty much a classic, and Close to You may be the most underrated of the bunch. The strings are lush and spare, the humor colorful and deadpan (“I make a date for golf/And you can bet your life it rains”), and the entire album is highly recommended listening for rainy days.
