Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LI--Frank Sinatra: Cycles

Trying to write a one paragraph synopsis of the career of Frank Sinatra that doesn't just skim the surface is a bit like trying to pour Lake Superior into a coffee cup--ain't happening.  So here goes anyway:  his discography includes 69 albums and 296 singles.  He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (From Here to Eternity) and was nominated for a Best Actor award (The Man with the Golden Arm).  He won 11 Grammy Awards, was a Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient, and a Kennedy Center honoree.  He had an amazing singing voice but often came across as an arrogant prick.  He did much work for African-American causes but had ties to the Mafia (it's pretty much agreed he was the inspiration--in more ways than one--for Johnny Fontane in The Godfather).  He was a strong supporter of labor unions but was seen by many as being misogynistic.  And as if all of that wasn't enough to make an (extremely flawed) icon, he also invented "cool"--take a look at him in his younger days and you'll see exactly what I mean.

All of which also makes him the perfect man to sing "Cycles," the tale of a fallible middle-aged fellow who may be down and out, but is still ever hopeful.  Written by one Gayle Caldwell at the ripe old age of 27 (where do these wise beyond their years folks come from?  I was pretty much an idiot at 27), it was released in 1968 on his aptly titled Cycles album.  It would eventually reach #23 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, and while not as iconic or critically acclaimed of a Sinatra song as say "I've Got You Under My Skin" or "Fly Me to the Moon" or "Come Fly With Me" or "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" (you'll never know how hard it was to only use four of his singles as examples), it sure should have been.

"Cycles" is sparse to say the least--it's a piano, a touch of a rhythm section, a few light strings, and the biggie, Sinatra's voice.  And Sinatra uses it to perfection, telling his tale with weariness but not defeat.  Above all else, it's honest--when Sinatra sings, "My gal just up and left last week/Friday I got fired..." his voice breaks ever so gently when he sings the word "I" and it's the heartache of a middle-aged man who's seen enough of life to know that it's one of those woeful times when you're torn between a laugh and a tear knowing full well that anger or despair aren't going to fix it.  It's the kind of moment that makes a very good song a great one, and Sinatra is old enough and wise enough to close it out with a gentle wisp of hopefulness when he notes that he'll "keep on trying to sing" though he doesn't quite know how just yet.

Comforting words, indeed:  "So I'll keep this smile awhile/And see what tomorrow brings...."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee