"My Kind of Town" made a minor appearance on the U.S. pop charts, reaching #110 in 1964.[5] It was the second of two charting songs about Chicago recorded by Sinatra. The other was "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)" from 1957, which reached U.S. #84.
Frank Sinatra recorded several versions which have appeared on many of his albums. Also, many artists have performed the song as a tribute to Sinatra in posthumous tribute albums. In addition, the song had been recorded by many other artists prior to Sinatra's death. The lyrics, which praise the city of Chicago for its people and institutions, repeat the title phrase several times, usually in a line that says "My kind of town, Chicago is".
Versions
The original context of the song, in the film Robin and the 7 Hoods, is the mob boss Robbo (Sinatra) having just been acquitted of murdering the sheriff, a crime for which he had been framed. He walks out of the courthouse and joyously sings the song in gratitude to the gathered crowd of Chicagoans. The people eventually join in the singing. Instrumental versions of the song make up the opening and closing credits, and a dance band also plays the song in Robbo's speakeasy.[2]
Popularized by Sinatra, "My Kind of Town" was originally recorded on April 8, 1964, in Los Angeles, California. The official B-side song was "I Like To Lead When I Dance". The song was recorded as a 45 on Reprise Records.[6] The sheet music was copyrighted and published by Sergeant Music Co., Glorste Inc. and Van Heusen Music Corp. The music is written in the key of A-flat, in 2/2 meter (known as cut time) with an allegrotempo.[7]
Sinatra recorded "My Kind of Town" twice in a studio setting, and two live versions were officially released, on Sinatra at the Sands (1966) and The Main Event – Live (1974).[8] One of the more famous bootleg recordings is a concert of May 22, 1968, at the Oakland Coliseum.[9] On the 1966 album Sinatra at the Sands, the song appears both as the 20th and 22nd (final) track.[10] However, the final track is merely a one-minute reprise. On the 1994 album Duets II, Sinatra sings with his son, Frank Sinatra Jr., as the 13th of 14 tracks with a length of 2:36.[11]
Sinatra would occasionally alter the lyrics slightly. In early versions, when the Union Stock Yards (which closed in 1971) still existed, one of the final lines was "The Union Stock Yards, Chicago is...".[1] In later versions, this line is replaced with "The Chicago Cubbies, Chicago is".[12] In the version sung by Sinatra at The Sands, Las Vegas, in 1966, the line is replaced with "The jumpin' pump room, Chicago is...", alluding to The Pump Room restaurant in Chicago.[13] The song also appears on The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection: Live & Swingin', a 2003 DVD and CD release of the 1965 "Frank Sinatra Spectacular" benefit concert. However, since the concert takes place in St. Louis, Missouri, the lyrics were altered to reflect St. Louis as the town in Sinatra's affections.[14][15]
Although some sources say the song was arranged by Nelson Riddle (who had scored Robin and the 7 Hoods), the "Sinatra Reprise: Very Good Years" Album Cover credits Billy May as the arranger.[16]
The following is a list of notable compilation albums with Sinatra's versions of the song:
The song was one of 26 for which Cahn was nominated for an Academy Award as a writer and one of 14 for which Van Heusen was nominated as a composer. Both won 4 Academy Awards and 3 of them as a team. The April 5, 1965 37th Academy Awards was the last of four times Cahn was nominated for two songs in the same year, and the second of two times for Van Heusen. It was the only time that they had two songs nominated as a team, with the other being "Where Love Has Gone" from Where Love Has Gone sung by Jack Jones.[42] In addition to the winner, "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from Mary Poppins, other songs nominated in 1964 were "Dear Heart from Dear Heart and "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" from Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte.[3]
1 2 Shapiro, Nat and Bruce Pollock (eds.), "Popular Music 1920-1979, (A Revised Cumulation)" Volume 2: Song Listing J-T, 1985, Gale Research Company, ISBN0-8103-0847-9.
↑ [Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004]
↑ "Songs by Sinatra". Tom Rednour & Wordcrafters Graphic Design. July 31, 2000. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
↑ Cahn, Sammy and Jimmy Van Heusen, "My Kind of Town", 1964, Sergeant Music Co., Glorste Inc. and Van Heusen Music Corp.
Samuel Cohen, known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area. He and his collaborators had a series of hit recordings with Frank Sinatra during the singer's tenure at Capitol Records, but also enjoyed hits with Dean Martin, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin, and won an Oscar four times for his songs, including the popular hit "Three Coins in the Fountain".
Robin and the 7 Hoods is a 1964 American musical film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Bing Crosby. It features Peter Falk and Barbara Rush, with an uncredited cameo by Edward G. Robinson.
James Van Heusen was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television, and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Many of his compositions later went on to become jazz standards.
A Man and His Music is a 1965 double album by Frank Sinatra. It provides a brief retrospective of Sinatra's musical career. The album won the 1967 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
The Main Event – Live is a 1974 live album and television special by American singer Frank Sinatra.
The Reprise Collection is a 1990 box set by the American singer Frank Sinatra.
Sinatra & Sextet: Live in Paris is a live album by American singer Frank Sinatra, recorded in 1962 but not released until 1994. The album was released by Reprise Records.
"Come Fly with Me" is a 1958 popular song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn.
The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings is a 1995 box set album by the American singer Frank Sinatra. The release coincided with Sinatra's 80th birthday celebration.
"Luck Be a Lady" is a song written and composed by Frank Loesser in 1950 and first performed by Robert Alda. The song was featured in the musical Guys and Dolls. The lyrics relate the point of view of a gambler, Sky Masterson, who hopes that he will win a bet, the outcome of which will decide whether or not he is able to save his relationship with the girl of his dreams.
Sinatra: Vegas is a 2006 box set of live performances by the American singer Frank Sinatra, recorded in Las Vegas.
Nothing but the Best is a 2008 compilation album by American singer Frank Sinatra. All the tracks on this album are recordings made when Sinatra was on his own Reprise label, thus the first track, "Come Fly with Me" is not the 1957 Capitol version. Other notable differences are "Strangers in the Night" has an extended fade out and the first cymbal hit is cut from the beginning of the "Theme from New York, New York".
Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years is a 1991 single disc compilation taken from the four disc box set The Reprise Collection, a 1990 box set by the American singer Frank Sinatra. For many years, this was the only collection of Sinatra's Reprise work on one disc until 2008's collection Nothing But The Best. The Very Good Years reached #98 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts in 1991.
Sinatra Sings the Songs of Van Heusen & Cahn is a 1991 compilation album by Frank Sinatra. It comprises his renditions of songs, written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn.
Sinatra at the Sands is a live album by Frank Sinatra accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, and conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, recorded live in the Copa Room of the former Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1966.
Sinatra: Best of the Best is a 2011 double compilation album by American singer Frank Sinatra.
Duets: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is a 2013 box set compilation album of electronically-assembled duets by American singer Frank Sinatra. Released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Sinatra's highly successful album Duets, Capitol/UMe released a newly-remastered two-CD deluxe edition bringing together the original Duets, and the 1994 follow-up Duets II. In additions to the original duets, the new release includes two previously unreleased recordings, "One for My Baby " featuring Tom Scott and "Embraceable You" with Tanya Tucker, plus bonus tracks "Fly Me to the Moon" with George Strait and two versions of "My Way", one recorded with Luciano Pavarotti and the other with Willie Nelson. The album also features new cover art as well as a 32-page booklet with rare photos and both the original and new liner notes.
Ultimate Sinatra is a 2015 compilation album by American singer Frank Sinatra released specifically to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of his birth. The collection consists of songs recorded from 1939 to 1979 during his sessions for Columbia Records, Capitol Records, and Reprise Records. The 4-CD set consists of 100 songs, plus a never before released bonus track of a rehearsal recording of "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" from the musical Oklahoma! This edition also features an 80-page booklet with a new essay by Sinatra historian and author Charles Pignone, as well as rare photos and quotes from Sinatra, his family members and key collaborators.
Sinatra: World On a String is a 2016 box set album of live performances by the American singer Frank Sinatra, recorded in Italy in 1953, Monaco in 1958, Sydney in 1961, Cairo in 1979, and the Dominican Republic in 1982. The performances are chronicled on four compact discs with a further DVD of a 1962 concert in Tokyo with short films and Italian chocolate adverts featuring Sinatra during his world tour of 1962.
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