"That's Life" is a popular song written by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon, and first recorded in 1963 by Marion Montgomery. The song has an uplifting message that, despite the ups and downs in life, one should not give up but keep positive, because soon one will be "back on top."[1]
Marion Montgomery was signed to Capitol Records after being discovered by singer Peggy Lee. Montgomery recorded "That's Life", written by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon, in 1963. It was released the same year, but failed to chart.[2]
While "That's Life" was first recorded by Marion Montgomery, the song came to the attention of Frank Sinatra when he heard O.C. Smith's chart-climbing version in his car in 1965. He stopped the car, called his daughter Nancy and told her to find the publisher of the song because he wanted to record it; she did. Sinatra first performed the song on his television special A Man and His Music – Part II in 1966, with an arrangement by Nelson Riddle.[citation needed]
The recorded version, made on July 25, 1966 at United Recording, Hollywood, was arranged and conducted by Ernie Freeman and produced by Jimmy Bowen.[4] The trio had previously worked together earlier in 1966 on "Strangers in the Night",[5] which got Sinatra the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal.[6] For "That's Life", the background singers were the vocal contractor and singer B.J. Baker, along with Gwen Johnson and Jackie Ward. 40 first-chair musicians were also assembled for Sinatra's recording including Glen Campbell and many of the members of the Wrecking Crew. Sinatra took two passes at the song. He ended the first take with, "Oh yeah." Bowen asked him to perform it again, which annoyed 'one take' Sinatra – resulting in the biting performance Bowen was looking for - which Sinatra tagged with the defiant, "My, My".[citation needed]
Bowen's vision for the rest of the album was to mirror "That's Life" onto the other songs so they all sounded similar, rather than fill it with what he viewed as typical Sinatra-style songs. This was as a result of his work on the Strangers in the Night album, where Bowen felt that the titular single did not match the rest of the album, which was more of a classic Sinatra sound. So for the That's Life album, the other album tracks had similar brass accompaniments.[7]
Both the album and the song proved major successes for Sinatra. The song was a number-four hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached number one on the Easy Listening chart for three weeks in December 1966/January 1967.[8] In Canada, the song reached number three.[9] Sinatra's recording of "That's Life" was later used in the 1993 film A Bronx Tale alongside his recording of "Same Old Song and Dance".[10] It was also featured in the 2004 video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2, and also plays during the game's credits.[11] The song was also in the 1988 film License to Drive, a scene where the main character puts clown makeup on and the final scene of the 2019 film Joker, and during the final scene of the final episode of the sixth season of the NBC television comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Although the O.C. Smith version had proved successful in areas such Detroit and Los Angeles, it was not until Sinatra's cover of it went high in the charts that the earlier version was released nationally.[12] As well as the Smith release, "That's Life" was recorded on several albums following Sinatra's success with it, including the Aretha Franklin album Aretha Arrives,[13] in addition to recordings by The Temptations, Shirley Bassey, and James Brown.[14][15] Brown recorded the song for his 1968 album Live at the Apollo, Volume II. Brown's studio-recorded version appeared on the soundtrack for the 1999 film EDtv.[15]The Peddlers recorded a version in 1969 which was released on a single.[16]
1980s to 2020s
Former Van Halen frontman, David Lee Roth, released a version and video, in 1986, for his first solo LP Eat 'Em and Smile.[17]Deana Martin also recorded "That's Life" on her 2016 released album, Swing Street.
Lady Gaga performed the song in the American musical thriller film Joker: Folie à Deux (2024).[20] She released her version of the song on Harlequin (2024), a companion album to the film.[21]
Portrait Gallery is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, released in 1975.
"Strangers in the Night" is a song composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. Kaempfert originally used it under the title "Beddy Bye" as part of the instrumental score for the movie A Man Could Get Killed. The song was made famous in 1966 by Frank Sinatra.
"Smile" is a song based on the theme song used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times.
That's Life is a 1966 album by Frank Sinatra, supported by a studio orchestra arranged and conducted by Ernie Freeman. The album is notable for its title song, "That's Life", which proved to be a top five hit for Sinatra at a time when rock music dominated the music charts. That's Life was released on CD in October 1986.
September of My Years is a 1965 studio album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released on Reprise Records in August 1965 on LP and October 1986 on CD. The orchestral arrangements are by Gordon Jenkins, their fifth album collaboration. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
It Might as Well Be Swing is a 1964 studio album by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra. It was Sinatra's first studio recording arranged by Quincy Jones.
Duets is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1993. Recorded near the end of Sinatra's career, it consists of electronically assembled duets between Sinatra and younger singers from various genres. The album was a commercial success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard albums chart, reaching No. 5 in the UK, and selling over 3 million copies in the US. It is the only Sinatra album to date to achieve triple platinum certification.
Unforgettable … with Love, also known as simply Unforgettable, is the twelfth studio album by American singer Natalie Cole. Released on June 11, 1991, the album includes covers of standards previously performed by her father, Nat King Cole. It was also her debut for Elektra Records, after being given her release from EMI Records.
"Nature Boy" is a song first recorded by American jazz singer Nat King Cole. It was released on March 29, 1948, as a single by Capitol Records, and later appeared on the album The Nat King Cole Story. It was written by eden ahbez as a tribute to Bill Pester, who practiced the Naturmensch and Lebensreform philosophies adopted by Ahbez. The lyrics of the song relate to a 1940s Los Angeles–based group called "Nature Boys", a subculture of proto-hippies of which Ahbez was a member.
"Think" is a song written by American singer Aretha Franklin and Ted White, and first recorded by Franklin. It was released as a single in 1968, from her Aretha Now album. The song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Franklin's seventh top 10 hit in the United States. The song also reached number 1 on the magazine's Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles, becoming her sixth single to top the chart. Franklin re-recorded the song in the Atlantic Records New York studio for the soundtrack of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers and in 1989 for the album Through the Storm. Pitchfork placed it at number 15 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".
"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" is the second single by American singer-actress Cher from her second album, The Sonny Side of Chér (1966). It was written by her husband Sonny Bono and released in 1966. It reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week (behind "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" by The Righteous Brothers), eventually becoming one of Cher's biggest-selling singles of the 1960s.
"The Lady Is a Tramp" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes in Arms, in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. This song is a spoof of New York high society and its strict etiquette and phony social pretensions. It has become a popular music standard.
Through the Storm is the thirty-second studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released on April 25, 1989, by Arista Records.
Still Unforgettable is a 2008 studio album by American singer-songwriter and performer Natalie Cole. Cole won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Still Unforgettable at the 51st Grammy Awards.
Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits! is the first compilation by American singer Frank Sinatra released on his own Reprise Records. It concentrates on mostly single releases from the mid to late 1960s, which fluctuates between adult contemporary pop and jazzy swing. The album opens up with Sinatra's recent number one hit "Strangers in the Night" and continues through the varied styles of music Sinatra recorded in the 60s, from easy listening ballads like "It Was a Very Good Year" and "Softly, as I Leave You" to contemporary pop like "When Somebody Loves You" and "That's Life". Greatest Hits was a modest hit, peaking at #55 on the album charts in late 1968. A second volume was issued in 1972, Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2. Both albums have since been supplanted with newer and more cohesive compilations.
Cheek to Cheek is the first collaborative album by American singers Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, released on September 19, 2014, by Columbia and Interscope Records. It is Bennett's fifty-eighth studio album, and Gaga's fourth. The two first met at the Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City in 2011, and later recorded a rendition of "The Lady Is a Tramp" together, after which they began discussing plans of working on a jazz project. Cheek to Cheek consists of jazz standards by popular composers such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and Irving Berlin. It was inspired by Bennett and Gaga's desire to introduce the songs to a younger generation, since they believed these tracks have a universal appeal.
"Mr. Success" is a 1958 popular song recorded and co-written by Frank Sinatra. The song was released as a Capitol Records A-side single.
In Full Swing is the fourth studio album by American actor and singer Seth MacFarlane. It was released on September 15, 2017, through Republic Records and Verve Records. The record was primarily produced by Joel McNeely and MacFarlane himself, who also serves as the executive producer. Featured artists included on the album are American singer-songwriter Norah Jones and American actress and singer Elizabeth Gillies.
Let's Be Frank is the fourteenth studio album by American country artist Trisha Yearwood. It was first released through Williams Sonoma stores on December 20, 2018 and was widely released on February 14, 2019 via Gwendolyn Records. The project was produced by Don Was and arranged by Vincent Mendoza. The album pays tribute to Frank Sinatra, whom Yearwood had always admired. It was a record that Yearwood had always wanted to create but never got around to doing so. Let's Be Frank includes covers of songs notably performed by Sinatra and also features one original composition.
Harlequin is an album by the American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, released on September 27, 2024, by Interscope Records. It is inspired by the musical thriller film Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), in which Gaga portrays the DC Comics character Harley Quinn.
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