Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Frank Sinatra at 103: Looking Back at Some of the Iconic Crooner’s Biggest Hits


Legendary crooner Frank Sinatra would have been 103 today. Known for such iconic songs as “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” “Fly Me To The Moon” and “Come Fly With Me,” among many others, his work spanned more than five decades with an indelible impact that lasted far beyond his living years.

One of the first teen idols, Sinatra’s popularity exceeded that of any artist that came before him. By the time he went solo in 1942, he had throngs of hysterically screaming girls at his shows and he hadn’t even released his first solo album yet. He would go on to release 59 studio albums, plus countless compilations, live albums and more. That popularity would also translate into film and television. He has appeared in more than 60 films and television shows, as well as had his music featured in hundreds more.

In honor of Frank Sinatra’s birthday, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look back at some of the crooner’s biggest hit singles. Here are six that impacted the charts and changed the music industry forever.


1.       “Love And Marriage”: Most well known for its use as the theme song to the 1987 sitcom ‘Married…With Children,’ Sinatra first recorded “Love And Marriage” in 1955 for a television production of ‘Our Town.’ The song became a hit for him that same year, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the UK charts.

2.       “High Hopes”: Now a popular children’s song, “High Hopes” was initially made popular by Sinatra. The 1959 song, which featured a children’s choir backing up the crooner, didn’t fare as well on the charts as some of his other hits, though it still managed to rank at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

3.       “Strangers In The Night”: A number one hit all around, “Strangers In The Night” was Sinatra’s biggest hit by far. It was also one of his least favorites, having referred to it in the past as “the worst f***ing song I’ve ever heard” and never performing it live.

4.       “Somethin’ Stupid”: Like father like daughter, Sinatra’s daughter Nancy was also a singer with her own string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s.  The two collaborated in 1967 on a cover of the song “Somethin’ Stupid,” giving them a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also the first time a father-daughter duo reached number one on the chart and remains the only song to have done that.

5.       “My Way”: A Sinatra classic (and another song he disliked), “My Way” became a hit for the crooner in 1969, one of the last before he attempted to retire two years later. The song has since become one of the most covered songs of all time with some of the most popular versions sung by Sid Vicious, Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin.

6.       “Theme from ‘New York, New York’”: Though mostly associated with Sinatra nowadays, “Theme from ‘New York, New York’” was actually originally recorded by Liza Minnelli in 1977. Minnelli’s version, however, never reached the top 100. Sinatra’s version reached number 32 on the chart and number 10 at adult contemporary, making it a bona-fide hit and cementing it as one of his most well-known recordings.


Frank Sinatra has had a prolific career, releasing more than 60 albums, hundreds of singles and appearing in many television and film roles. His hits, like the ones above, have stood the test of time and are still being enjoyed by fans all over the world to this day.

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Find music from icons like Frank Sinatra and more at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a wide variety of genres. Browse our selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what gems you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

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