Pantagruel's Full Review: Only the Lonely [Remaster] by Frank Sinatra
The third of Frank Sinatra's torch albums he recorded for Capitol, Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (also known simply as Only the Lonely) is sad bastard music in excelsis. Almost every song on this 1958 album deals with lost love--the only relief comes with "Ebb Tide" (love the way the song flows in imitation of its title, here courtesy of a harp) and the CD bonus tracks, "Sleep Warm" and "Where or When."
NelsonRiddle, Sinatra's collaborator on his successful upbeat Capitol albums like Songs For Swingin' Lovers and A Swingin' Affair, was given the reins to arrange the album. His contribution brings a lighter, more jazzy feel than did GordonJenkins on Sinatra's previous ballad album, Where Are You? Though strings feature heavily on both albums, a traditional jazz rhythm section of acoustic bass and brush-stroked drums are prominent on several tracks. In addition, Riddle throws in a muted trombone here, a wailing trumpet there, and crescendo piano fills. These subtle differences make for less lustre but they create more intimacy, which is a better fit for the material. For Sinatra is singing about the pain, maybe his pain, of heartbreak. From the SammyCahn-JimmyVanHeusen penned opening title track, you get the sense that the twinkle has left Ol' Blue Eyes. Gone is the carefree, swinging mode of those earlier albums, to be replaced by a melancholy longing and pining in his voice.
During the time Sinatra recorded Only the Lonely,his divorce from Ava Gardner became final. Some biographers have said that she had been the love of his life. Perhaps that is why the songs on the album cut deeper and why Sinatra seems so haunted by these numbers. It feels as those he is pouring out his heart on such numbers as "Angel Eyes, "Willow Weep For Me," Gordon Jenkins' "Good-Bye" and HaroldArlen and JohnnyMercer's "Blues in the Night."
Though I find all of the songs rewarding to listen to, and anyone who likes this album will have their own favourites, I'll touch on a few that particularly stand out for me.
The story in "What's New" is of a one-sided conversation during a chance encounter with an old flame. There is a deep timbre in Sinatra's voice as he tries to control himself while revealing a secret in the final, parting verse:
Pardon my asking 'what's new' Of course, you couldn't know I haven't changed I still love you so
"Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," co-written by Cahn with JuleStyne, could be the immediate predecessor to "What's New." In it, the singer has trouble coping with a break up, until
Somebody said just forget about her So I gave that treatment a try Strangely enough I got along without her Then one day she passed me right by Oh well I guess I'll hang my tears out to dry
What I especially like about "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" is the way Riddle arranges it. He opens the song with a solo acoustic guitar backing Sinatra, throws in flutes to express how tears feel like rain drops, and closes the piece with a celesta to give it an ethereal feel.
RichardRodgers and Lorenz Hart's optimistically titled "Spring is Here" masks emotional turmoil, much like the cover picture of a downcast Sinatra made-up like Pagliacci the clown (or, with his reddish nose, of a man who drowns his sorrows).
The original album closer, Arlen and Mercer's "One for My Baby," is especially poignant. Over piano, light strings and occasional clarinet interjections, Sinatra recounts a tale of a love not to be to a sympathetic bartender, all the while not wanting to leave the bar and return home to his lonely hell.
Even such minor numbers like "It's a Lonesome Old Town" and "Gone With the Wind" retain that deep sense of despair that permeates the album.
The original album is such a downer (albeit a wonderful downer) that I would be surprised if it wasn't the last thing heard by suicide and would-be suicide victims. That said, the bonus tracks on the CD version add just a hint of light through the dark clouds. "Sleep Warm" is a lullaby while Rodgers and Hart's "Where or When" is a deja vu song of missed opportunities and second chances.
This is probably my second favourite Sinatra album, right behind Songs for Swingin' Lovers! . But this one is best played late at night, when you are alone with your heartache and unable to sleep. Put this album on and prepare to greet the dawn.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![Only the Lonely [Remaster] by Frank Sinatra](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/93/b2/12/2002030993-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.