Ten Years Gone

his was an American story, his was the story of America a difficult birth, a birth that left scars scrawny child, not much hope for success, no one looked at the child and thought it would amount to anything grew up without much except an innate confidence and a desire to succeed fed on the disdain of others, the other world, an older world worked hard, up from the bottom, got himself dirty had some success, people came around then more and more and more and then got knocked down, more than once and more than once people thought he was down and out for good came back stronger than ever down, never out, and never a look of fear in his eyes, only determination Francis was born of swagger and so was America Francis came back swingin' Francis was swingin' and so was America every day was a summer day by the pool with a cool martini he was the Boss, the Boss of Bosses, and so was America, so he was so we were, hate and love, extreme heat, blue cold, good cheer and dark thoughts, a warm embrace with a slight menace, an amorous prude, a rule breaking gentleman, so Francis was so we were, so went Francis and so went America what the world needs now is a new Frank Sinatra cuz there's still a fierce glimmer in the eyes of some, and I don't think it's going to go away



Quite frankly, I don't think anybody could have summed up things better than Bono at the 1994 Grammys:

Frank never did like Rock and Roll
And he's not crazy about guys wearing earrings either
But he doesn't hold it against me
And anyway, the feeling is not mutual

Rock and Roll people love Frank Sinatra because Frank has got what we want:
swagger and attitude
he's big on attitude
Serious attitude, bad attitude
Frank's the Chairman of the bad
Rock and Roll plays at being tough but this guy, well, he's the boss
The boss of bosses
The man
The big bang of pop
I'm not gonna mess with him, are you?

Who's this guy that every city in America wants to claim as their own?
This painter who lives in the desert, this first-rate, first-take actor
This singer who makes other men poets
Boxing clever with every word
Talking like America
Tough, straight-up, in headlines
Comin' through with the big stick, the aside, the quiet compliment
Good cop, bad cop, all in the same breath
You know his story 'cause it's your story
Frank walks like America -- cock-sure

It's 1945 and the U.S. Cavalry are trying to get their asses out of Europe,
but they never really do
They're part of another kind of invasion AFR -- American Forces Radio (sic)
Broadcasting a music that'll curl the stiff upper-lip of England and the rest of the world
Paving the way for Duke Ellington, the big band, Tommy Dorsey
And right out in front... Frank Sinatra
His voice as tight as a fist
Opening at the end of a bar
Not on the beat, over it, playing with it, splitting it like a jazz man, like Miles Davis
Turning on the right phrase and the right song
Which is where he lives, where he lets go, where he reveals himself
His songs are his home and he lets you in
But you know that to sing like that you've gotta have lost a couple of fights
To know tenderness and romance you've gotta have had your heart broken

People say that Frank hasn't talked to the press,
they wanna know how he is, what's on his mind
But you know Sinatra's out there more nights than most punk bands
Selling his story through the songs
Telling and articulate in the choice of those songs
Private thoughts on a public address system
Generous

This is the conundrum of Frank Sinatra
Left and right brain hardly talking
Boxer and painter, actor and singer, lover and father, bandman and loner
Troubleshooter and troublemaker
The champ who would rather show you his scars than his medals
He may be putty in Barbara's hands
But I'm not gonna mess with him, are you?
Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to welcome a man heavier than the Empire State, more
connected than the Twin Towers, as recognizable as the Statue of Liberty, and living
proof that God is a Catholic!
Will you welcome the King of New York City, Francis Albert Sinatra!