Thursday, January 01, 2015

It Was A Very Good Year



It's a new day and a new year, often used as a time for reflection and resolutions. The title of today's post comes from a 1961 song composed by Ervin Drake originally recorded by Bob Shane with The Kingston Trio. The better known 1965 Frank Sinatra version from the album "September of My Years" removed the folksy flavor of the original, giving it a more soulful feeling which became even more relevant as Sinatra aged. The cover art for the album was by George Bartell, a famous Los Angeles illustrator.

Here's the version made famous by "The Chairman of the Board":



An unexpectedly good version can also be heard by Robbie Williams, which was part of his "Swing When You're Winning" album, recorded in the Capitol Studios off of Hollywood Boulevard.



Here's Williams singing it at the Royal Albert Hall in London:



William Shatner gives a textbook example of how NOT to sing this song:



So how was your 2014? Let's hope the wine continues to improve with age.

See more of Daveland at my main website.

5 comments:

  1. This from the Muppets is, I think, one of the greatest renditions of the track ever.

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  2. What a great song. You almost wonder if William Shatner was pulling our legs with that rendition; it's so completely over top Captain Kirk. No matter.

    Happy New Year Dave. Looking forward to a very good year ahead.

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  3. Joe - Thanks for sharing; I was probably too young to appreciate that version when I first saw it!

    Patrick - Let's hope he wasn't being serious!

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  4. Great post, then you had to go Shattner it up. Accidentally saw Shattner sing live in Dec 2013. I'm still in therapy over that.

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  5. When I was seventeen,
    I drank some very good beer.
    I drank some very good beer I purchased
    With a fake ID,
    My name was "Brian McGee,"
    I stayed up listening to Queen
    When I was seventeen.

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