Frank Sinatra

Song: Frank Sinatra
Artist: Cake
Album: Fashion Nugget
Released: September 1996

Well first off, the song is called Frank Sinatra, if you haven't heard it before, the title alone should give you a clue as to how awesome the song is. Frank Sinatra has no particular personal meaning to me lyrics wise (they are however spectacularly written),but it is more of reminiscence thing. I remember my brother showed "the distance" (another song of the same album) to me while I was playing a computer game called "Lords of the Realm II". I will never forget the moment I discovered Cake. Why on earth would you name a band Cake? Well the sound was definitely something different than anything I had ever heard before. It was fresh, but kinda old sounding, it wasn't rock but then it kind of was, it was weird, but in a good way. Whatever it was, it was freakin' cool, and even my young 7th grade musical palette could figure that out. Fashion Nugget soon became a staple of my 7-10 disc rotation. When I was privileged enough to ride in my brother's blue Chevy S-10 with the rockin' system, Cake was a regular request. Fashion Nugget as a whole was an album that has remained on my frequently played list, mainly because it is just so cool. It's hard to explain, it just makes you feel like...dare I say Frank Sinatra? Yes I do.

Also it seems an appropriate time to tell you that I love to sing, and I love singing along to Cake. Now when I sing I usually am not satisfied with the softly sung melody, weaving in out of falsetto for the high parts, that most people indulge in. I crank the volume up and I belt it out like I'm performing at my very own concert. Yes, I am that guy at the stop light singing at the top of his lungs, that you and your friends stare and laugh at. Don't worry about it though, its cool, I laugh at people like me too. After all I am 26 and still singing to the steering wheel, full throttle. The point of this long explanation is that I love singing along to this song. Yes, it was a huge factor in Frank Sinatra's ranking, and really, it is for a lot of the songs you will see on this countdown.

This song is also my wife's favorite song off the album, and honestly, we both love to rock out to it in the car. Before we had our son, we could turn the volume up and I would sing slash drum the beat on the steering wheel, while she danced. My wife is a dancer at heart, she also sometimes rocks the backup vocals. This scenario played out many times on our way to go shopping or pick up a movie or even to pickup groceries. Ah, good times.

To be quite honest, I don't have it in me to critique the actual music tonight. Suffice it to say that the drums drive the song perfectly, the organ is a very nice touch, and the guitar is suttle but right on. The trumpet also adds very nice overtones through out. I hope you take the time to watch the video at the top of the list as it is done quite well. Enjoy feeling awesome while you listen/watch.

We know of an ancient radiation
That haunts dismembered constellations,
A faintly glimmering radio station.
While Frank Sinatra sings Stormy Weather,
The flies and spiders get along together,
Cobwebs fall on an old skipping record.

Beyond the suns that guard this roof,
Beyond your flowers of flaming truths,
Beyond your latest ad campaigns,
An old man sits collecting stamps
In a room all filled with Chinese lamps.
He saves what others throw away.
He says that he'll be rich some day.

We know of an ancient radiation
That haunts dismembered constellations,
A faintly glimmering radio station.

We know of an ancient radiation
That haunts dismembered constellations,
A faintly glimmering radio station.
While Frank Sinatra sings Stormy Weather,
The flies and spiders get along together,
Cobwebs fall on an old skipping record.