It’s very interesting to note that the best album in Frank Sinatra’s career was blocked from the #1 spot by a newcomer who sang rock and roll music.

Sinatra despised rock and roll, and if you play these two albums side by side, you should be able to understand the reasons. Presley was an untrained singer who had strange vocal mannerisms. He hiccupped his lyrics, and he growled when excited. He relied on studio effects to dress his vocals over sparse, hyperactive and comparably simple arrangements. Sinatra was as professional as a singer could be. His delivery was so perfect that virtually every one of his recordings from this era became definitive. As the arranger, Nelson Riddle provided some of the best work of his lifetime.

The theme of “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers” is upbeat and joyful, emphasizing the playful side of young love. Playing the two singers back to back either makes Elvis sound silly, or it makes Sinatra sound square, depending on your point of view, but it must have irked Sinatra to see this newcomer hog the top position for ten consecutive weeks. Going forward, Sinatra would never be able to beat rock and roll but he deservedly held his faithful audience by releasing stunning classics such as this. The generational divide starts here.

Featured Tracks:

You Make Me Feel So Young

It Happened in Monterey

You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me

You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me

Too Marvelous for Words

Old Devil Moon

Pennies from Heaven

Love Is Here to Stay

I’ve Got You Under My Skin

I Thought about You

We’ll Be Together Again

Makin’ Whoopee

Swingin’ Down the Lane

Anything Goes

How About You?

March 1956- Billboard Charted #2