SONG: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
ARTIST: Frank Sinatra
YEAR: 1955
Listen to it here:
THE SONG:
In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning was written in 1955 by David Manna and Bob Hilliard and the title track on the Frank Sinatra album of the same name. Both men were songwriting together in a late night session. Manna was getting ready to leave when Hilliard insisted he stay, and the two came up with the song.
THE ARTIST:
To learn about Frank Sinatra, check out our first album review of In the Wee Small Hours!
FACTOID CORNER:
Frank was 13 ½ pounds at birth, causing harm to people from the very beginning.
Frank, like Ariana Grande and Barbra Streisand, preferred to be photographed from one side.
KELLY’S REVIEW:
Oh. Good. Frank Sinatra. Like I’ve mentioned previously, I cannot warm to him and this song is no exception. The song itself is fine, a nice little bit of melodrama, but this arrangement and Frank’s voice…no. The orchestral arrangement is just soooo sugary sweet and so much fromage. Frank Sinatra is one of those people where I struggle to separate the person from the art, and Frank was such a notorious asshole that I always imagine singing with this dumb, punchable smirk on his face. I honestly don’t think his voice is that great, and I hate how he so often starts underneath the note and then tunes up to pitch. Just not for me.
HOLLY’S REVIEW:
Welp, we’ve been down this road before, and I stand firm: I’m not a huge fan of Frank Sinatra. But, here’s my review of this specific recording of this song. First, I really like this song but there’s something inherently cute and kind of cheesy in it. The orchestra leans into the cheesiness with lots of harps and bells and violins wailing away, and something about that does actually contrast well with Sinatra’s voice. This may be one of Sinatra’s better performances in my opinion, but I still struggle to find any sort of genuine quality in his voice. All in all, because I like the song, I’d listen again, but I won’t be buying this album.
Average mark out of 10:
Holly: 6.5/10
Kelly: 5.5/10
Other notable versions of this song:
70’s songstress Carly Simon
Modern day leisure suit-Larry John Mayer
Listen with us!
Link to 1,001 Songs to Hear Before You Die spotify playlist:
Holly & Kelly Music Review 