Frank Sinatra - One For My Baby (and One More For The Road)

One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" is a popular song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the musical The Sky's the Limit (1943) and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire. It was popularized by the American singer Frank Sinatra.
Fred Astaire dancing on a bar counter in "One for My Baby" from The Sky's the Limit (RKO Radio Pictures, 1943) Harold Arlen described the song as "another typical Arlen tapeworm" - a "tapeworm" being the trade slang for any song which went over the conventional 32 bar length. He called it "a wandering song. [Lyricist] Johnny [Mercer] took it and wrote it exactly the way it fell. Not only is it long - forty-eight bars - but it also changes key. Johnny made it work." In the opinion of Arlen's biographer, Edward Jablonski, the song is "musically inevitable, rhythmically insistent, and in that mood of 'metropolitan melancholic beauty' that writer John O'Hara finds in all of Arlen's music."
Sinatra recorded the song several times during his career: In 1947 with Columbia Records, in 1954 for the film soundtrack album Young at Heart, in 1958 for Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, in 1962 for Sinatra & Sextet: Live in Paris, in 1966 for Sinatra at the Sands and finally, in 1993, for his Duets album
Editors Note: This is a remix in an effort to improve audio quality.

[@MattMauser1]

Great post! FYI the bartender is my grandfather... Pat Hawley. Wonderful to see him when he was young!

[@MKEhret]

How lucky you were. Your grandfather must have been great, and what a special memory.

[@janhammer39]

Thanks for checking in with us.

[@superduperdad]

Matt Mauser Fantastic memory and link

[@alanhelms7448]

+Matt Mauser How cool is that!

[@alansargent6002]

+Matt Mauser Wow. Was your grandfather always a bartender?

[@julie.1081]

Frank could sing an entire movie in one song.

[@johnvoice815]

I'm so honoured and blessed to have breathed the same air as this God of entertainment.

[@user-hp6mx3bl2j]

Please ineed the traductor english tospanich i want to Kwon please inthe video KZbin we needit from Venezuela hello my Sears friends American people

[@allysonkho2017]

No special effects. Just a man and his music Pure gold

[@robjones2408]

Nobody wore a hat better than Frank. What makes him such a compelling vocalist, is his brilliant ability to act out the lyric in a song. In that matter, he still remains unbeatable. Even after six decades, FS's treatment of this song has never been surpassed.

[@MattMauser1]

Amazing find! The bartender is my grandfather. Thanks for posting this! His name is Pat Hawley and was given his first acting part by Frank.

[@ponceperales1041]

These are the little great findings KZbin offers making us smile. Hope you are well. Happy 2020 Matt!

[@nicolasimpkins3640]

Wonderful god blessings to you Matt love finding out things like this

[@nancygarcia7592]

What a great find...im sure u are proud

[@robjones2408]

The reason Frank remains such an iconic figure, was his ability to "act" the lyrics through his songs. That's why he has stood the test of time, whilst other male vocalists from the same period have vanished into obscurity. Wonderful footage.

[@zyxmyk]

yes!

[@Fernandwinnie]

I don’t think he was acting here….Ava on his mind….

[@Andrea-kx6dc]

He wasn't acting. It was Ava.

[@murph3001]

Partly .don't forget the voice . He has that great instrument ------ his vocal sound ---- gods gift

[@jmrodas9]

Acting is a gift really, and Frank Sinatra had it, he not only sang but acted very well, I saw several films in which he acted. Regards.

[@albertseabra9226]

The Voice, the King of Cool. Time is zooming by, almost 05 in the morning, I've been following dozens of Sinatra's songs.

[@lakemichigan6598]

Sinatra was born with that voice but life taught him how to sing.

[@peterbellini6102]

You got that right....

[@bobgreen623]

Perfect!

[@MrCarltonjsmith]

What a brilliant thing to say...wow!

[@pamelalovejoy5341]

Yes it did.

[@meggiewillis9705]

He sure was born with a amazing singing voice.

[@charmawow]

It doesn’t get any cooler than this performance by Sinatra.

[@richardwieder2354]

When I was just a little kid in the 50's my parents listened to this music so I did too, little did we know that this music would stay with me through out my life.

[@janhammer39]

Thanks Richard for tuning us in.

[@EarnestineMarshall]

So authentic with swagger and class. We are missing artists like this today that can appreciate what music told a story.......E

[@ThePlutarch44]

Sinatra's phrasing is impeccable.

[@scottgagel77]

+William MacKenzie You hit that right on the head. I've had so many musicians tell me this, that his phrasing, (as well as his whiskey and cigarette tone), sets him apart from other singers of ANY era. His phrasing is immaculate. My parents saw him in concert several times back in the late 40s and early 50s, but I never had that opportunity. By the time I was a young adult, my music inclinations were blues and rock, along with some jazz. And by the time I was discovering the magic that was Sinatra, he had grown into an old man, and didn't perform very often anymore. My huge loss.

[@RonMazasco]

Sinatra is the Rembrandt of song. Excuse my dutch accent

[@fergalhughes165]

It's like he takes the words and music but then makes it sound like he's talking to you .. or 'sing-talking' to you

[@meggiewillis9705]

He sounds like a God

[@nealsilver3772]

I’m a lifelong Sinatra fan and I gotta think this was his best song ever. Even beats MY WAY; at least in my book. And this old black and white video is pure genius. The late night dive, the bartender, the wardrobe on them both. The hat (of course), and trench coat as only Frank could sport. The body language and that face. Yep they threw away the mold. Oh, and one last thing. THE VOICE.

[@Nightrain76]

No entertainer has ever brought me such a high level of joy. I love Frank Sinatra.

[@44032]

It's like an Edward Hopper painting set to music.

[@FarleyHillBilly]

Let's do it. Animate night hawks. Oh f**k yes upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Nighthawks_by_Edward_Hopper_1942.jpg It would cost a fortune. Or a small part in a film. I mean jeez everyone has seen singing in there rain, Sad Frank, being gonked in a diner. And everyone ignoring him. A snapshot of 1954.

[@gabrielvarig]

Steven Chappell that’s EXACTLY how I feel about it! So eery that I’m not the only one!

[@thebeezinAZ]

Oh my gosh....I just bought a copy of that painting. It's one of my absolute favorites. I can't believe you said this. Of course, I agree!

[@irvinmartin9259]

@@thebeezinAZ It’s no wonder that Tom Waits was inspired by both the painting and this recording.

[@useyournogos6845]

Absolutely right!

[@1061andy]

Nobody interprets a song like Sinatra - he was, is & always will be the best.

[@WitchidWitchid]

This song is haunting, takes me back to another time long past and gone but not forgotten. Late after hours, melancholy, lonely, a little sad but also a sense of warmth and comfort comes forth.

[@C0RRUPT3R]

I understand you’re wording, and that’s for sure brother! I wonder why we find comfort in it.

[@andrewpeternavarrete1227]

i think it's the longing for the times gone by.....

[@acfalcons1]

I have been in this place in my heart and soul Song and Franks rendition means a lot to me

[@sonyawittry550]

Well said!

[@christophertaylor9100]

This is Sinatra's song. It defines him more than any other, I think

[@janhammer39]

+Christopher Taylor Thanks Christopher for checking in with us.

[@maggieLugozi]

+Christopher Taylor but he never wrote it nor was it written for him. Sinatra sings it good though

[@lakemichigan6598]

+Christopher Taylor Another of his great renditions of this song. He simply can't sing it poorly.

[@glen7318]

My favourite

[@BrianCarnevaleB26]

The smokes and the DRINK took years off his life. Rem when he played on national TV in the 80s. We knew the end was near then, my Mum was sad sitting there seeing him all bloated, old & tired.

[@andylance774]

My late father's favourite song. Always makes me feel sad but happy at the same time. Great song

[@hoosierkate]

My late husband’s favorite Sinatra song. He was born in 1949.

[@nikkilanger9556]

I worked at a bar in a one horse town and the lonely/melancholy were always the last to go. Breakups, divorce, sad memories always seemed sadder at closing time when you had to kick them out.😢

[@mykhelderian]

Nobody--nobody--does it like him. He owns that song.

[@janhammer39]

Thanks Michael. I can't argue with your comment.

[@stephaniepersin4145]

No one sings this with as much soul as Sinatra.

[@janhammer39]

Stephanie Persin Thanks Stephanie for checking out the site.

[@pablolabbate2470]

Stephanie Persin y no

[@gfoot9916]

Stephanie Persin this is a joke right?

[@CriticalListener]

Amen.

[@DownpourOfLead]

He sings it best. I agree.

[@JamesBrown-ij1px]

Classic. It doesn't get any better than this.

[@robertkitson1411]

James, Do you ever use you name to get better tables & other perks? LOL.

[@samuelmatthews2553]

The way he acts out his songs is just amazing

[@bljb22]

Watching Blade Runner 2049 when all of a sudden I hear my favourite Frank Sinatra song. It doesn't get much better than that.

[@simonedgbaston]

bljb22 An amazing moment 😊xX

[@mdo5121]

SAME HERE AND I JUST CAME TO YOU TUBE...LOL

[@gloriabarry1636]

The greatest singer of the popular song. Old Blue Eyes. Chairman of the board

[@talister106]

One of my favorite, done with the skill and emotion of a master. Frank didn't just sing a song, he sang it to you. Thanks for leaving this treasure.

[@pamelalovejoy5341]

Yes he sang it to you. I totally agree with your reply. He's my favorite singer of all times.

[@bettyrobb8219]

@@pamelalovejoy5341 mine also! 👏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇦❤️

[@stuartweissman7306]

well phrased 106 and thank you Jan for posting

[@samhunt9308]

I'm a child of the 40;s and loved watching the Sinatra show on TV. Nothing was cooler than walking into a club and throwing your trench coat across your arm or over your shoulder. Rock and roll never offered us to copy that.

[@lonestarsevillian1633]

I’m a child of the very late sixties. Although I was mainly a country rocker, I never ceased to appreciate the elegance, beauty and class of the music created in the forties. I harbor no problem acknowledging that no rock n’ roller could match the coolness and serene musical display of Sinatra. Hats off to him and to the people that grew in the forties.

[@1FrankFan]

Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer...PERFECTION. I am proud to say I heard Frank sing this in person.

[@Rosey01222]

This video is an A-1 example of Sinatra’s singing artistry. His ability to present song lyrics as poetry set to music. That had an emotional connection for the listener that no other singer in his day could match.

[@emilyh.8704]

This classic, most magnificent timeless song will never ever get old listening to, and long after I'm gone I pray that y'all out there will enjoy coming here to watch ol' blue eyes singing it as I have for many years..rest easy Frank ..❤🎙🎶❤

[@wickedfiyero79]

I love this version. Sinatra plays it with such sincerity and realness, it's one of my staples when I sing but no-one can ever beat this!!

[@lakemichigan6598]

+Jason Thomas A great song to sing because we've all been there.

[@randallrivet4910]

Thanks so much for posting this. Frank is so amazing: the guy strikes a match, lets it burn for a minute, lights and then smokes a cigarette, all while flawlessly rendering this song. That's not acting--that's sorcery.

[@mark.lawrence]

yes.

[@retrogamelord3763]

It's witchcraft

[@mark.lawrence]

yes... effortless.

[@briandilworth5604]

The 😊😊

[@anthony-ml9lj]

One of the best songs I have ever heard

[@SuperBlondie2001]

Favorite Frank Sinatra song. Love that voice!!

[@janhammer39]

+Amy St. Amour Thanks for visiting the site.

[@thisguy014]

I love the soul of that song, and the man singing it.

[@dougskriver6216]

One of the best, if not the best, voices of the last century.

[@janhammer39]

+Doug Skriver Thanks for checking in with us Doug.

[@TheCliffandPhilShow]

+Doug Skriver The best. And thanks Jan for putting this up.:)

[@jenhughes58]

Let's get lost Chet baker

[@makiavelli999]

Biggest crooner of all time for sure :-)

[@raecoyote]

Doug Skriver THE best

[@jmpendrick]

Just a great version of this song, and to think he did this in one take on the set of a TV show. Best torch song ever. There will never be another one like you, Francis.

[@slownoman]

As good as it gets. Ever. Sorry Elvis. Frank's the top of the mountain.

[@MrSid54]

Pure Class, enough said

[@yvonnegrivas5589]

It's all in the delivery....n Frank's voice always soothes me.....

[@imsocuteimsorich4952]

Love this song ,it's been sang by many but no one can sing it as good as Frank,💜💗✌️👍💯👌😘🌷💞

[@westtxtapper]

Happy 100th, Ol' Blue Eyes!

[@ianauck318]

9 years. With 6K likes and not a single dislike. Now THAT shows how this music speaks to people.

[@markdaniele4539]

You may live to be 1,000 but I promise you never again shall you see nor hear such a voice render a song in such a manner.That little skinny kid from Hoboken.I miss him still.

[@ayeen3998]

It's one of my favorite Frankie songs, amazing voice

[@RT-Ford]

Simply the best. I have the privilege of sharing a birthday with him (December 12). Happy birthday Francis Albert, wherever you are.

[@annemieketenhave4611]

My favorite Sinatra song, Frank at his best!

[@peterbellini6102]

Let's just say Sinatra had the keys to the Great American Songbook for a long , long while...maybe the best "keeper of our flame".

[@1905Robb]

This song found me at my lowest. Lying in a piss covered mattress in a crack den bed sit high on whatever substance I preferred at the time I switched the channel to find this man serenading me with this song. Frank Sinatra. I’ve been a fan ever since, he has always been with me through my recovery his voice is so universal and inspiring. In a way I believe Sinatra found me, not the other way round.

[@janhammer39]

Good luck in your battle to survive.

[@halnoyes4371]

Simply stated, this is Sinatra's finest performance.

[@mattleemattlee123]

No one...NO ONE...but The Chairman could do this. Any doubt that Sinatra was not only THE consummate ballad/saloon singer, but one of the great actors of any generation. The pathos, the amazing amount of information just one gesture gets across is unparalleled. This clip and the "of all the gin joints" scene from Casablanca stand alone in evoking sorrow and heartbreak. Sinatra and Bogart. We won't see the likes of them again.

[@zyxmyk]

well said.

[@edheidemann5626]

TRUTH!!!

[@jwalker4142]

In the history of music there's not many up there with Sinatra ; Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, Any Weatherall.

[@jwalker4142]

tpyo - Andy Weatherall

[@meggiewillis9705]

You are so right.

[@paololuckyluke2854]

2019 - I tried this on a barman when the place was empty. I was doing just great, until I lit up and he chased me out.

[@uncleambient]

:)

[@simplyb2954]

2022 still loving Frank

[@ginnycrooks6117]

This may just be my favorite KZbin video of all time. As others have said, he completely acts the song, he stays in the moment. No grandstanding like he did in the 60s and 70s, no long held notes, which he had the ability to do, but it wasn't called for in this song. He completely conveyed the heartbreak of someone who'd just ended a relationship. The combination of his beautiful voice, the way he used it completely appropriately, and then his facial and body movements makes this, IMO, the perfect performance of a song.

[@potdog1000]

classic bar song, says it all when you've been dumped

[@janhammer39]

Thanks for visiting the site.

[@potdog1000]

the pleasure was honestly all mine

[@carolinemagoha3603]

john e Lawler Piano Bar song

[@hennyvanraalte2643]

john e Lawler .

[@curtismichael4703]

Sinatra's signature tune and an all around wonderfully written song.

[@nickgiordano7876]

How cool was that ending!.....the chairman of the board :-)

[@samuelli-a-sam]

I wish that my generation knew about the beauty of vintage music

[@Ikonoklaz]

there has been a dearth of gentlemen’s code usage due the fact there has been a dearth of gentlemen

[@richardwarry7281]

Surely the greatest performance of a song in television history?

[@GRAFFSWAGG]

I have loved this song.. My whole 40 years of life...amzing

[@joanietaylor2447]

One from back in the days of the 50's..i won't forget this one Right here Sinatra

[@davidgolden1607]

The best of the Great American Song Book performed by the greatest singer.

[@yvonnerocchio8445]

Smooth, cool & sooooo Sinatra....!!!!

[@MrCarltonjsmith]

I just watched this the other night backstage at the Iridium Jazz club on Broadway. I can't stop watching it now. Simply brilliant!

[@pacorpsmanup]

My favorite version. He felt these words. Thanks Frank ‼️😎👍

[@CriticalListener]

This is the definitive version of this song. Period.

[@janhammer39]

No one does it better. This one he owns.

[@jimii2294]

man, what a voice & style... who else can sing a line flawlessly, with a cigarette hanging from his lips

[@confidently_me]

My favorite song he’s ever sung. I was listening to it on my Apple playlist and I came here to see if there was video….it’s even better.

[@jasontodd8071]

This how I see Frank singing this one.. So perfect!

[@wendyhannan2454]

No one sings it like Frank, as well as the best singer in the world, the man could act. The talented Mr Sinatra. 👍

[@williammichael2529]

Just awesome, true legend,no one can touch him with his phrasing & timing. ..

[@MKEhret]

So perfect. The hat covering the bald spot, the rumpled coat. The impeccable, astounding voice emanating from the guy who appears to be Everyman.

[@craigharris3806]

Absolute poetry.

[@jharrisfosho]

2018 and this man is still relevant!!!! Cheers

[@jasontodd8071]

Jojo, the man would be over 100 years old now, however his legacy lives on after the genius is gone. I may have never met him, but I miss the man.

[@florsucgang4277]

I am 64 now, but, I already loved this man since I was 10 years old, and that was in 1969.

[@dromerod]

A true gentleman and a class act....what else is there to say...

[@fernandoiturburu2607]

could never get tired of frankie

[@stevenfennell7020]

Thats one of the most perfect things i have ever seen.

[@ellataylor6060]

Oh my gosh it does not get any better.

[@Andrea-kx6dc]

... How many years later, and no one comes close to Frankie. Not by a long shot.

[@lindamiranda1952]

I love Frank Sinatra. He was my father's favorite crooner

[@ChessyKidd]

Phenomenal. You can feel his emotions when he sings....

[@pamelalovejoy5341]

The best of the best!!

[@CaptainMiiiidnight]

Just Perfect 🥰

[@lynneforsyth8231]

Utter perfection 🥰

[@robertsmith-oh9mo]

This is one song tells the story that almost every guy at one time or another has gone through and can identify with.

[@Otswartz]

Just great!!!

[@BethnJulia]

Frank could sure sing the blues.

[@janhammer39]

Thanks Beth for checking in with us.

[@rosemaryjohnson2569]

Thank you. This one of my all time favourite song. Frank Sinatra is superb singing this. Anyone remember when he sang this in *Young at heart * musical with Doris Day?

[@petethegreek8595]

The definition of class, greatness, and pizzazz. Music isn't made like this anymore. Pure Classic video!!!

[@kirby19711]

Terrific stuff, by the "CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD"! ...Great upload, THANKS!

[@CCCC-cb2ty]

If ever there was someone to clone, this is the man.

[@carolinemagoha3603]

Geez I love this song

[@lc2748]

I come back to this beautiful song❤

[@jonathonaltmann4493]

This has got to be my favorite version of the tune. I first heard Kevin Mahogany with his Big band on it in ABC radio back in 2007 and fell in love with the tune, like many of Harlod Arlen's tunes. But Frank just with the piano gives a really intimate feel and puts on a hell of a performance. I also didn't really understand Billy Holiday until I heard her on this tune, there is something about this blues progression, particularly when it goes to the iim7b5 and VI7 and instead of going iim V7 it goes iim7 iiim7 IV V7sus I, it just feels earthy. Sinatra nailed the feel of this tune in this performance, LOVE IT!

[@anthonycampbell5908]

My great aunt karen showed me this today. Told me Sinatra is king.

[@lenhummel5614]

This is one of his heartbroken songs for Ava. They were truly madly in love.

[@epellx]

One of his great presentations of a great song

[@FosterNewmanMusic]

Got to be the ultimate scene of a man laying all he has to say down. Fantastic performance.

[@joehardy9610]

The definitive Frank Sinatra song no one did it better