Frank Sinatra - The Song is You LIVE

11/1943. Frank Sinatra performs during a filming at the Walton High School Auditorium in the Bronx, New York City. Sinatra talks to the audience. He sings 'The Song is You'. WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) seated in the hall. A conductor conducts the Station Military and Dance Band. Sailors play various instruments like the double bass, trumpets, and clarinets.

[@SacredSacral]

He has that awkward hansomness about him. I love it.

[@elzabethsmith4339]

i agree

[@terencemckenna6468]

What are you talking about stoopid

[@ALPHAxNGA]

Awkward handsomeness? Huh😅

[@JerryD121657]

I love the sound that Frank Sinatra had in the 1940's. He had a lilting sweetness and an incredible range with his voice then that he didn't have later in his career.

[@johnettastevens4906]

You are hearing innocence. Life and personal choices can change you drastically.

[@nurmister]

Well said!

[@lrn_news9171]

I think he was at his best in the 1940s

[@karlkiekhaefer2238]

I can't disagree with you Mr. Donnelly, but what a great gain in voice timbre during 50/60 and so on...until he leaved as.

[@pjk9056]

You’re hearing a pure voice still undamaged by chain smoking and heavy drinking.His voice changed but was still fabulous for another 30 years. By the time he reached 60 the bill came due and the attrition was noticeable. Still, there was nobody like him.

[@sleazyslytherin6836]

Such a rare quality recording from his younger days. Most of his bigger hits came later in his life, but I absolutely adore his singing style in the 40s

[@j.ag.3537]

LoL theres a 12cd box of sinatra's columbia years...

[@artdaydesigns]

Look at the discreet gesture of the right hand at 1:33, just asking the conductor not to play so loud... Frankie always in command...!

[@ZeusTheTornado]

Good eye!

[@gordyjorgenson8623]

Nice.

[@TheSinatraCollection]

He does before that as well at 1:08

[@felixdom9693]

LEGEND SINTRA IS IN CONTROL

[@ALPHAxNGA]

@Angel G€RM@N yes I would’ve been aswell they were playing a bit to loud and rough

[@pensfanga]

I love how he is so nervous in this that he wipes his hands on his side and plays with his hands when announcing the song. The man had no need to be nervous...EVER!

[@Dianekeats]

I want to go back in those times!!!!

[@melchingon]

Diana del Bufalo I wish I had a time machine to go back and meet Frankie Requiescat in Pace

[@dragonhold4]

I've been struggling with this dilemma: Is it better to be striving for perfection? or To already have attained a satisfying degree of perfection but no longer desiring progress?

[@johnettastevens4906]

As a woman...no you don't.

[@aniloveindividudumm9416]

@@johnettastevens4906 As a German no i won‘t

[@gf-man331]

@@johnettastevens4906 As a Jew now i want

[@rosabellella]

He's so handsome and adorable and his voice is soo sweet I'm crying aww 😍 I love this man

[@jacoblandrum2681]

Belle Galarza be happy you didn’t know him or were married to him. He was a real piece of shit. Read “His Way”.

[@boygenius9402]

Jacob Landrum maybe a “full piece of shit” but full of talent

[@austinramirez3719]

Jacob Landrum oh fuck off

[@reginaldpeters5142]

@@jacoblandrum2681 he's a legend are you ? I think NOT

[@amandafeliciano542]

Damn he was pretty when he was young!

[@StupidLamb251]

He makes my heart skip a beat.

[@janwintz8372]

Such an adorable, skinny thing here!! 😊 And only 27, soon to be 28 a month later (December 12, 1943).

[@janwintz8372]

+Ray Giammarco Hi Ray! Good taste never goes out of style! I've always wished I could "swing" a song with Sinatra!! and Count Basie! 😉 Jan

[@subhammitra8525]

+Ray Giammarco you are 84 today grandpa 😊..

[@jaybirdie1428]

Aww he looks so nervous, even at the beginning he wiped his hands on his suit lol

[@emesejobbik3917]

OMG, I have never really heard him that young! What a voice!

[@VioletSky908]

My god what a gorgeous man...

[@jaywolf7428]

Maybe those classic metallic microphones should come back, and maybe then we'd have good singers like Frank Sinatra again.

[@DeanWinchesterSuperFan]

It's not about the microphone it's about the people who sings into them. No one has talent in this generation like the 50s-60s

[@jaywolf7428]

***** well, that's what I meant, but my message is hidden in a creative way. Thanks for understanding it.

[@cupajoe99]

+Ray Giammarco You're not completely wrong. *cough* Sorry, Drake *cough* But here's the thing. For every era, there has been good music and bad music. They coexist constantly. Within popular music, there are good artists and bad artists. Bruno Mars is a great singer, but Meghan Trainer is forgetable. There's a reason Frank Sinatra is one of the few artists remembered from his time. There were other artists, but not all of them were good. And today, nothing has changed.

[@jazzkid4287]

lol people always put down the new comers and when those talented performers/creators finally come, they'll just be like "screw him/her there in our generation and there mainstream eww" it's the wrong way to look for talent. Example; MJ was omega mainstream in his day, so mainstream doesnt = bad in any generation, future or past.

[@cupajoe99]

Eli Villegas This is all very true. Good points.

[@SafariGirls]

SO HANDSOME OMG

[@brianmedeiros417]

I can’t stop thinking that everyone in this video is dead.

[@ryanpoggioli8602]

Brian Medeiros Some band musicians or audience members could easily still be breathing considering most of them were probably in their teens to early twenties then.

[@cavinchiamulon4401]

Ryan Poggioli I doubt it I think Frank was 18 during this video

[@federicoperone5346]

@@cavinchiamulon4401 no, frank was born in 1915, this is 1943. In 1943 he was 28

[@thomasleary2814]

Yeah, that's right. Most people don't live to be 100. But since we're watching them now, I guess, in a way, they can live forever.

[@djcreeps121]

Looking at this and his mugshot.. Ol blue eyes was pretty damn attractive!!

[@viemahadewi]

djcreeps121 He sure was.

[@levieenrose7646]

He was gorgeous!

[@jslone2654]

They don’t make music, suits, or men like this anymore

[@tonymay1057]

Chivalry The Don acoustic version kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3avqoiNeN-Dp5I

[@peteguarendi9783]

His suit didn’t fit him , he was way better dressed late fifties

[@nationstationmusic227]

I would love it if they made suits like this. And if only people would listen to music like this. No one listens to it anymore if people made it nowadays

[@MrMarigars]

Yes, He is my idol too! 1943 ? I was 3 yrs old then. Now I'm 71 and still singing his songs.

[@kennethhirlinger9376]

How lucky am I to have listened to this greatest of all singer for almost 70 years!!

[@Treasureson78RPM]

I wish I was living during that era. Even if WWII was going on. Very special stuff. The proof he was truly The Voice. He had the perfect mix of both power and smoothness in his voice. A true Legend!

[@cruiseguitar]

Amen!!

[@lrn_news9171]

Damn right bro

[@davidsalinas1490]

We'd probably have been drafted 😕

[@BlueRIff63]

Epic. My 13 year old kid who used to like only rap, heard some old Sinatra and other crooners like Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and loves it. Says the music sounds "warm" to him...go figure

[@lrn_news9171]

To me Sinatra was at his best between 1942-1945. My favorite year for his voice is 1943. Check out the song "Speak low" 1943. His voice was unbelievable. To me Sinatra sounded his very best from 1942-1944, and then his voice changed slightly in 1945 and by mid 1946 he was losing the silky smooth quality his voice possessed here, and by 1948 he started to sound like his 1950s voice. His voice changed drastically in only a few years, presumably due to heavy smoking, partying late, drinking, and aging.

[@rogerleviton2072]

I've got say that you really know your Frank Sinatra voice history! I would absolutely agree with you, he had that velvet tenor/baritone in the exact years you mentioned and it did change dramatically, probably due to smoking and whiskey. Only Vic Damone, Michael Buble (to some extent) and believe it or not, a young Pat Boone had that "velvet" voice quality. It can't be bought or learned, it's God given. Ironically, if Frankie had not done altered his voice almost year by year, he would not have had the gigantic career that he had. As his voice changed, he kept reinventing himself. Purists like Vic Damone and Mel Torme kept their youthful voices much longer but you can't sing New York New York and I've got you under my skin with the same punch that Frankie did with his young voice. Just my opinion.

[@anthonymistrulli5774]

Yes I always said that. From 1939 to 1944 his voice was like absolute silk and he could hit any note very low to extremely high effortlessly with absolute power if he needed it or be very gentle. Absolutely silky smooth during those years especially 1943 which is my favorite year of Sinatra’s voice. It’s also the year that he exploded on the scene and was the idol of bobbysoxer’s and fans all over the country. Most everyone wanted him to be on their radio broadcast shows. In 1945 his voice was starting to slightly change but many songs you could not tell but some you can. Early 1945 was still silky then towards the end of 1945 into 1946 more changes. Actually towards the latter part of 1946 you can hear the difference. In 1947 his voice was getting deeper but still had that silky sound on some of his singing and by 1948, 1949 he had the 1950’s deep mature voice. Also note his hair got thinner quickly during the latter part of the 1940’s to where he was wearing some type of toupee even in the early 1950’s. When Sinatra was in his twenties his voice was absolutely perfect with a full head of hair then towards the end of that decade the changes in his looks and voice really were evident but he adjusted his singing style in the 1950!s and had many hits musically and in films he made. I would say 1942 and 1943 was when his voice was absolutely perfect.

[@casiasaj]

I hear music when I look at you A beautiful theme of every dream I ever knew Down deep in my heart I hear it play I can feel it start, then it melts away I hear music when I touch your hand A beautiful melody from some enchanted land Down deep in my heart, I hear it say "Is this the day?" I alone have heard this lovely strain I alone have heard this glad refrain Must it be forever inside of me? Why can't I let it go? Why can´t I let you know? Why can't I let you know the song my heart would sing? Beautiful rhapsody of love and youth and spring The music is sweet, and the words are true The song is you

[@Arieliondotcom]

I'm listening to the audiobook biography of Sinatra "The Voice" and trying to find and listen to the songs here on YT as they're mentioned in the book. This was the final song Sinatra sang with the Dorsey band before going on his own and the book mentions it was done so well, especially the last note, everyone was floored! I never heard Sinatra hit that note before. Wonderful!

[@filmmekker]

Arieliondotcom Same hear except I’m reading it.

[@robertmedina548]

One of the Greatest Crooners ever to set take the stage. Legend.

[@DeweyLaymanJr]

he would be disappointed that you called him that. lol. he said he wouldnt want to be remembered as a crooner but as singer.

[@rogue1537]

Dewey Layman, Jr. what is a crooner?

[@musicalgenius02]

Rogue I think I’m wrong but a crooner is basically a romantic singer I KNOW I AM WRONG ABOUT that but I think that’s what it is please don’t get upset if i said that about what is a crooner

[@rachel-hb4xj]

My grandparents and parents liked his music for many years.. He was a young man here..so talented..

[@gyniest]

Thank you so very much. Frank had that indescribable magic quality that no other popular singer could match. No gimmicks, no painful expressions, no hopping around the stage. Just sheer beauty.

[@century123ful]

Ah -Frank Sinatra --- H WAS GREAT AS A Young singer and stayed great for the rest of his great career. The best ever!!!!

[@hgwhite56]

Wow ! the voice so elegant.... a gift!

[@blancmel21]

This is awesome footage of The Chairman of the Board when he was still "The Voice." The greatest singer of all time. R.I.P. The Leader

[@awesomemangoes8072]

Probably one of the best, if not the best Frank Sinatra song.

[@simplystacey1808]

I AM IN LOVE

[@raesmith2164]

simply stacey aren't we all?😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@annettethermos4965]

My old high school in my homtown, the Bronx. Graduated in 1965. Anyone out there? To think that my mother's all-time favorite heart throb sang there in l943! I wonder if my mom knew he was singing there at the time (she grew up on West l27th St.

[@angelismith8498]

Absolutely INCREDIBLE. So effortlessly incredible. I miss him even though i wasnt even alive at the aame time as him.

[@michaelmaloney120]

that's a beautiful piece of history...thanks for posting it.

[@clue104]

The Legend! Frank Sinatra! 👏🙌👍🙏💯👌

[@spike8002]

Will never be anyone better than Sinatra and his early years out of his very long life and career are my favorite. I’m 48 and my daughters are in their 20’s...I heard for the first time when I was very young and was hooked...I made sure my daughter were exposed to his music when they were young. They like me are hooked. 100-200 years from now my grandchildren and great grandchildren will listen to Sinatra...His music is transcendent...it’s infinite.

[@djosa6777]

Wow, what a voice!!

[@JimmyBmusic1]

we talk about time travel.. this is it. it'll be our only source of it.. film is time travel.

[@jazzman1626]

If I could time travel, I’d go back to hear Sinatra, Sammy Davis jr and Dino in concert. I’d also go to the restaurant to hear Billie Holiday sung “Strange Fruit” for the first time. I’d love to see the people’s expressions when they heard the lyrics.

[@larrymorrison171]

Being actually there is a whole different thing than just watching a video recording of it.

[@cruyffw3622]

Beautiful Voice

[@adembuhic8899]

1943..... and now 2021 and i still here it and love it

[@direfranchement]

He sang so beautifully then. It was an amazing transformation...to hear him speak, he sounded common, working class, even a bit coarse...but when sang, he became so much more.

[@dayvida1]

"Sings it straight"....? NO ONE "sung it straight" like Sinatra. His starting off point was his idol Bing Crosby in the 30s. Bits of Mabel Mercer, his boss TD's trombone phrasing, Italian bel canto, even Billie Holliday's bending of notes; all became part of his take on "singing it straight." He was blessed with that sweet, vulnerable baritone & a stage presence that fed through the mic to each listener, one at a time. This was WW2...the finger-snapping hipster came later in the 50s.

[@sherom]

This is priceless footage of a young Sinatra, where did you find this ?? Thanks a million for sharing, it is deeply appreciated !!

[@caiojuliocesar1]

wonderful voice!

[@Trevorjamminjames]

I hear people say there isn't good singers like this but they are out there I am trying to sing these songs myself trying to improve everyday id like to bring it back if I could ♥️

[@VolkerundWallyMusic]

a very good Old Video, great Performance with Frank Sinatra

[@ferrantepallas]

an incredible talent, and what a voice

[@davebristow2813]

One of the best videos on the internet.

[@1915fas]

You can find pictures of Harrison and his first wife, I believe, in the studio in those Sinatra coffee table books which you can likely peruse at used book stores. Paul and Rod Stewart and their contemporaries all dug Sinatra. Ray Charles admired his Columbia records 'immaculately produced.' Chuck Berry admired the way he controlled his career. Jim Morrison said 'That Sinatra. Nobody can touch him.' Look for Bono's speech at the Grammy's where he called him 'The Big Bang of Pop.'

[@maureen1938]

Thank you for posting this beautiful version of a truly lovely song. Frankie was fantastic, that diction of his SO perfect not like so many singers of today that gobble their words

[@normanvonputz]

great just great. amazing. this man is the best of all time. a good whisky, good friends and frank sinatra songs and you got yourself a great night. thank you god for this man.

[@wenchcore]

he's so hot but in a handsome way

[@valeriataylor8337]

yep. in many movies of his young era they joke and take him for the "skinny" guy. But he is cute and sweet. Impossible to not fall in love with him. I love him as Clarence Doolittle and Dennis Ryan !

[@fernandgabrielli1]

Just wonderful to see and listen to this! I thank you so much for sharing it!!!

[@jas026able]

In September 1942, Frank sang The Song is You as his swan song for Tommy Dorsey. Now, a year later at Walton High School in the Bronx, he reprises it for the WAVES in the audience. This is a complicated sociological scene. Walton was an all girl high school, a funnel to Ivy League colleges for Bronx girls. The Bronx in the 40's has been much written about, it was called the borough of high schools. Sinatra has recently left Dorsey, and represents the coming end of the big band era as the primacy of the soloist supplants the band itself. Sinatra may also have been trying to offset the disapproval of his 4-F status by performing in front of Navy volunteer women. Sinatra is both a revolutionary and a traditionalist. He represents a new musical era about to be born in 1943, yet a few years later he will condemn rock music and the turn away from the songbook.

[@clodomirofuenteslopez1982]

james sullivan

[@maxim_hue6089]

Beautiful!

[@Intentalodenuevo217]

1943 Sinatra live....great post....thanks for this rare find.

[@33uptempo]

A complicated man, with, always, a beautiful voice .

[@seekreht2340]

HOLY COW this is a great find thanks for uploading it!!

[@randy-russ]

Thank you for this timeless piece of art

[@ronjames-music]

Frank was awesome back then. You might also enjoy this a cappella version: Song Is You, The - FRANK SINATRA - ft. Rhett Roberts (a cappella version).

[@ricklopez2314]

His 40s voice was truly untouchable.

[@felixdom9693]

Such sweetness and wonderful man so romantic his voice melted my heart im a lover of classic song and big fans of sintra the living legend

[@napalmvanity]

He was so dreamy...I so wish I could have been alive back then! I have loved Frank since I was young,I am 26 now; no clue how I got turned on to him but have loved him since I first heard his voice! Got a huge portrait of him on my living room wall. Used to have his doll but sadly an ex stole him ;( Anyhoo, Thank so much for sharing this!

[@dayvida1]

For those who find the 43 Sinatra wanting vs. what he achieved later: get a dose of perspective. You're talking apples and oranges here. The arrangement here was by Axel Stordahl, who began working with him just a couple of years prior while both were in TD's employ.

[@jfjvhgsieofl]

Goddamn what a star! Along with Billie, the best singer of the 20th century I believe. There are no longer any like him around.

[@skipandslide]

I'd say a few more are tied, but yea

[@edwardconway27]

Thaaaaannnkkkss a lot for posting, this is very rare! Long live Frank Sinatra! :)

[@DidiAphra]

such timeless class. love it.

[@hobokendago]

fantastic video. thanks for posting

[@personashadowman3445]

Absolutely amazing.

[@scotnick59]

In the days when the teenie-boppers went nuts over skinny little Frankie!

[@wongiho5653]

elegance.

[@MooPotPie]

Walton High in the Bronx was an all-girls school until 1978. It closed in 2008, but the grand building still stands and remains in use as an educational facility.

[@idster7]

MooPotPie My grandma went to Walton HS, class of 41.

[@oldkiesel]

This is such a wonderful find. Young Frankie at his prime and singing this great song as he used to perform it with Tommy Dorsey at the Paramount. Incidentally, a couple of years before on a radio broadcast this was the last song he sang with Tommy after they had both introduced the fellow who would replace Frank - Dick Haymes.

[@emperez975]

Just finished watching a 4 part documentary of the Rat Pack. I grew up hearing the name but never knew what it meant. That was an American history lesson that we all need to learn about. True legends.

[@francoisbessing]

What a magnetic energy. Taking notes!

[@carolynzaremba5469]

What a voice! Magnificent.

[@cate4890]

Outstanding voice! 🧡🧡🧡

[@Singingkid]

Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this rare clip! :)

[@phaasch]

He did also appear in 2 films with the Dorsey orchestra; "Las Vegas Nights" in 41, and "Ship Ahoy" in 42. I, dont know if there is anything else out there, but those for sure still exist

[@wgfinley]

Don't know if I've ever heard Frank hitting one that high before, sounds like F#4 on the last note.

[@ptownlegend1]

Yeah I haven't either. He is more considered a baritenor like myself. You see these types of singers in musical theatre a lot. He can make a falsetto sound like true voice. Just wonderful :)

[@knutholtstrater4981]

***** Actually Sinatra is a bass-baritone because he could go down to G2 and F2 No tenor would get these notes ;-) And in the 1940ies he could sing the F4 in nearly operatic style without changing the colour too much. His passagio is in the area of most baritones. As most of "altus" and "counter-tenors" are naturally baritones this high f# is not so spectacular. But this falsetto thing is very rare, even in his early years. I can't remember him singing this way with Harry James.

[@shihuabai9679]

His highest note was actually a G# in the song "you are love".

[@enodd_felix12]

@@knutholtstrater4981 he is just not a bass baritone

[@ricklopez2314]

Wow yeah, never had Frank use his falsetto before.

[@rogerroyer1]

Great find!

[@SillyWillyFan47]

lovely high note at the end there ♫

[@TheEnlightenedCarrot]

Oh, my heart, how this song moves it!

[@barbaraobach]

He was a kid , 28 ? , an adult man/kid if you will , a grown man , but very young, if you want to get technical, but oh boy his talent, just divine

[@jessicadealmeida3289]

I hear music when I look at you A beautiful theme of every dream I ever knew Down deep in my heart I hear it play I feel it start Then melt away I hear music when I touch your hand A beautiful melody from some enchanted land Down deep in my heart I hear it say 'Is this the day?' I alone have heard this lovely strain I alone have heard this glad refrain 'Must it be forever inside of me? Why can't I let it go? Why can't I let you know Why can't I let you know the song my heart would sing?' That beautiful rhapsody of love and youth and spring The music is sweet The words are true The song is you Why can't I let you know the song my heart would sing? That beautiful rhapsody of love and youth and spring The music is sweet The words are true The song is you

[@ericthonon2884]

isnt there a briljant computer studio technician , somewhere to clean up this beautifull recording ????

[@jas026able]

I've written in other places that Sinatra had been singing The Song is You for perhaps 2 years prior to this performance at Walton High School. Tommy Dorsey used Alex Stordahl as arranger for the Sinatra-Dorsey recording in '42, which is on KZbin. Sinatra had an instinct for arrangers and hired Stordahl away from Dorsey to be his private arranger when he left the band in September of 1942. He paid Stordahl 5 times what Dorsey was paying him or $650 per month

[@raesmith2164]

Eric Thonon why? it's beautiful the way it is.

[@ddkoda]

This isn't the best fidelity and any improvement would be appreciated but the essence of what makes Sinatra great is all there.

[@Nightrain76]

Incredible footage.

[@simonebatistadeoliveira4831]

Que lindoooooo!! Tanks!!

[@Dreamskater100]

Wonderful.

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

Me too I loved his Columbia years recordings

[@williamhasselbach1037]

The most beautiful American pop song ever written.😊

[@bellini7verdi]

MARAVILLOSO.....UNA PASADA DE CANTANTE..........LO MAXIMO.......EN EL SIGLO XX

[@oldclassics1923]

I’m surprised there aren’t any screams from the audience. Also 2:27 is wonderful :).

[@JimMLINY]

Way cool, thanks!

[@elmiguel6725]

Amazing!!! A baby.

[@andri_liuziu]

Thats falsetto I will never forget

[@1915fas]

Yeah! Never heard his falsetto before. I think I read somewhere that he used it at the end of the original All or Nothing At All in 1939.

[@karenegert8222]

so sweet!