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It Was A Very Good Year

by

Frank Sinatra



Album: September Of My Years      Released: 1965
US Chart: 28     
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View Lyrics

Songfacts:  You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

This was written by Ervin Drake in 1961 for The Kingston Trio, who recorded it on their album Goin' Places in a Folk style with a whistling interlude. Frank Sinatra's 1965 version with lush instrumentation and more dramatic vocals became a hit, winning Grammys in 1966 for Best Male Vocal Performance and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).

The phrase "It was a very good year" is often applied to wine, as the vintages differ in quality. Here, Sinatra sings about the years he remembers fondly in his romantic life and the girls that were part of it. As he's now older, he looks back fondly on these memories, bringing up the wine analogy as the memories have aged well with time.

On the TV show The Sopranos, which is about a quirky crime family from New Jersey, this song was used to open the second season and show how event have progressed since the previous season. Sinatra, who is a New Jersey native, was often associated with organized crime.

Some of the many artists who recorded this song include Don McLean, Herb Alpert, Lou Rawls and Eartha Kitt. Robert Charlebois recorded a French version, and Ray Charles recorded the song as a duet with Willie Nelson. In 2001, Robbie Williams recorded it with Sinatra on his album Swing While You're Winning.

The Liverpool band The Coral borrowed this song's chords for their 2002 album track "Calendars and Clocks."

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More songs by Frank Sinatra
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Comments:

What really strikes me about "It Was a Very Good Year," is how mature the song's lyrics are compared to most other songs of that time, Bob Dylan exempted. While most pop songs of the time were about discovering love or sex for the first time, this was more a look back in fondness on the swinging life the narrator had. Personally, I wish I knew more single girls who rode in the back of limousines driven by their chafeurs.
- ted, phoenix, AZ

Yeah, Shatner's cover is the best. "When I was....twenty-one..... it...was...a..very....GOOD YEAR...." LOL
- Eric, Camas, WA

It was a very good year is more than a song.It is a work of art.This is like poetry set to music.This song is one of the most haunting pieces of music ever recorded.The string arrangements by Gordon Jenkins sweep you away in it's charming beauty and leaves you on cloud nine as it causes the listener to reflect upon times gone by.Sinatra's singing breathes life into the song.A musical masterpiece.
- George, Belleville, NJ

The Trio version is pretty good, too, with their great baritone, Bob Shane, doing the lead vocal.
- kevin, Reading , PA

William Shatner also covered this song, if you can call a remake in his off-the-wall singing style a true cover (as opposed to a parody).
- Joshua, La Crosse, WI

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