''Songs for Swingin' Lovers!'' is the tenth

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

by American singer Frank Sinatra and his fourth for Capitol Records. It was arranged by Nelson Riddle and released in March 1956 on LP and January 1987 on CD. It was the first album ever to top the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

Production

This album was arranged by Nelson Riddle, and took a different tack after ''

In the Wee Small Hours ''In the Wee Small Hours'' is the ninth studio album by American vocalist Frank Sinatra. It was released in April 1955 by Capitol and produced by Voyle Gilmore with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. All the songs on the album deal with themes ...

'' (1955), recording existing pop standards in a hipper, jazzier fashion, revealing an overall exuberance in the vein of ''

Songs for Young Lovers ''Songs for Young Lovers'' is the seventh studio album by Frank Sinatra and his first on Capitol Records. It was issued as an 8-song, 10" album (Capitol H-488) and as a 45rpm EP set, but it was the first Sinatra "album" not to have a 78rpm mu ...

'' and '' Swing Easy!''. An additional track, "

Memories of You "Memories of You" is a popular song about nostalgia with lyrics written by Andy Razaf and music composed by Eubie Blake and published in 1930. Song history The song was introduced by singer Minto Cato in the Broadway show '' Lew Leslie's Blackbi ...

", was recorded during the sessions but ultimately left off the album. (As a slow

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, it was deemed inappropriate on an album of "swinging" uptempo numbers since the album already included the ballad "We'll Be Together Again.") While Sinatra would re-record the song with

Axel Stordahl Axel Stordahl (August 8, 1913 – August 30, 1963) was an American arranger who was active from the late 1930s through the 1950s. He is perhaps best known for his work with Frank Sinatra in the 1940s at Columbia Records. With his sophisticat ...

in 1961 for the ''

Point of No Return The point of no return (PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one's current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a ...

'' album, the 1956 recording with Riddle would remain unreleased until its inclusion on the Longines Symphonette album "Sinatra Like Never Before" (SYS-5637), released in September 1973 as a bonus LP in the 10-album boxed set "Sinatra, The Works." The 1956 recording eventually reached a wider audience when released on '' The Capitol Years'' compilation in 1990. The original cover had Sinatra facing away from the young couple, but in 1957 Capitol altered the cover with a new image of Sinatra facing the couple. Most CD releases have retained the new cover.

Legacy

In 2000, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and ranked number 306 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine's list of

the 500 greatest albums of all time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...

in 2003, and 308 in 2012 revised list. Sinatra aficionados often rank it his best or second best album (to ''

'') and many music critics consider it one of the greatest albums of its era. In 2000 it was voted number 100 in

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

's ''

All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by th ...

''. The LP was the first number one album in the UK. It was knocked off the top after two weeks by '' Carousel'' (the 1956 movie's soundtrack). The album's title predated the term " swinging" in the sense of partner-swapping sex by 8 years, inadvertently creating a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

on top of the original pun (whereby swinging could refer to either the genre of swing as well as the original innocent meaning of swinging; i.e., to have a good time).

Releases

''Songs for Swingin' Lovers!'' was released in March 1956 on LP and January 1987 on CD. In February 2014, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released a hybrid disc (SACD + CD) of the album. The original 1956 front cover art was re-used for this issue.

Track listing

Complete personnel

* Frank Sinatra –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

* Nelson Riddle – arranger, conductor * John Palladino –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

Tracks 1, 4, 10 (And Memories of You): Conrad Gozzo, Mickey Mangano, Mannie Klein, Harry Edison (tpt); Joe Howard, Milt Bernhart (tbn); Juan Tizol (v-tbn); George Roberts (b-tbn); Willie Schwartz, Harry Klee (alt/clt); Ted Nash, Babe Russin (ten); Mort Friedman (bar); Paul Nero, Alex Beller, Victor Bay, Harold Dicterow, David Frisina, Mischa Russell, Felix Slatkin, Paul Shure, Marshall Sosson, Harry Bluestone (vln); Maxine Johnson, Milton Thomas, Alvin Dinkin (vla); Eleanor Slatkin, Ennio Bolognini, Cy Bernard (vlc); Kathryn Julye (harp); Bill Miller (p); George Van Eps (g); Joe Comfort (b); Alvin Stoller (d); Frank Flynn (perc). Tracks 2, 9, 13: Mannie Klein, Harry Edison, Conrad Gozzo, Mickey Mangano (tpt); Jimmy Priddy, Milt Bernhart (tbn); Juan Tizol (v-tbn); George Roberts (b-tbn); Willie Schwartz, Harry Klee (alt/cit); Justin Gordon, James Williamson (ten); Mort Friedman (bar); Felix Slatkin, Paul Shure, Mischa Russell, Paul Nero, Nathan Ross, Alex Murray, Henry Hill, Alex Beller, Walter Edelstein, Victor Bay (vln); Maxine Johnson, Milton Thomas, Alvin Dinkin (vla); Eleanor Slatkin, Edgar Lustgarten, Ennio Bolognini (vlc); Kathryn Julye (harp); Bill Miller (p); George Van Eps (g); Joe Comfort (b); Irving Cottler (d); Clark Yocum, Allan Davies, Charles Schrouder, Lee Gotch (voe . Tracks 3, 7, 15: Conrad Gozzo, Mickey Mangano, Harry Edison, Zeke Zarchy (tpt); Jimmy Priddy, Milt Bernhart (tbn); Juan Tizol (v-tbn); George Roberts (b-tbn); Willie Schwartz, Harry Klee (alt/cit); James Williamson, Justin Gordon (ten); Mort Friedman (bar); Paul Nero, Alex Beller, Victor Bay, Harold Dicterow, David Frisina, Mischa Russell, Felix Slatkin, Paul Shure, Nathan Ross, Alex Murray (vln); David Sterkin, Alvin Dinkin, Milton Thomas (vla); Eleanor Slatkin, Ennio Bolognini, Edgar Lustgarten (vlc); Kathryn Julye (harp); Bill Miller (p); George Van Eps (g); Joe Comfort (b); Alvin Stoller (d). Track 8: Shorty Sherock, Harry Edison, Johnny Best, Zeke Zarchy (tpt); Dick Noel, Paul Tanner, Jimmy Priddy (tbn); George Roberts (b-tbn); Willie Schwartz, Mahlon Clark, Justin Gordon, Champ Webb, Robert Lawson (sax/wwd); Emo Neufeld, Samuel Cytron, Robert Gross, Alex Murray, Paul Nero, Henry Hill, Mischa Russell, Dan Lube, Victor Bay, Alex Beller (vln); Maxine Johnson, Paul Robyn, David Sterkin (via); Ennio Bolognini, Ray Kramer, Eleanor Slatkin (vlc); Kathryn Julye (harp); Bill Miller (p); George Van Eps (g); Joe Comfort (b); Irving Cottler (d); Frank Flynn (perc). Tracks 5, 6, 11, 12, 14: Mannie Klein, Conrad Gazzo, Harry Edison, Mickey Mangano (tpt); Jimmy Priddy, Milt Bernhart (tbn); Juan Tizol (v-tbn); George Roberts (b-tbn); Willie Schwartz, Harry Klee (alt/cit); Justin Gordon, James Williamson (ten); Mort Friedman (bar); David Frisina, Harold Dicterow, Felix Slatkin, Paul Shure, Mischa Russell, Paul Nero, Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Henry Hill, Marshall Sosson (vln); Maxine Johnson, Milton Thomas, Alvin Dinkin (vla); Eleanor Slatkin, Cy Bernard, Ennio Bolognini (vlc); Kathryn Julye (harp); Bill Miller (p); George Van Eps (g); Joe Comfort (b); Irving Cottler (d); Frank Flynn (perc).

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Songs For Swingin' Lovers! 1956 albums Frank Sinatra albums Albums arranged by Nelson Riddle Albums produced by Voyle Gilmore Capitol Records albums Albums conducted by Nelson Riddle Albums recorded at Capitol Studios Swing albums