REVIEW: Great love songs

[RichardW]

There's a wide spectrum of great love songs, but this one is rarely mentioned. It is a great combination of Cole Porter lyrics, Nelson Riddle orchestra, and vocals by Frank Sinatra at his peak. This song has been recorded by many (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ve_..._My_Skin_(song)), but surely this is the most enchanting. I'm not a great Sinatra fan, but this is among a dozen or so great songs from Mr. Sinatra at his peak during the mid fifties. Heard best on a good system, but this captures it fairly well :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHLC-EimdAc

Song: I've Got You Under my Skin
Artist: Frank Sinatra
Album: Songs for Swinging Lovers
Orchestra: Nelson Riddle
Lyrics: Cole Porter
Date: released by Capitol Records, March 1956

First third: The tone is set with the insistent saxophone rhythm and orchestral strings, and Cole Porter's lyrics are perfectly phrased by Sinatra's smooth vocals. The lyrics:
"In spite of a warning voice, that comes in the night and repeats, repeats in my ear. Don't you know little fool? You never can win. Use your mentality, wake up to reality." ...You can almost forgive the mentality/reality rhyme as the song builds....

Second third: The strings and horn section build to a crescendo with a dramatic trombone solo (2:17) by Milt Bernhart.

Final third: Sinatra's vocals soar with the horn section and settle at the end in a calming finale with the continuing rhythm.

Ambience: Another great day in Seattle -- perhaps the return of summer, on the porch with a mojito and a 2007 Punch RS-11