Thursday, February 14, 2013

Touching My Foolish Heart

One of my crazy before-I-was-a-parent goals was to introduce Peanut to real music, early and often. I couldn't fathom her being one of these kids who doesn't know The Beatles or Motown, Springsteen or Sinatra. This is one of those goals I actually followed through on, and this story is proof that my musical education method worked.

Frank Sinatra is especially significant since he was my dad's favorite. He remains one of my favorites. And now, through serendipity and osmosis, one of his songs is one of Peanut's favorites. I began to love Sinatra in high school, believe it or not. Some of my friends did as well. It was one of those things none of us admitted to each other until we all realized we had this one thing in common one day. Soon thereafter, My Way would play late-night as parties were winding down. We'd put Luck Be a Lady on as we drove down to sneak into the casinos in Atlantic City. Here's to the Losers was a song we'd play just because we thought it was funny.

Then there's The Way You Look Tonight. What made this song cool for a teenager in the early 90's was its use in a Michelob commercial around that time. This song, though, doesn't need any advertising. It's cool no matter what because it is the perfect love song.
Some day when I'm awfully low.
When the world is cold.
I will feel a glow just thinking of you.
And the way you look tonight.
Baby Peanut certainly touched
my foolish heart.
The love song became a lullaby once Peanut arrived. Those words would be the last words I would sing to her after late-night feedings. My Director would wake up to feed her while I slept. I would sing her back to sleep as My Director went back to bed. These were my nights, my moments. Our nights. Our moments. I will never forget the way she looked those nights. Magical and memorable.

Yes you're lovely.
With your smile so warm.
And your cheeks so soft.
There is nothing for me but to love you.
Just the way you look tonight.
One day last month, Peanut wanted to have a dance party like we tend to do on random weekdays. We've been known to rock out to Rihanna, Beyonce, and yes, Call Me Maybe. In flipping through the songs on My Director's phone, Peanut came upon The Way You Look Tonight. It just so happened to be in a playlist I made with her name on it, featuring songs I've sung to her or that remind me of her. The Rihanna song We Found Love was in there, which is how she found Sinatra.

She proceeded to play The Way You Look Tonight on repeat for the rest of the night. Many nights we listen to music during dinner. I'll put on a Pandora station that I feel furthers Peanut's musical education. That night, we listened to this one song over and over again. After she finished her dinner, she grabbed the phone and sat on the couch, curled up with her thumb in her mouth and kept listening. I couldn't help but think I had something to do with it, singing that song to her so many times on so many nights when she was a baby. Something had clicked. She was comforted.
And that laugh wrinkles your nose

Touches my foolish heart.
My dad loved Sinatra, and passed that love on to me. Now Peanut has that love, for at least one of his songs. Peanut and Frank have a lot in common: Italian, blue eyes, born in Hoboken, and they both touched my foolish heart.



Thunder Road is another "lullaby" that Peanut loves to this day. I wrote about that HERE.

5 comments:

  1. I love every single thing about this post. All of it.

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  2. Great post.

    I was never a SInatra fan and once mentioned to someone that I thought he had a limited range and I could not understand why he was so popular. This person mearly commented, "Yeah, I guess he is just going to be a flash in the pan." We both laughed and I then listened to SInatra some more and I have since become a fan.

    I am sure your daughter loved the familiarity of the song from your nighttime crooning.

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  3. I grew up listening to my Mom's favorites on the radio (which was always on in the kitchen) and stole her favorites. While everyone else was buying Mick Jagger, I was buying Johnny Mathis & Sinatra. When I turned 18, my then boyfriend bought me a dozen yellow roses and "Sinatra at the Sands." We went dancing and the first song they played was Shadow of Your smile. I warped all my children by singing, dancing and playing all kinds of music and as a result they have eclectic musical tastes. One son loves Broadway Musicals, one daughter loves Country and my son that still lives at home loves everything from The Kingston Trio to Bono and anything in between. Just today I blanket emailed all my close friends and family a link to Hugh Lawrie (Dr. House) singing what is probably the best version I have ever heard of "Unchain my Heart." Check it out it is on You Tube & you and the little can dance to it. Enjoy your blogs, they touch my heart. Thanks. :)

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  4. I really enjoyed this one unc. Made me tear. I love you, the Director, Lope and de lunie lou!

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  5. favorite song made me comment cause i remember half the words..love dancing with a.n. @ a wedding,singing full voice ,no whisper,to her belting out "i love you",opps,had to check the blog "to love you"..told you ,half the words..great blog,as always..only 10 behind.
    u.n.

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