Saturday 9: I Would Be in Love (Anyway)

I Would Be in Love (Anyway) 1970

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Frank Sinatra sings, "If I knew then what I know now." If you were giving advice to a recent high school grad, based on that phrase, what would you say?  Don't rush into anything. Everybody thinks you should know what you want to do with your life. Take that with a grain of salt. They won't even let you drink a beer (yeah, I know you drink it anyway). You do not have to have it all figured out now. Take your time. Explore your options, because guess what? There are a lot of 40-year-olds out there who don't know what they want to be when they grow up...or they are just figuring it out and turning their lives upside down.

2) This song is about a man looking back on his marriage, which has ended. While he is sad, he is not sorry he loved her. Do you believe that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?  Yes, absolutely.

3) Sinatra married four times. He met his first wife, Nancy, when he was 19. He saw a pretty girl sitting on her front porch, giving herself a pedicure, and he rushed home for his ukulele so he could serenade her. Have you ever sung to anyone? Has anyone ever sung to you?  Good grief, singing to someone is the last thing I'd do if I was trying to win their heart. I'd want to woo them, not scare them away! Yes, I have been sung to.

 

4) According to Barbara, his final wife, they met when they were neighbors in Rancho Mirage, California. Sinatra had his own tennis court, needed a fourth for doubles with his houseguests, and invited the lady next door to play. Tell us about your neighbors.  On one side it's our daughter and her family. On the other side is a woman I've known all my life. Until the last few years when the older folks started passing on, this neighborhood was the kind where everyone has been here forever and knows everyone else. My mom's house is right behind ours.

5) When not performing before an audience or cameras, Sinatra often wore hats and caps because his hair was thin and his toupee annoyed him. Is there anything you wear for "dress up" that you're happy to ditch when you go casual?  Shoes. I like to be barefoot or in my Vionic flipflops. 

6) Frank had a sweet tooth and to the end of his life, he enjoyed chocolate-covered apricots, ordered from Lepore's in his hometown of Hoboken, NJ. If you could have any sweet treat right now, what would you request?  Nestle's Tollhouse Cookies. Homemade. Still warm.

7) This song was written specifically for Sinatra by Bob Gaudio, best known as a member of The Four Seasons. That 1960s quartet is now legendary. In addition to 25 Top Ten Hits, they are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and inspired the Broadway play and movie musical, Jersey Boys. Do you have a favorite Four Seasons song?  I do...

8) In 1970, the year this record was released, The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered. Were you a fan?  I wasn't that old when it was originally on. I know my parents watched it so I probably did, too. I watched it some in reruns, but I was never really a fan.

9) Random question: Have you ever named your car or truck?  Sure. My current car is deep red. On a sunny day you can see the glittery glaze coat over the base color. Red. Glittery. I call her Ruby after the ruby slippers.  One of my husband's trucks was affectionately known as The Blue Beast.

Thanks Sam for the music and questions!

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