Maps of Music

L.A. Is My Lady (1984)

Where the lyrics of L.A. Is My Lady take you, and where it was really made.

Sinatra's last solo studio album grew out of a duet project with Lena Horne that collapsed when Horne developed vocal problems.

Key places

Recorded in New York City (1984)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The recording of this album is linked to A&R Studios in New York City. The pin sits at city-center level, so it marks the city rather than the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• L.A. Is My Lady is the fifty-seventh solo studio album by Frank Sinatra and his last one, not counting the Duets albums
• Released in 1984 and produced by Quincy Jones
• After this album, Sinatra recorded five more songs, and only four of them have been officially released
• The album is the title record of a late stage in Sinatra's career, when he was still recording full studio albums

Background

• The album came after a planned duet album between Sinatra and Lena Horne, which Jones had pushed for
• That duet project was dropped when Horne developed vocal problems
• Sinatra had other commitments and could not wait for her to recover before recording
• This was the first studio album Sinatra recorded with Jones since It Might as Well Be Swing in 1964

Recording

• The studio sessions were filmed for a documentary called Frank Sinatra: Portrait of an Album
• The documentary also shows Sinatra meeting Michael Jackson for the first time
• Studio technology had become very advanced, and overdubbing was possible during the making of the record
• Sinatra preferred to sing live with his musicians in real time instead of overdubbing
• The title track clearly includes synthesizers, a notable change for Sinatra

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants.
• Began singing professionally as a teenager with the Hoboken Four, winning Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
• Joined Harry James's band in 1939, then Tommy Dorsey's band, before going solo in 1942.

Career

• Signed with Columbia Records in 1943 and became a major star of the bobby-soxer era.
• Signed with Capitol Records in 1953; collaborated with arranger Nelson Riddle on albums such as In the Wee Small Hours and Songs for Swingin' Lovers!.
• Founded Reprise Records in 1960, releasing albums including September of My Years and the hit single "My Way".
• Won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity (1953).
• Estimated to have sold around 150 million records worldwide.
• Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997.
• Died May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

Records

• Billboard 200 (United States): peaked at number 58
• Top Jazz Albums chart (United States): peaked at number 8
• The album is the fifty-seventh solo studio album in Sinatra's catalogue and his final one in that series, excluding the Duets albums
• The track listing has eleven songs in total, with "L.A. Is My Lady" as the opening track and "After You've Gone" as the closing track
• Quincy Jones arranged the first track, and Torrie Zito arranged the first and fourth tracks
• Dave Matthews and Jerry Hey also arranged the first track, while Joe Parnello arranged the second and third tracks
• Frank Foster arranged the sixth and eleventh tracks, and Sammy Nestico arranged the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth tracks
• The album was released in 1984, and its listing gives the release month as August 1984
• The album is credited as produced by Quincy Jones, who also co-wrote the title track

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• This was the first time Sinatra recorded "Mack the Knife"
• The musicians Sinatra name-checks on "Mack the Knife" include Quincy Jones, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, George Benson, Joe Newman, Bobby Darin, Frank Foster and Lionel Hampton
• Sammy Cahn wrote a new verse for "Teach Me Tonight" that refers to Sinatra's many love affairs
• Jones planned a new arrangement of "Body and Soul" for the album, but Sinatra had nothing new to say with the song and declined to record it
• The music video for the title track features cameo appearances by Dean Martin, Nancy Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer and members of Van Halen, among others

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact