55 Years Ago: The Beatles Battle Frank Sinatra for Song of the Summer
The Beatles and Frank Sinatra were from disparate universes: The Beatles sang “A Day in a Life”; Sinatra sang “That’s Life.” The Fab Four floated down rivers with tangerine trees and marmalade skies. Ol' Blue Eyes crooned about gritty cities like New York and Chicago.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr smoked dope, dropped acid, meditated with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and reinvented pop music over and over again. At least early on, the Chairman of the Board described these type of songs as a “deplorable, a rancid-smelling aphrodisiac” that “fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people.”
Both sought to redefine music, however, while fighting for the hearts, minds and ears of millions – and they were actually right alongside each other. The best evidence was when the Beatles’ “Paperback Writer” and Sinatra’s "Strangers in the Night" battled it out for song of the summer in 1966.
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com
