It feels awkward to discuss Ziggy Stardust and Ol' Blue Eyes in the same sentence. Who could possibly be more unalike than David Bowie and Frank Sinatra? The former was so progressive and hip, the latter much more traditional and establishment. But they did actually cross paths, so to speak. And it was because Bowie felt that Sinatra appropriated a song which he wrote that became a classic - "My Way."
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That dramatic anthem to independence and resolutely doing things in your own style was Frank Sinatra's signature song. It was as prominently identified with him as "New York, New York." Turns out though that it was Bowie who claimed to have originated the song. So when Sinatra, who passed away in 1998 at 82, took it and ran with it, that ruffled Bowie's feathers. Let's examine their tiff.
David Bowie Wrote Lyrics In English To A French Song In 1968; It Seemingly Morphed Into Sinatra's Monster Hit 'My Way'
Per showbizcheatsheet.com, the song was "Comme d'habitude." Bowie, who died in 2016 at 69, was unhappy with the lyrics he penned for it. Per the outlet via ABC, he said in 2002, "I wrote some really terrible lyrics [to it] — I think it was called 'Even A Fool Learns To Love.' I sent it back again and I thought that will be the last I hear of that. Then I hear it on the radio and I thought 'That's that tune, it must be my song ... but hang on, these are different lyrics', and it was Sinatra singing 'My Way.'"
Bowie added, "That really made me angry for so long — for about a year. Eventually I thought, 'I can write something as big as that, and I'll write one that sounds a bit like it.'" He continued, "So I did 'Life On Mars?,' which was my sort of revenge trip on 'My Way.'"
Bowie's Retaliatory Song Was A Poke At Sinatra, But It Really Had Legs Of Its Own
Pianist Rick Wakeman was one of the musicians who played on the song. He was bowled over by it. Per the outlet, he said, "I remember leaving [the studio] and saying to a couple of friends that I met that evening in a local pub that I'd just played on the best song that I'd ever had the privilege to work on. It had every single ingredient."
Wakeman spoke enthusiastically about Bowie himself. "The great thing about David was he was a wonderful melody man, but it wasn't just the melodies — he had great ideas for chord structures and would always throw in the odd surprise when you were least expecting it."
Ironically Sinatra Got Pretty Fed Up With 'My Way'
Frank Sinatra did not hide his eventual irritation with "My Way." In 1984, he said to a crowd per showbizcheatsheet.com via People, "We have a song we haven't done in a long time, and we're gonna drop it in here now. I think we did it for about 10 years, and it got to be a real pain you-know-where."
