Once Upon A Time

A girl with moonlight in her eyes ....

인생을 오래 살다 뒤돌아보면, 마치 젊었을때 어느날, "A girl or two, with moonlight in her eyes" 를 멀리 두고 떠났던것 처럼 느껴질 때가 있다. 혹은 그 달빛이 오히려 내눈에 더 가득 차 있었는지도 모를일이다. 별을 헤아리듯이 아득한 시간과 공간, 저편 멀리에...
지금 그녀는 어디에서 어떻게 살고있을가?
아득한 그 옛날, 다시는 돌아갈 수 없는 Once upon a time !!

Frank Sinatra's great version of Charles Strouse's Once Upon A Time. Originally performed by Ray Bolger in the 1962 Broadway musical, All American. Might be the saddest song ever written. Certainly one of the most beautiful, the way Frank and Gordon Jenkins did it.

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra, (1915–1998) was an American singer and film actor.
Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s.
Sinatra also forged a successful career as a film actor, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in From Here to Eternity, a nomination for Best Actor for The Man with the Golden Arm, and critical acclaim for his performance in The Manchurian Candidate.

Frank Sinatra의 이 노래가 아마 미국인들간에는 가장 잘 알려진 version같다.
한국에서 학교 다닐때부터 많이 봐왔던 Singer-Actor로서 그가 죽기 1년전에 우리집에서 가까웠던 Indiana의 작은 시골도시, Evansville에서의 공연을 봤을때, 큰 hall 에 빈좌석이 너무 많어서 미안함을 금치 못했었다. 그때가 그가 은퇴에서 나와 다시 활동할 때 였으나, 그의 인기와 명성이 Once upon a time이였던것 같다. 이미 목소리 조차 여기 노래같이 부드럽지 않었다.
Fame도 한때가 있는듯... 때를 맞추지 못하면 세상은 참 잔인할수있다.

Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (1912–2001) was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, sold millions of records for Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show, which set the standards for the genre and proved to be one of the most successful in television history. Como was seen weekly on television from 1949 to 1963, then continued hosting the Kraft Music Hall variety program on a monthly basis until 1967. His combined success on television and popular recordings was not matched by any other artist of the time. Como's appeal spanned generations and he was widely respected for both his professional standards and the conduct in his personal life.

나는 Perry Como의 젊었던 전성기를 직접 보기에는 미국에 늦게 왔지만, 그 이후에도 가끔 년말 명절때나 특별 공연때 TV에 나오는것을 본일이 있고, 그의 recording을 많이 들어서 잘 안다. 그가 늙은후에는 약간 힘드는것처럼 보였지만, 가벼운 콧소리와 부드럽고 쉽게 넘어가는 목소리를 따를 사람이 있을가 한다.

Anthony Dominick Benedetto (1926-  ), better known as Tony Bennett, is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a serious and accomplished painter, having created works—under the name Anthony Benedetto.
Bennett further refined his approach to encompass jazz singing. He reached an artistic peak in the late 1950s with albums such as The Beat of My Heart and Basie Swings, Bennett Sings. In 1962, Bennett recorded his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco".

Bobby Darin (1936-1973), born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician. Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country. Although unknown to the public, his health was dangerously fragile and strongly motivated him to succeed within the limited lifetime he feared he would, and ultimately did, have.

He was also an actor, singer/songwriter and music business entrepreneur. His wish for a legacy was "to be remembered as a human being and as a great performer". Among his many other contributions, he became a goodwill ambassador for the American Heart Association.

유명한 이름이지만, 나 보다는 조금 먼저 시대의 사람으로, 단명으로 일찍 죽었기에 나와는 인연이 멀다. 이름과 노래만은 많이 들었다. 다행히 Youtube에서 하나 찾어서 올린다.

Data from the Internet, composed by SNUMA WM, August 30, 2012