Frank Sinatra - Michael and Peter

Michael is you, he has your face
he still has your eyes remember
Peter is me 'cept when he smiles
And if you look at them both for a while
you can see they are you, they are me
From Michael & Peter, composed by Bob Gaudio & Jake Holmes

Frank Sinatra was no stranger to melancholy music. His songbook is filled with classics of loneliness, such as "Can't Believe I'm Losing You," "Empty Tables," "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning," and of course, "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)."

Inside the Watertown album sleeve

Yet few of those compare to a concept album he recorded in 1970 called "Watertown." It has the distinction of being one of his worst-selling recordings ever, and it took a beating from critics. "Watertown" went out of print and it became a rarity within record collecting circles. Today you can find it in digital form through a variety of online music services. That's where I got my copy.

On its face, "Watertown" tells a simple and sad story...it's about a man who has been left by his wife, a man left behind to raise two sons alone. But this is not a hopeful song cycle; rather, it's about a man who is defeated. There will be no happy endings, no real resolutions. He reminisces, he makes appeals, he reaches out to this missing woman already knowing that she isn't going to reach back. The relationship is over, and he's looking at the pieces that remain. And he remembers.

This is a profoundly sad album about a profoundly sad and lonely man.

Here's more from the Frank Sinatra blog Frankosonic:

Upon first listen it's the story of a man who has been deserted by his wife and left to bring up their two kids alone. Pretty much every song is addressed directly to the absent partner and the simplistic style of lyric reads like a series of letters. As the story develops, the Father receives news that she is coming back to them, but ultimately he's left stranded at the Railway Station as it becomes apparent that she was never aboard the train and won't ever return.

Admittedly I have listened to this album far too much and I started to think about the bits of the story that didn't add up.

Firstly, she has not only abandoned him but also the two kids - I know this DOES happen but is not exactly common behaviour amongst women. Secondly, he mentions that her Mother still comes by to help with the children and along with other friends they encourage him to move on and find a new love. Surely any Mother would concentrate on getting her wayward Daughter back on track and try to orchestrate a reconciliation? But he's not ready to move on, he's not over her and he can't understand why nobody sees this. Lastly I just don't get why she would say that she is coming back and then just not turn up, breaking his heart a second time. Then it dawned on me..

She's not coming back because she's dead.

This is not an easy listening album. The protagonist in the songs that Sinatra is singing isn't going to bounce back, not going to pick himself up, dust himself off and face the next day with shoulders back and head held high. He has been gut-punched by life, and he's still trying to understand why even as he struggles to accept what has happened. Maybe he never will.

Such is life.

The entire album is available on YouTube. I recommend listening in small doses. It really can be too much to take in during one front-to-back play.

You'll never believe how much they're growing
John Henry came to cut the lawn
again he asked me where you'd gone
can't tell you all the times he's been told
but he's so old
guess that's all the news I've got today
least that's all the news that I can say
maybe soon the words will come my way, tomorrow
From Michael & Peter, composed by Bob Gaudio & Jake Holmes