Song of the Day 7/6: Frank Sinatra, “Summer Wind”

Though it’s not as well known as “My Way” or “New York, New York,” most people associate this song with Sinatra. Someone who loved and lost like Frank has a perfect feel for Johnny Mercer’s rueful lyrics, and his vocals, like Nelson Riddle’s arrangement, start quietly and builds to a crescendo. But those lyrics aren’t the original ones for the tune. Those were in German.

Johnny Mercer first heard the song being sung by a Danish singer and wrote English lyrics to match Heinz Meier’s composition, keeping the theme of the German lyrics, which used the summer sirocco winds as a metaphor for a love affair. Mercer was one of Sinatra’s favorite lyricists, but Sinatra wasn’t the first to record Mercer’s version. That would be Wayne Newton, who made it the title track of a 1965 album. Bobby Vinton and Perry Como also gave it a crack before the year was out. Somehow, Wayne Newton’s chirpy voice doesn’t really sell the heartbreak.

Recorded for the “Strangers in the Night” album, “Summer Wind” was released as a single that reached No. 25 on the Hot 100, a disappointing performance after the title track hit No. 1 and “That’s Life,” the third single from what became Sinatra’s best-selling album, reached No. 4. But it’s grown in stature over the years, maybe because it’s often featured in soundtracks.