Frank Sinatra, born in 1915 to relatively humble beginnings in New Jersey, became one of the most iconic American singers and actors ever. Known for his smooth voice and classic songs such as “You Make Me Feel So Young” and “Strangers In The Night,” he also lit up the screen in several successful films such asOceans 11andThe Manchurian Candidate. For generations,Ol Blue Eyes(as he was known) has delighted audiences and his impact on pop culture can be felt today.Many of his most iconic tracks were heavily featured in the hit early 2000s TV dramaGilmore Girls. The popular series even included one ofSinatra’s long-time collaborators, Paul Anka.
Frank Sinatra’s Songs and Collaborator Paul Anka Featured in the Series ‘Gilmore Girls’
Gilmore Girlsis an endearing coming-of-age dramedythat aired, respectively, on the WB and CW networks for seven seasons from 2000 to 2007. The show starred actressesLauren Graham as Lorelai GilmoreandAlexis Bledel as her daughter Rory. The series followed the unique bond that Lorelai and her daughter shared as they navigated life and love in a small town. The show has become a favorite with fans due to its heartwarming theme, quirky charm, and fast-paced dialogue.
One of the staple marks of the show is its soundtrack. The series featured songs that were an eclectic blend of old and contemporary music.One artist who was heavily featured and referenced on the show was Frank Sinatra.In several episodes, his work, such as “Teach Me Tonight,” “I Thought About You,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” was played.The show’s creator and music director, Amy Sherman-Palladino, once revealed in an interview with Outsmart magazine, “We really wanted the music to have its own kind of voice and the voice for the girls.” So it would come as no surprise when one of Frank Sinatra’s long-time collaborators, singer, songwriter and actorPaul Anka, appeared on the show.
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On season 6 of the series, an episode titledThe Real Paul Ankafeatured a cameo by Anka. In the episode, Rory and Logan are back together, but trouble ensues when he feels alienated by Rory and retreats to do his own thing. Meanwhile, Lorelai becomes befuddled when she discovers her parents want to purchase a home near hers. In a subsequent remark on Instagram, Anka wrote a post describing his experience on the show. “It was such a blast to make a cameo as ‘The Real Paul Anka’ on season 6, episode 18 of Gilmore Girls,” he wrote. “Comment below if you know who the real Paul Anka is!”
Anka, who has written several songs for big-name artists, such as Frank Sinatra, was referring in his Instagram post to another character on the show. In the second episode of season 6, just a few episodes before the real Paul Anka appeared,Lorelai adopts a dog she names Paul Anka.The show’s executive producer, writer, and director, Daniel Palladino, revealed to the Chicago Tribune in 2006 why he decided to name the dog Paul Anka: “It just seemed like … maybe Lorelai would have gone into a coffee place and heard this weird Paul Anka album and would have thought to name her dog Paul Anka.”
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Nearly 27 years after his untimely death at the age of 82 from a heart attack, Frank Sinatra’s music and innate talent are still relevant today. The soulful crooner amassed over 200 top ten hit singles, includingBillboard’s first number-one hit song, “I’ll Never Smile Again.“42 albums reached the top ten, including the first ever number one album in the UK forSongs For Swinging Lovers.He also had several top ten films, and won elevenGrammy Awards, threeAcademy Awards, andtwo Golden Globes.His work has been referenced and revered as inspiration for more than just theGilmore Girls. He’s also inspired modern talent such asMichael Bublé,Harry Connick Jr, andSeth MacFarlane.
Actor, producer, singer and creator of the TV seriesFamily GuySeth MacFarlane has recently made a startling discovery.According to a report in Variety Magazine, the star, who inherited theSinatra library of musical material, recently came across dozens or so of arrangements of songs that Sinatra planned to perform but never did. MacFarlane has incorporated 12 of these unreleased songs in his upcoming ninth studio album titledLush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements,to be released on August 20, 2025.
MacFarlane, a long-time admirer of Sinatra’s and whose voice has often been compared to his, recently discussed his new album in an interview with Variety Magazine. “What’s special about what these [arrangers] did, and what’s unique about Sinatra’s role in this is that, with the possible exception of Nat King Cole, there really wasn’t any other vocalist of that era who seemed to understand the importance of an arrangement to the degree that Sinatra did.” The “A Million Ways to Die in the West” star added, “He really had a love for the charts — he understood how they could elevate a vocal. What’s really telling is when you pull the vocal out and you’re just hearing the charts, what you’re hearing is a degree of artistry that is unmatched in popular music before or since. These charts alone, independent of the vocal part, were really high musical art.”
Paul Anka Once Revealed the One Cover He Hates the Most
Of all the big-name stars Anka has written music for, one of the ones that stands out the most is Frank Sinatra.In particular, the 1969 song “My Way,” which Anka re-translated from a French song called “Comme d’habitude,“is one of their biggest hits. But Sinatra wasn’t the only famous singer to sing a rendition of “My Way”. Stars such asSid ViciousandElvis Presleyalso covered the track. However, according to Anka he wasn’t too happy with Presley’s cover.
According to Anka’s 2013 autobiography aptly titled “My Way”,Anka revealed the history behind Presley’s iconic cover. ”Those words, they mean so much to me. Boy, I want to do that song one day,” Anka says Presley said to him. Anka continued that despite his reluctance to let Presley sing it, the latter covered it anyway. Anka wrote , “In the end, that song and those words had resonance for him, but not in the way I intended. Given Elvis’ pathetic state at the end,it was in the opposite sense that the words had for Sinatra. There was nothing defiant or heroic about Elvis at that point.”
