Prior to his switch to Capitol, Sinatra had already begun to change his sound. His experience in the nightclubs of Las Vegas had given him a more mature, jazzy sound that did not lose its intimacy. Additionally, his resounding success in From Here to Eternity infused him with renewed confidence. Sinatra now sings with assuredness born of the experience of survival. He convinced his new producer Voyle Gilmore to record the charts that he had performed at the Riviera and the Sands. The arrangements were usually performed by eight musicians when Sinatra performed live, but for the recording eleven musicians were used, possibly indicating orchestration had been reduced for the concerts.
Recording
The tracks were conducted by Nelson Riddle, the sessions for this album and the preceding singles initiating a long-standing collaboration between the arranger and singer that would continue for the next twenty years. All the arrangements were by one of Sinatra's Columbia Records arrangers, George Siravo, except for "Like Someone in Love", which Riddle arranged. Sinatra was using Siravo's charts in his contemporaneous night club appearances, and the studio musicians were surprised by the worn condition of the charts, which differed from the new music pages typically distributed at a such a recording session. Songs For Young Lovers followed a formula similar to Sinatra's previous releases for Columbia - rather than compiling a potentially inconsistent set of former hits, a set of newly recorded songs would be arranged around a specific theme or concept. This time around, the singer had more artistic freedom, and producer Voyle Gilmore was supportive of the album's consistent format. In addition, the state-of-the-art Capitol studios were capable of producing a more detailed sound, which gave Riddle more freedom in his arrangements and orchestrations.
Release
The album was originally released in February 1954. The album art features a young couple taking a private stroll in the dark, with Sinatra leaning against a lamp-post in the foreground. In 1960, the eight songs were combined with the eight songs from the 10" album Swing Easy! on a new, 16 song, 12" LP called "Swing Easy!", featuring the "Swing Easy!" cover but including a miniature inset of the "Songs for Young Lovers" cover. In 1962, the 1954, 8-song, 10" album was released as a 12-song, 12" LP with four extra songs added: "Someone To Watch Over Me", "My One And Only Love", "It Worries Me", and "I Can Read Between the Lines". The cover of the new album included both previous album covers. In 1971 it was re-issued as a ten track album under the name My One and Only Love.
Impact
Nelson Riddle was influenced by Siravo's arrangements, and how well they fit Sinatra. Both arrangers knew that the arrangements should provide interest, but never overshadow the singer. Whereas Siravo was rooted in swing, Riddle would break from those confinements. As Riddle received credit and Siravo received none, Siravo came to resent the slight. Riddle, although in no way responsible for the lack of due credit, was later to send personal apologies. In 2002, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.
Tracks 1, 3, 7, 8: Skeets Herfurt, Mahlon Clark ; Felix Slatkin, Paul Shure ; Paul Robyn ; Eleanor Slatkin ; Kathryn Julye ; Bill Miller ; Al Hendrickson, Allan Reuss ; Joe Comfort ; Alvin Stoller. George Siravo. Tracks 2, 4, 5, 6: Skeets Herfurt, Mahlon Clark ; Felix Slatkin, Paul Shure ; Paul Robyn ; Eleanor Slatkin ; Kathryn Julye ; Bill Miller ; Al Hendrickson, Allan Reuss ; Joe Comfort ; Alvin Stoller. George Siravo, Nelson Riddle.
