It Was a Very Good Year

About

Written by Ervin Drake in 1961 and immortalised by Frank Sinatra five years later, It Was a Very Good Year is a nostalgic reflection on life, love and ageing. For Swing When You’re Winning, Robbie Williams was granted rare permission to record it as a virtual duet with Sinatra himself. Using Sinatra’s original 1965 vocal and orchestral arrangement, Williams added newly recorded verses, blending their voices across decades in one of the album’s most striking moments.

The song traces a man’s romantic history through youth, adulthood and maturity, each verse more wistful than the last. Williams performs the first two verses before Sinatra’s voice enters for the closing ones, their tones interweaving in a seamless dialogue between generations. The arrangement’s string section and woodwinds heighten the song’s sense of reflection and finality.

They liked what we were doing and asked if I’d like to sing with Frank. I was so overwhelmed, I cried. It was a dream come true for me.Robbie Williams

For Williams, who grew up idolising Sinatra and the Rat Pack, the collaboration was both a professional honour and a personal milestone. Producer Al Schmitt and members of Sinatra’s original team oversaw the session, ensuring the sound matched the fidelity of the 1960s recording. Though sombre in tone, It Was a Very Good Year anchors the album with quiet dignity, linking Williams directly to the lineage of classic crooners who inspired him.