The Man I Love

by Peggy Lee

Overview

Around the same time that Peggy Lee decamped her longtime label home, Capitol Records, for what turned out to be a five-year sojourn at Decca Records in 1952, an apparently washed-up Frank Sinatra signed with Capitol. In 1957, when Lee returned to Capitol, Sinatra had re-established himself as a major recording artist. Meanwhile, the recording world had changed with the emergence of the 12-inch LP as an industry standard. The Man I Love, Lee's first recording for Capitol in the format after re-signing, matched her with the company's flagship artist, Sinatra, who was credited as the album's conductor, his name printed on the front cover in the same size as Lee's. A year earlier, Sinatra had conducted his Tone Poems of Color album for Capitol, and though the singer did not read music and relied on arranger Nelson Riddle, he again proved himself able to make his intentions clear in working with Lee. The Man I Love is a concept album in the manner pioneered by Sinatra at Capitol, a group of 12 songs chosen to express a single theme. That theme, as the title suggests, is a woman's unwavering devotion to a man, as expressed in songs often composed by gilt-edged songwriters (Gershwin, Arlen, Rodgers, Kern, etc.) and taken from Broadway shows. That devotion is not starry eyed, however; in several songs, Lee acknowledges the flaws in her paramour (e.g., "Something Wonderful"), but then explains them away and reconfirms her commitment. In fact, toward the end she worries what she would do "If I Should Lose You" before declaring "There Is No Greater Love" and finally idealizing the long-term relationship in the closing song, "The Folks Who Live on the Hill." It wouldn't be surprising to find that Sinatra directed Lee to sing like one of his favorite singers, Billie Holiday, since she often does, laying back in understated vocal performances to reinforce the near-victimhood of the woman depicted in the songs. Riddle supports these interpretations with lush string charts that hint of dark feelings. The result is a superb pairing of singer, conductor, and arranger on an album that re-conceives Lee as a Capitol recording artist in the Sinatra concept album mold. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	12/01/2023
Label:	Universal
UPC:	4988031592496
Rank:	76563

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Peggy Lee   Primary Artist,Vocals
Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra   Primary Artist
Sinclair Lott   French Horn
Edgar Lustgarten   Cello
Paul Nero   Violin
Victor Arno   Violin
Alvin Dinkin   Viola
Felix Slatkin   Violin
Barbara Simmons   Viola
Lou Levy   Piano
Lou Singer   Drums
Juan Tizol   Trombone (Valve)
Nelson Riddle   Conductor
Marshall Sosson   Violin
Maxine Johnson   Viola
Tommy Pederson   Trombone
Manny Klein   Trumpet
Henry Hill   Violin
Jules Jacobs   Saxophone
Kurt Reher   Cello
Cy Bernard   Cello
George Roberts   Trombone (Bass)
James A. Decker   French Horn
Alex Gershunoff   Saxophone
Nick Bonney   Guitar
Warren "Champ" Webb   Sax (Tenor)
Stella Castellucci   Harp
David Frisina   Violin
Harry Klee   Saxophone,Sax (Alto)
Joe Koch   Baritone (Vocal)
Eddie Kusby   Trombone
Ray Sims   Trombone
Alex Beller   Violin
Alex Murray   Violin
Harold Dicterow   Violin
Erno Neufeld   Violin
Victor Gottlieb   Cello
Victor Bay   Violin
James Williamson   Sax (Tenor)
Buddy Collette   Sax (Alto)
Harry "Sweets" Edison   Trumpet
Eudice Shapiro   Violin
Wilbur Schwartz   Saxophone
Eleanor Slatkin   Cello
Frank Sinatra   Conductor
Ennio Bolognini   Cello
Vincent DeRosa   French Horn

Technical Credits

Jerome Kern   Composer
Symes   Composer
Eddie Singleton   Composer
Bob Haymes   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer
Gene DePaul   Composer
Isham Jones   Composer
Irving Berlin   Composer
Larry Coleman   Composer
Charles Singleton   Composer
Don Raye   Composer
Gallop   Composer
Gregory Stone   Translation
George Gershwin   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
Lorenz Hart   Composer
Johnny Mercer   Composer
Sammy Gallop   Composer
Saul Chaplin   Composer
Marty Symes   Composer
Nelson Riddle   Arranger
Ralph Rainger   Composer
Brandt   Composer
Alan Brandt   Composer
Arthur Schwartz   Composer
Sammy Cahn   Composer
Coleman   Composer
Robin   Composer
Jones   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Haymes,   Composer
Bob Norberg   Remastering
Oscar Hammerstein II   Composer
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Leo Robin   Composer
Schwartz   Composer