My dad loved Frank Sinatra. I vividly remember as a young child driving on Sunday mornings with my dad in his Oldsmobile 98, listening to Sid Mark and Sunday with Sinatra. As a young child, I did not understand how my dad could enjoy that type of music. Back in the 1970s, there was no escape from the Oldsmobile and Sinatra, as I did not have an iPhone, iPad, or satellite radio at my disposal. However, as I have aged, I have grown fond of Sinatra’s music. It may have to do more with remembering the quality time I spent with my dad than actually enjoying the music, but hearing “You Make Me Feel So Young” always brings a smile to my face.
Bruce Springsteen is my equivalent of my dad’s love affair with Frank Sinatra. During our family car rides, instead of Sunday with Sinatra, it is E Street Radio blasting from the car audio system. Our five children do not understand (neither does my wife) why I love Bruce so much. They think Springsteen is country music. At least they have their iPhones and iPads to listen on.
Currently, Sinatra is played regularly in assisted living and nursing home communities. In the year 2050, can you imagine Born to Run and Badlands being played in long term care communities? Study after study has shown that music has power—especially for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Music can shift mood, manage stress-induced agitation, stimulate positive interactions, facilitate cognitive function, and coordinate motor movements.
Music also has the power to unite generations. Several years ago, our twin daughters and I traveled to Brooklyn, NY, for the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Concert. I was there to see the E Street Band (absent Clarence Clemens and Danny Federici) inducted, and our daughters were there to witness Nirvana’s (absent Kurt Cobain) induction. It was a night I will always remember, made most memorable by sharing the evening with our daughters.
Perhaps one day, our children will hear Born to Run and smile thinking about their dear old dad. How does “Sunday with Bruce” sound?
