"YOU'RE LOST LITTLE GIRL":THE BEGINNING OF JIM MORRISON’S "FRANK SINATRA" SINGING STYLE

Jim Morrison repeatedly declared his esteem for two seminal singers in music history: Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. He also drew inspiration from them in defining his vocal style. Although his singing is highly original and distinctly different from anyone else’s, these influences are evident from the very beginning of the Doors frontman's musical career.

Among the two singers mentioned as a musical inspiration for Morrison, it is the influence of Frank Sinatra that we want to consider here as one of the elements that determine Morrison's vocal style.

There are several Elvis Presley tunes recorded both in studio and live by The Doors. However, unfortunately, no similar recordings concerning Sinatra songs seem to be available.

The first example in the Doors’ discography that suggests a closeness between the part sung by Morrison and the Italian American singer is "You're Lost Little Girl", contained on the Doors' second LP "Strange Days" (September 1967).

Although the psychedelic nature of the song apparently doesn’t fit with this parallel between vocal styles, upon listening one can easily notice a not too subtle nor coincidental similarity between the two singers.

In both the verse and the chorus of “You’re Lost Little Girl” we find the Sinatra's singing approach expressed by Morrison in two different ways respectively. In the verse, we can hear a low vocal inflection filled with melancholy that penetrates the sparse arrangement.

On the other hand, during the refrain the voice appears more uplifted and serene, although it maintains a tone veiled by a distant sadness. In addition, the timbre of Morrison’s voice in the whole piece boldly approaches the one of Sinatra while maintaining its due distance and the unbridgeable difference between the two.

To get an idea of how Morrison's voice contains within itself some marked shades of the "Sinatra style”, it may be useful to listen to the song "I'm A Fool To Want You" from 1951 (or the 1957 version as well) sung by Sinatra himself. At this stage of his career, the latter was transitioning from the Swing that had made him famous in the 1940s to the synthesis of Jazz and Pop that would allow him to solidify his status as an unmatched vocal performer.

After experimenting with this style on the album "Strange Days" with the song "You're Lost Little Girl", Jim Morrison would go on to sing other "Sinatra-esque" compositions on the band's subsequent LPs.

The best examples are: "Yes, The River Knows" on the album "Waiting For The Sun" (July 1968); "Whishful Sinful" on the album "The Soft Parade" (July 1969); "Blue Sunday" and "The Spy" on the album "Morrison Hotel" (February 1970).

Among the tracks just mentioned, the instance where the attempt made by Morrison to accentuate the pitch of his voice in order to bring it closer to Sinatra's is perhaps "Blue Sunday".

To verify this similarity, it is useful to listen to the aforementioned "I'm A Fool To Want You" by Frank Sinatra (min. 0.56 to min. 1.46) and later to "Blue Sunday" (min. 0.15 to min. 1.05).

Jim Morrison's voice remains a staple in music history, being one of the most engaging, easily recognizable and fascinating ever. Here we have probed one of its facets: the one associated with Frank Sinatra, one of the greatest jazz singers of all time as well as one of the founders of modern singing.