Sinatra's Got a Cold

Frank Sinatra has a Cold” answers the five critical questions that help define a profile. First, the author, Gay Talese, does a great job at explaining why Sinatra is such an interesting man . He does not explicitly say, “Frank Sinatra is an interesting man because…” Instead, he creates an atmosphere of curiosity through his description of this larger-than-life man with the peculiar personality. It makes the audience think “this man is interesting” rather than having to be told that he is. Second, The writer’s description of Sinatra’s work often correlates with Sinatra’s personal life. In the song Nancy, Sinatra is describing the person who knows him best. I found the author’s description of Sinatra singing this song moving because he became transparent. The name Frank Sinatra is often associated with a man who not only sang his music but felt it with the very being and fiber of his soul. When the author describes Sinatra’s outward singing as a reflection of what is happening inside of him, you get the sense that that was the Frank Sinatra of legends. The way he sang in that instance gives the audience the sense that underneath all the chaos that is Sinatra, there is a real live human being with genuine feelings and affections for people. Thirdly, Talese gives a good sense of Sinatra’s motives in his professional life when he describes Sinatra’s reasons for leaving Harry James’ band. The author says, “he would leave other warm places, too, in search of something more, never wasting time, trying to do it all in one generation, fighting under his own name, defending underdogs, terrorizing top dogs. “ This really gives you a sense of why Frank Sinatra did what he did. He wanted to become epic but not through conventional ways. Instead, he wanted to form his own mold. Also, the author does a good job at drawing from a variety of sources including Sinatra’s x-wife, daughter, mother, close friends, and other media sources such as interviews with other publications. One huge source of information is also just observing Sinatra. By watching what he does, where he goes, and the company he keeps the author is able to infer a lot of things and gather a surprising amount of data. Finally, I feel like the profile is asking you to respect Sinatra. It is asking you to revere the man whose mind does not make sense, whose heart is in the right place, and who is everything he set out to be.