Sammy Davis Jr.

It’s gushing buckets here near Cape Cod. The rain today has somehow morphed me into a melancholy mood, or more precisely, mellow and downbeat. What to listen to?

Fortunately, while gazing over the main drive I happen to hit upon today’s feature.

I’m doubly glad to feature Sammy Davis Jr. because not only do I actually dig this cat, I’ve read with great interest jeffash over at AM then FM who occasionally features music from his Dad’s collection. This is called inspiration. And, Sammy just seems to hit the mood on the head today.

A founding member of the Rat Pack, Sammy just exudes laid back cool and swaggering confidence. Able to lay down a melody that will crackle even the most hardened heart and able to also make the band stand on edge, Sammy is what’s known as an entertainer.

And, that’s what I want right now, to be entertained. Let Sammy now entertain you.

Here’s That Rainy Day
I can just picture him singing this. On a four-post stool, one heel hooked on a rung. A mike in one hand, cigarette in the other, head bowed down during the intro. Fingers laced in adornments, neck circled in chains, a single molten white spotlight reflecting shards of laser light into the audience. Articulate guitar and soothing, expressive, magical voice pairing to razor cut the placid moment.

Where’s that worn out wish

That I threw aside

After it brought my lover near?

Funny how love becomes a cold rainy day.

Funny – that rainy day is here.

I’ve Gotta Be Me
Only a great man could pull this off, and no one has ever done it with more conviction. Sammy braces against outside forces and determinedly stands his ground on his own terms. Fiercely independent, doggedly focused and spitefully determined, he's willing to stand alone and proud no matter the outcome. Truly one of the greatest themes of all time, I’m not surprised that I can not imagine anyone else able to claim this track. To try would be tantamount to degrading ones self. Sammy without question or doubt is inimitable.

I want to live, not merely survive.
And I won’t give up this dream
Of life that keeps me alive.

I gotta be me, I gotta be me

The dream that I see makes me what I am.

Sammy Davis Jr.: Here’s That Rainy Day [92]
Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me [107]
From: The Best of Sammy Davis, Jr. on Reprise [1996]