Frank Sinatra Inspired a Controversial Line of Bon Jovi’s ‘It’s My Life’
Frank Sinatra wasn’t a rock artist, but he inspired Bon Jovi’s classic rock song “It’s My Life.” During an interview, Jon Bon Jovi said the line in the song inspired by Sinatra created some controversy. Specifically, another member of the band wanted to remove the line. Ultimately, the line remained in the song.
Why Jon Bon Jovi wanted to reference Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ in ‘It’s My Life’
In “It’s My Life,” Bon Jovi sings “Like Frankie said ‘I did it my way.'” This is a reference to Sinatra’s version of “My Way.” During a 2021 interview with Mavericks With Ari Melber, Bon Jovi confirmed that fellow band member Richie Sambora didn’t like the line.
Bon Jovi said he might have changed the lyric in a different scenario. “Oh, if I was talking about flying purple people eaters and a collaborator on a song said, ‘I don’t like it’ — if you had a great argument, the eraser comes out, no problem,” he said “But in the case of ‘It’s My Life’ and the line ‘like Frankie said, ‘I did it my way’ — when I was asked by my dear friend and collaborator, ‘What do you mean by that?'”
“I said, ‘Well, Sinatra was a role model, Sinatra made movies and he made records simultaneously. That’s what I’m doing. He’s involved in social cause with politics. That’s what I do,’ the singer added. “So I felt that lyric, and then my ultimate argument was, ‘I’m the one that has to sing it’ — the argument was over, and he said, ‘OK, I get it.'”
How fans interpreted the reference to Ol’ Blue Eyes
“It’s My Life” contains some of the most famous references to Sinatra in all of music. Notably, fans didn’t necessarily think the lyric was about Sinatra. “The beautiful thing is the audience, their response was, ‘Frankie’s just my friend, my brother, my collaborator in life,'” Bon Jovi said. “They didn’t have to make it about Sinatra in my situation.” He said the song transcended language and borders. The band was able to play it around the world.
The way listeners in the United States reacted to Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ and Bon Jovi’s ‘It’s My Life’
Both “My Way” and “It’s My Life” became hits in the United States; however, one song charted a bit higher than the other. “My Way” peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for eight weeks. “My Way” appeared on Sinatra’s album of the same name. The album My Way hit No. 11 on the Billboard 200, lasting on the chart for 19 weeks.
On the other hand, “It’s My Life” reached No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks. Bon Jovi included “It’s My Life” on the album Crush. Crush hit No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 51 weeks. “It’s My Life” is a classic Bon Jovi track — and it wouldn’t be the same without Sinatra.
