Frankie Sinatra

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"Frankie Sinatra"
Single by the Avalanches featuring Danny Brown and MF Doom
from the album Wildflower
Released2 June 2016
Genre
Length
  • 3:44 (album version)
  • 4:28 (extended mix)
LabelModular
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The Avalanches
The Avalanches singles chronology
"A Different Feeling"
(2002)
"Frankie Sinatra"
(2016)
"Colours"
(2016)
Danny Brown singles chronology
"Detroit vs. Everybody"
(2014)
"Frankie Sinatra"
(2016)
"When It Rain"
(2016)
MF Doom singles chronology
"Lively Hood"
(2015)
"Frankie Sinatra"
(2016)
"Avalanche"
(2016)

"Frankie Sinatra" is a song by Australian electronic music group the Avalanches. It was released as a digital download on 2 June 2016, acting as the lead single from their second studio album, Wildflower (2016). The song, which features guest appearances from rappers Danny Brown and MF Doom, was the first piece of new material by the group in 16 years.[2]

Production[edit]

"Frankie Sinatra" is one of the oldest produced tracks on Wildflower. The track was built from a calypso record called "Bobby Sox Idol" by Wilmoth Houdini that Robbie Chater would play at a club night in Melbourne called "Brains". Although both Chater and Tony Di Blasi found the calypso track "strangely repetitive and annoying" at first, they soon grew a liking to it.[3]

Composition[edit]

"Frankie Sinatra" features rap verses from rappers Danny Brown and MF Doom. Regarding the reason why the Avalanches chose to work with Danny Brown on the song, in an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1, they stated: "We wanted to make this record still sound like us but to be a bit more loose and rock and roll. The initial plan was to make a crazy loose rock record, but with samples. Danny’s voice is almost like a punk rock voice sometimes, so we thought it’d be perfect."[2] The song contains certain elements of electro swing[4] with an overarching foundation in calypso music, a type of Afro-Caribbean music.[5] It features a sample of the song "Bobby Sox Idol" by calypso artist Wilmoth Houdini.[6] It also includes the melody of Percy Faith and His Orchestra's "My Favorite Things".[7]

Music video[edit]

The official music video for "Frankie Sinatra" was released on 2 June 2016, the day of the song's release, through YouTube and Vevo.[8] "Carnival attendees run amok after downing glowing, hallucinogenic ice cream" is how Jason Newman of Rolling Stone described the video, feeling that it matched the song's atmosphere and "circus-like beat".[9]

In the video, two people make and sell frozen treats with an unidentified neon-yellow liquid from a food truck labelled "Frankie's Ice Cream, The Avalanches new flavor 2016," at a carnival. Consumers, with yellow stains on their lips, have hallucinations, shown by a blue filter. The video cuts to men on airboats, then a family of four at supper, all who hallucinate and act abnormally after drinking the yellow liquid. A cut back to the carnival shows law enforcement officials looking at the woman from the family in a plastic bubble. People in hazmat suits examine collapsed people holding yellow treats, which implies they were affected by the substance. A man plays the guitar as "Frankie Sinatra" and the butterfly logo closes the video.

Track listing[edit]

Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Frankie Sinatra" (extended mix)4:28

Charts[edit]

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 34
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[11] 36

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[12] Gold 35,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Label Format
Worldwide 2 June 2016 Modular Digital download

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Frankie Sinatra – The Avalanches". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b Evershed, Nick; Harmon, Steph (2 June 2016). "The Avalanches' Frankie Sinatra: first new music in 16 years airs on Triple J". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  3. ^ Chater, Robbie; Di Blasi, Tony (2 June 2016). "Interview with the Avalanches" (Interview). Interviewed by Zane Lowe. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  4. ^ Tabb, Brian (3 June 2016). "The Avalanches "Frankie Sinatra" is a Demented Carnival". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  5. ^ Boult, Adam (2 June 2016). "The Avalanches return - after 16 years - with new single 'Frankie Sinatra'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  6. ^ Marsh, Walter. "IT'S HERE: THE AVALANCHES SAMPLE THE SOUND OF MUSIC ON NEW SINGLE 'FRANKIE SINATRA'". Rip It Up. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Frankie Sinatra - The Avalanches feat. Danny Brown and MF Doom". Who Sampled. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  8. ^ Lozano, Kevin / Minsker, Evan (2 June 2016). "The Avalanches, MF DOOM, Danny Brown Share Bonkers "Frankie Sinatra" Video: Watch". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 4 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Watch the Avalanches' Hallucinogenic Comeback Video 'Frankie Sinatra'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  10. ^ "The Avalanches – Frankie Sinatra". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  11. ^ "The Avalanches – Frankie Sinatra" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  12. ^ "Feb Single Accreds 2024" (PDF). ARIA. March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.