He did it his way (but did you?)

This morning, on BBC breakfast, they were celebrating the 40th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s My Way. Paul Anka, who beat David Bowie to writing the English version of an original French song, once said that Sid Vicious did the best version. I agree. So many artists have covered it. Everyone from Andy Williams, Dorothy Squires and Elvis Presley to Nina Simone, Jon Bon Jovi and John Cleese. William Shatner even performed a spoken version. It’s become cheesier than gorgonzola. Have you performed it? It’s one of the most popular karaoke songs in the world. J K Rowling wanted to play the song at Professor Dumbledore’s funeral. It’s the song most frequently played at British funerals. Ironically, My Way has become a cliché. But tell that to people in The Philippines, where it can cause violence and even suicides. Nobody told Slobodan Milosevic that he couldn’t play it over and over again in his Hague prison cell while undergoing his trial for war crimes. These days, it’s the Sid Vicious version of the song that you’re more likely to hear in popular culture, whether it’s in Goodfellas, Buffy The Vampire Slayer or The Sopranos. And that’s the version I’ll be playing today. What do I get from it? The struggle for individual identity in a collective society? Blimey, I'll be trying to relate it all to branding next! Ahh! My Way? Don’t think about it too much. Just do it anyway.

Mark Griffiths http://www.idealconsulting.co.uk/